WATCH: 'Be corrupt, just in moderation' - Tara Roos on the increase of corruption in SA

Political analyst Tara Roos has called for a return to "boring politics" – reminiscing about a time when government corruption was reportedly less extreme.

"We need to go back to an era where we were bored. When Thabo Mbeki was the president. Bring back Thabo Mbeki."

"The TM era. Thabo, Tito [Mboweni], and Trevor [Manuel]. We didn't appreciate those three. South Africans didn't appreciate the three of them enough."

Speaking on The Bill with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, Roos argued that past administrations, such as those of Mbeki, were marked by minor or "light" corruption, in contrast to the large-scale scandals seen today.

She said corruption was a natural consequence of any government system, as loopholes and opportunities for exploitation inevitably arise.

"You cannot have a democratic system and a government system where corruption doesn't exist, that is the statute. If there are loopholes and points of exploitation, human beings – as a natural instinct – will exploit the system. A lot of people can get on their high horse and say, 'If I was in government, I would never do that'... all good and well, but there is someone who's going to."

Roos suggested that past leaders at least practiced a form of restraint.

"I think that is the point of many South Africans, that guys steal. You know what, at this rate, we all know you're going to steal, but like steal in moderation. Why must we be greedy? Be corrupt, just in moderation."