The SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) is a crucial institution in the economy, providing quality assurance to products sold in the local market. Its stamp of approval gives confidence to consumers.
It is a great pity then that it is now under an investigation for maladministration. Trade, industry & competition minister Parks Tau’s department has been inundated with whistle-blower complaints since August about an allegedly mismanaged organisation in disarray.
It’s not the first time that the SABS is in the spotlight. It was under administration for about five years until December 2022.
Care has to be taken in assessing whistle-blower allegations as they can possibly emanate from aggrieved employees. So the department did not respond immediately but its internal audit unit conducted its own probe to evaluate their veracity. It then made a recommendation to Tau that a fully-fledged investigation take place.
Equally worrying, especially for the construction industry, was the partial suspension in August by the South African National Accreditation System (Sanas) of accreditation for cement which means that the SABS cannot issue permits bearing the Sanas logo for new clients, the addition of scope or new products and renewals.
The malaise in the SABS was worsened by a severe ransomware attack in November which crippled its IT systems and core operations and affected its ability to deliver essential services. The recovery has been slow and is not yet complete.
Tau needs to take urgent steps to stabilise the entity, establish a fully constituted board and ensure that a competent permanent CEO is appointed.
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