Pretoria:The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is currently grappling with significant challenges, highlighted during a recent meeting of the trade, industry, and competition portfolio committee. The SABS presented its 2024/25 annual report, but the absence of board members and key leadership figures underscored the organization's ongoing difficulties.
According to Democratic Alliance, the meeting was notably devoid of the SABS board members, and the ministerial team, along with the director general, were absent due to cabinet committee commitments. The acting CEO was also unavailable, being on sick leave, leaving the head of Compliance Risk and Legal Services to handle the presentation.
The report revealed severe issues stemming from a ransomware cyberattack in November 2024, which severely disrupted SABS's systems, necessitating a complete rebuild. This incident resulted in a delayed annual report publication, and the 2025/26 results have yet to undergo review by the Auditor General. The 2024/25 report highlighted a R69.5 million operating loss, a 14.1% increase in expenditure against a 2.8% income growth, and only 56% of key performance indicators achieved. Furthermore, irregular expenditure amounted to R52.2 million, and governance deficiencies were identified.
Despite receiving an unqualified audit with findings since 2019/20, there has been a lack of consequence management for executives or responsible employees. Under pressure from the Democratic Alliance, Minister Tau initiated a forensic investigation by TSU International into governance failures. The report, presented in May 2026, recommended disciplinary action against certain executives.
The absence of leadership at the meeting meant there was no chance to discuss the implementation of these recommendations or to address inquiries regarding the SABS's business model review and laboratory refurbishment plans, estimated at R1.6 billion. Consequently, the committee resolved to conduct an urgent oversight visit to the SABS headquarters in Pretoria to assess the situation firsthand.
The SABS is integral to South Africa's quality system, with its mark once being a trusted symbol for locally manufactured products. The decline of this institution poses a challenge that the government must address, emphasizing the need for capable leadership to restore its former status.