Minister Tau drags while SABS crisis deepens

IN FEBRUARY this year, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, under pressure from the Democratic Alliance, appointed TSU International to investigate allegations of maladministration at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) that had surfaced from August. TSU’s report was due at the end of June.

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In response to a letter I wrote to Tau asking why the report had not been released, the minister said the investigation is ongoing and gave no date for the end of the probe. It is unacceptable that six months have elapsed since Minister Tau commissioned the investigation, and still we have no date for its finalisation.

In his response to me, he cites “unforeseen challenges encountered by the investigators” as the reason for the delay. Information from sources inside the SABS suggests the investigators received a frosty reception from individuals potentially implicated in wrongdoing by whistleblowers.

However, this should not be used as an excuse when many other employees have been eager to speak to the investigators to provide them with relevant information. This has enabled TSU to build up a comprehensive picture of what has been happening at the SABS to destabilise it and compromise its operations.