As the investigation into the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) continues, Democratic Alliance (DA) Parliamentary member and DA Trade, Industry and Competition spokesperson Toby Chance has called for the immediate suspension of top executives out of concern that they could potentially interfere in the investigation

In a letter to Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau, dated April 30, which Engineering News has seen, Chance said the conduct of some senior executives at the SABS warranted their precautionary suspension with immediate effect.

“The allegations from whistleblowers received since August 2024 and conversations I have had with some of them paint a picture of sustained victimisation, shaming and bullying of staff by these individuals, improper appointment of staff and service providers, as well as incidences of management failure, most notably the failure to fully mitigate the negative impact of the cyber-attack the SABS suffered in November 2024 and the absence of disaster-recovery systems and procedures,” his letter said.

Chance said these precautionary suspensions were required owing to the independent investigation into the SABS by private contractor TSU International – the investigative arm of international security firm TSU Protective Services. The investigation, which was commissioned by Tau, is expected to conclude at the end of May.

“Many of the allegations are levelled at [certain] executives, who remain in positions of authority with ample opportunity to interfere with an impartial and fair investigation.

I call upon . . . the board of directors to take this measure without delay, in the interests of the long-term health of the SABS,” Chance said.

He added that the swift appointment of board members to fill vacancies resulting from recent resignations – in particular a permanent chairperson and permanent CEO – all with unblemished records and demonstrated capabilities, would be the next step in restoring the institution to a functional state.

Previously, Chance questioned Tau on why SABS executives were going ahead with their own internal suspensions and disciplinary procedures while an investigation was under way, as there was reason to suspect that these measures were being used to target whistleblowers and intimidate dissenters in the organisation.

Chance requested that Tau put an immediate stop to these actions taken by the executive until the TSU investigation was completed.

In response, Tau defended these actions by the executive, citing instances in which precautionary suspensions of employees were generally warranted as part of maintaining a fair and effective working environment.

In a letter to Chance dated April 20, Tau said precautionary suspensions were warranted in instances where:

• an organisation believes the employee has allegedly committed a serious offence;
• the presence of the employee at the workplace might jeopardise the investigation into the alleged misconduct or it might endanger the wellbeing or safety of any person or State property; and
• there exists a reasonable and objective apprehension on the part of the employer that there is a real possibility of the alleged misconduct being repeated.

Tau said precautionary suspensions were therefore, in themselves, not disciplinary actions but were rather being used to ensure the investigation process remained impartial and free from any interference.

However, Tau has not yet explained why these rules would apply to other SABS employees but not to the executives at the centre of the ongoing TSU investigation and who arguably fit these very criteria.

According to Tau, there are currently 12 employees on precautionary suspension for an average of 137 days, or about 4.5 months.

“I must say the average number of days of these suspensions is cause for concern and I have, in this regard, requested the SABS board to ensure they provide the necessary oversight to ensure the situation is addressed and the outstanding investigations and/or disciplinary proceedings are prioritised to ensure a timely and fair resolution of the matters.

“I also encouraged the SABS board to ensure that management communicates to all employees their right to trigger the relevant dispute mechanisms provided for in law, if they are of the opinion that they are unfairly suspended,” Tau told Chance.