Toby Chance: How whistleblowers have tried to save the SABS

The breakdown of governance and operational performance at the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) amid allegations of corruption and maladministration is laid bare in this BizNews interview with Toby Chance, the Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on Trade, Industry and Competition. Describing the role whistleblowers have played in exposing the rot, he says: "I was appointed to my position in July after the formation of the Government of National Unity and very soon after that I started to receive emails from whistleblowers…” However, “they were victimised, they were bullied, and many of them have taken leave…it actually took until February and multitudinous letters from me and questions in Parliament…for the Minister to actually finally take action, which he did in February by appointing TSU International to conduct an independent investigation. And we're now waiting to see the outcome of that investigation.” Meanwhile, Chance is confident that Minister Parks Tau will do “the right thing” once he has received the investigation report. “He doesn't really have any choice. Otherwise, the SABS will collapse...It’s not collapsed yet, but it's close to it.” Chance adds that Minister Tau “did inherit a hornet's nest of problems when he came into the job, not just at the SABS, but in many of the other entities in the DTIC's family. And I do think that he wants to clear the decks…”