The newly appointed chairperson of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Professor Bismark Tyobeka has committed to turning around the situation at the embattled state-owned entity.
The SABS plays a critical role in setting and upholding South Africa’s national standards. However, the institution has been facing a series of controversies related to allegations of corruption, mismanagement, and a lack of proper governance.
These issues have been highlighted by whistleblowers.
Professor Tyobeka says their first priority is to appoint a permanent CEO.
“The first part of the call for the board is to consider the issues of the appointment of a permanent CEO and make sure that all the executive positions are filled. I can tell you that more than let’s say 60 to 70% of senior management and executive management at the SABS are on acting capacity. That does not argue well for good governance because then there is no real full taking of accountability. So, therefore the starting point for us is to stabilize senior executive management.”
He adds that they will also ensure harmonious working relations between management, staff and the unions.
“One of those things that we noticed is the disharmony between staff and the management and the unions. And it’s been going on and on for years and with accusations and counter accusations. Now you cannot have stability in an organisation where there are no employment relations that are harmonious. So we’ll go down, we believe that there is a space for the union and for management to co-exist and take the organisation to the next level.”
