Sabs On The Verge Of Collapse, Warns Parliament Committee

Parliaments Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition says the South African Bureau of Standards SABS is on the verge of collapse.

Among the problems it highlighted was the agencys inability to carry out basic functions such as product testing.

The Committee visited the agencys headquarters in Pretoria on Monday.

Committee member Toby Chance says they are concerned about the deteriorating situation at the Bureau.

The South African Bureau of Standards is the custodian of our quality systems as a country. So, that means that products that are cement to car parts to electronic appliance they all have to be certified for use not just by South Africans but by people who buy these products if they are being exported so, the concerns that have been raised relate to the breakdown in systems, laboratories, the destruction of material, the loss of accreditation for example of the cement lab which still has not been reimposed also computer systems that are not maintained, last November there was a very serious cyber attack.