Serious allegations of corruption, collusion and deliberate stalling of tenders have rocked the South African Weather Service (SAWS), exposing what employees describe as deep-rooted governance failures, procurement manipulation and financial mismanagement at the state entity.
SAWS, mandated to provide accurate and timely meteorological data critical for aviation, agriculture and disaster management, is now facing a storm of its own, one allegedly fuelled by unchecked executive power and a culture of impunity.
Disgruntled workers, who spoke to Sunday Times on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, accuse the SAWS board of dismantling key procurement safeguards, effectively granting CEO Ishaam Abader sweeping contracting authority. They claim that internal complaints have been repeatedly ignored, leaving staff frustrated and demoralised.
“Since the CEO’s arrival four years ago, SAWS has been trying to procure a high-performance computer [HPC] with no success. The organisation is still using a system that’s more than 10 years old,” one employee said.
‘Engine of the organisation at risk’
The HPC, the backbone of SAWS operations, processes the data used to forecast weather patterns and issue climate alerts. Employees warn that relying on outdated infrastructure puts South Africa’s weather monitoring and disaster preparedness systems at serious risk of collapse.
Workers allege that the CEO has interfered in the procurement process to favour a service provider whose contract expired years ago. “Instead of going out on tender, he keeps extending their contract,” another source claimed.
On June 10, the infrastructure and information systems executive manager, who oversaw more than 90% of SAWS’s capital expenditure budget, was allegedly forced out. The whistleblowers claim the CEO had a vested interest in tenders linked to the R90m HPC procurement.
“After pushing the executive out, the CEO appointed himself to act in that role, allowing him to both initiate the procurement process and later approve it as CEO,” one employee alleged.
They claim that the deliberate obstruction of procurement processes has driven SAWS into financial distress, with a cash deficit of R53.2m recorded for the 2024/25 financial year.
Forensic findings and cybersecurity lapses
Adding to the concerns is the 14-month vacancy in the ICT security manager position, despite a confirmed cyberattack in January 2024.
A forensic report completed in June 2024 reportedly found that the repeated extensions of the HPC contract were unlawful and in contravention of Section 217 of the constitution, which governs fair and transparent public procurement.
The auditor-general’s 2024/25 Budgetary Review and Recommendations Report further criticised SAWS for its weak information security, warning that: “The absence of a dedicated information security specialist has weakened SAWS’s security posture. The deficiencies have led to vulnerabilities that were exploited, resulting in data loss, affecting climate data management, research, innovation, aviation, agriculture, disaster management and public services.”
The AG added the slow response in addressing control deficiencies leaves the entity vulnerable to future breaches.
Union calls for urgent parliamentary intervention
The National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers has called on parliament to urgently intervene, citing “leadership vacuum, procurement sabotage and a board that has traded oversight for silence”.
“Over the past four years, SAWS has been hollowed out. The CEO has stalled every strategic asset, from the high-performance computer needed to warn coastal communities, to the ICT security manager post that left our national radar network exposed to cyberattack,” the union wrote in its letter.
“Critical posts have been left vacant for up to four years, technical staff are burnt out, and financial controls mandated by the Public Finance Management Act have been replaced by a culture of impunity.”
SAWS hits back
In response to the allegations, Oupa Segalwe, SAWS senior manager for communications and stakeholder relations, dismissed the claims as “spurious” and “intended to create mischief”.
Segalwe said SAWS’s finances and procurement processes are handled transparently, with oversight from internal and external auditors, including the auditor-general’s office.
“The management, as well as the board, are fully aware of the finances of SAWS and the procurement matters undertaken. The information has been audited for the previous year, and the current expenditure will also be audited,” Segalwe said.
Segalwe said the procurement of the HPC system predates the current CEO’s tenure and has been restarted several times to ensure full compliance with procurement laws.
“The current process is at an advanced stage of evaluation and will undergo a double-blind review before any award is made to strengthen governance and prevent irregular expenditure.”
He said contingency measures are in place to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of critical services should the current system fail.
“It is also incorrect to suggest that the former Infrastructure and Information Systems executive manager was forced out or that the CEO appointed himself to act in the role. The official retired, and the responsibilities were temporarily shared among the executive team, including the CEO, pending the appointment of a successor,” he said.
Segalwe added that the recruitment of an ICT security specialist was delayed due to internal disciplinary processes and a shortage of suitably qualified candidates.
“The position has since been filled, and the specialist will assume duty on 9 November 2025,” he said.
The entity notes that some of the allegations, reportedly made by NUPSAW, arise amid a wage dispute and a recent CCMA decision declining the union’s application for a certificate to picket.
He added that SAWS maintains a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and collusion, saying “guilty employees have been disciplined and/or dismissed” where wrongdoing has been proven.
“Many of these submissions to the media are from disgruntled employees who may have been fired, are no longer able to access tenders, or are pursuing self-interests that are not being met,” he said.
Segalwe added that SAWS “would welcome any independent investigation” into the allegations but reserved the right to pursue legal action against complainants if the claims are found to be false.
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