ACSA places CIO on precautionary suspension

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has placed its Chief Information Officer on precautionary suspension following evidence of misconduct related to the biometric and digital identity technology project.

Last week, ACSA issued a media statement confirming that there were no allegations of irregularities concerning its procurement processes in the ongoing legal proceedings before the High Court.

“This was indeed true based on the information we had at the time and statements issued by those involved in the project,” the statement reads.

However, after conducting a preliminary investigation, ACSA says it has now uncovered prima facie evidence of wrongdoing related to the biometric and digital identity technology project. As a result, the Chief Information Officer has been placed on precautionary suspension to allow ACSA to conduct a more thorough investigation and report its findings to the public.

In May 2022, ACSA initiated a procurement process for the Automated Border Control (ABC) project, including e-Gates and single token systems, for a 60-month period.

The French multinational technology company IDEMIA was awarded a contract worth R115 million. The contract required that 30% of its value be subcontracted to a South African black-owned EME or QSE, and IDEMIA partnered with InfoVerge to meet this requirement.

However, an impasse arose between IDEMIA and InfoVerge, prompting ACSA to mediate in the hope of resolving the issue and ensuring the contract was fulfilled.

Despite ACSA’s intervention, the dispute remained unresolved, leading InfoVerge to take legal action to overturn the contract awarded to IDEMIA.