• ACTis has raised one flag for SAMSA and placed two under monitoring.
• After at least five years of leadership instability linked to allegations against former Chief Operations Officer (COO) Sobantu Tilayi, who has since left, the appointments of a new Board and a permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in late 2025 give SAMSA the opportunity to stabilise its governance structures. However, findings on organisational culture, consequence management and historical financial control weaknesses suggest that rebuilding a culture of accountability remains a key challenge for the institution’s current leadership.
• SAMSA’s financial governance is improving, as evidenced by a reduction in irregular expenditure and four consecutive unqualified audits.
• The handling of the former COO’s disciplinary processes by the previous two Boards and the internal functions responsible for administering them raises questions about SAMSA’s commitment to consequence management and accountability.