Contractor distances self from biometric device failures in South Africa elections A Johannesburg-based company, Ren-Form, which supplied biometric hardware to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) says it is not responsible for glitches reported during general elections in the country in May. An investigation by News 24 reveals that the IEC paid the sum of 546 million rand (US$.29.8 million) to the company for the supply of 40,000 biometric Voter Management Devices (VMDs) which reportedly caused delays during voting because some of the devices didn’t work properly. The IEC had initially hoped to procure 60,000 devices but changed its plan due to financial constraints. In the report, Ren-Form’s attorney, Tshepo Mathapo, is quoted as parrying away the blame for the hitches. The legal representative said the problems experienced at polling stations had nothing to do with the hardware supplied, but rather with the software that was loaded unto the devices. Meanwhile, the supplier of the software used is not mentioned. Among other things, the accusations are that the company supplied devices that were either faulty or not up to standard and that some of the problems had been identified since the devices were first deployed for local government elections in 2021. Ren-Form is an integrated communications and security printing company which has executed election-related contracts for South Africa and many other countries in Africa for many years. The IEC is quoted as saying that it is working to make a “detailed assessment” of the technical glitches situation and will communicate on it in due course. A spokesman for the election agency addressed questions about spending on the devices saying it was “inclusive of supply, warrantees, device services and maintenance for the period of five years.” The IEC reportedly paid R13,650 (US$746) per device. Explain the purpose of a risk classification system. Unpack the FIRM risk scorecard and perform a high-level analysis of the risk faced by the IEC.