The State IT Company (Sita), the entity answerable for centralised IT procurement throughout all organs of state has appointed a brand new interim board.
Authorities shall be hoping the transfer hopes to shut a management vacuum at Sita following a authorized battle between former communications minister (now deputy minister) Mondli Gungubele and the board he fired in July 2023 over a spat round then CEO Bongani Mabaso’s wage.
Sita has change into the topic of heightened scrutiny by parliament and new communications minister Solly Malatsi over a years-long procurement backlog that’s crippling different organs of state by stalling their IT initiatives.
“Sita welcomes the appointment of the interim board of administrators,” Sita stated in a press release on Friday. “This important improvement marks a brand new chapter within the journey of the corporate as it really works in direction of reaching excellence and delivering in accordance with the expectations of its clients.”
In accordance with the assertion, the brand new interim board “brings a wealth of expertise and experience to each the ICT business and different sectors”. The brand new non-executive administrators are:
- Sedzani Mudau, who will function chairman;
- Willie Vukela, who will symbolize the division of public service & administration;
- Willie Mathebula, who will function nationwide treasury’s consultant;
- Advocate Johannes Collen Weapond, who will represents the division of communications & digital applied sciences; and
- Omega Shelembe, who can even symbolize the communications division, which has oversight of Sita.
Sita’s appearing MD Gopal Reddy and chief monetary officer Molatlhegi Kgauwe will function government administrators on the board.
Sita has come below fireplace as each Malatsi and the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications have each launched investigations into the governance points on the embattled company. A number of the key points recognized at Sita embody service supply failures, governance challenges, management instability, irregular procurement practices and missed efficiency targets.
Digital overhaul
Since Sita sits on the centre of presidency IT procurement, these interventions are essential to implementing the state’s proposed digital overhaul introduced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his state of the nation deal with earlier this month. Ramaphosa promised government-wide digital reforms that purpose to “rework the connection between residents and authorities and create one authorities that’s accessible to each individual at a contact”.
Learn: Public Service Fee agrees to Sita probe
The inefficiencies at Sita have led to a number of authorities departments demanding that they be exempt from being compelled to make use of it to acquire IT providers. Dwelling affairs minister Leon Schreiber final November advised parliament that Sita’s monopoly over public sector IT providers meant that authorities departments have been working “with one hand tied behind our backs”.
“Sita is a synthetic assemble that stands squarely in the way in which of technological progress, not solely at dwelling affairs, however throughout authorities,” stated Schreiber.
The appointment of a brand new board at Sita is likely one of the suggestions for remedial actions meant to spark a turnaround on the company stemming from a report by regulation agency Cliff Dekker Hofmeyr, which was adopted by parliament on 12 February.
Different suggestions embody actions to be taken concerning Sita’s awarding of an allegedly irregular R1.2-billion tender for the availability of local-area community providers to Western Cape colleges and establishing whether or not it’s fascinating to pay charges to these board members who have been fireplace by Gungubele and subsequently gained a court docket case ordering that they be reinstated. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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