SITA prioritises exec placements as it looks to revival

The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) is prioritising executive appointments as it seeks to revive the organisation following a probe into its IT procurement affairs. The Public Service Commission's report highlighted executive leadership gaps and irregular expenditure exceeding R2 billion as major contributing factors to SITA's instability.

The report found that 86% of MD roles were acting or interim, and board tenures were critically short, preventing strategic continuity. SITA, a central pillar of government's IT procurement responsible for developing, operating, and maintaining ICT services for over 100 government departments, recently appointed its first permanent MD, Magatho Mello, in December and announced a new nine-member board in June, with professor Stella Bvuma serving as chairperson.

The board now faces the task of implementing the PSC report's recommendations, which include SITA submitting a board-approved stabilisation and recovery plan within 30 business days. Mello outlined plans to fill six executive positions within the executive committee, including human capital management, supply chain management, and executive for IT infrastructure services.

The entity has already filled the role of chief financial officer and has appointed a chief digital officer, with the head of legal services already in place. Mello explained that the head of legal services will report to the chief digital officer, and the chief information officer (CIO) will be appointed by 1 November. SITA aims to address irregular expenditure, which dates back many years and stems from contract management discipline issues, by instilling discipline and confidence in the company's processes.