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SITA talks turnaround plan

Tyson Ngubeni
By Tyson Ngubeni
Johannesburg, 09 Oct 2014
SITA CEO Freeman Nomvalo says only two SITA CEOs have completed their designated terms in office.
SITA CEO Freeman Nomvalo says only two SITA CEOs have completed their designated terms in office.

The State IT Agency (SITA) aims to establish an integrated, secure government data hub within the next four years, as the organisation maps a new path away from problems that have plagued it over the past few years.

This is according to CEO Freeman Nomvalo, who was speaking at a media briefing on Thursday. He said SITA's turnaround would focus on central pillars, including improving procurement, core IT services and organisational health.

The organisation's "transformation roadmap" is broken down into 23 key actionable points, which the agency hopes to implement at different phases leading up to 2018 - by which time it hopes to have made significant headway in the creation of a data hub.

In a presentation to journalists, Nomvalo noted the agency has, over recent years, encountered low customer satisfaction, a demoralised workforce and operational processes behind industry standards.

Nomvalo said the core IT services mandate would include a focus on enabling e-government by facilitating greater collaboration across various departments. This, he said, will be crucial if the envisioned data hub will come to fruition.

He said SITA has been closely involved in modernisation efforts at different departments, including the ongoing efforts to update information systems at the home affairs ministry.

Leadership carousel

The agency has struggled for consistency in direction and leadership over the years, with 17 CEOs in its 15-year existence. This, according to Nomvalo, has added to the organisation's woes. "Nothing can be more unsettling for an organisation than instability in its top echelons.

"When management keeps changing and the corporate strategy changes with it, people in the organisation become paralysed by the uncertainty that comes with such change."

He added the constant state of flux results in a workforce that pays more attention to job security rather than customer sataisfaction. According to Nomvalo, he became only the second SITA CEO to complete his designated term in office, having been appointed midway through 2013.

Nomvalo was initially appointed for a year last June, and his contract was extended this year.

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