The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) says it recognises the State IT Agency (SITA) has internal problems and swift action is needed to turn the entity around.
SITA has long been plagued by problems and was previously lambasted for offering no value. It is also the subject of a Special Investigating Unit probe into tenders it has awarded.
In an interview with ITWeb, DTPS deputy minister Hlengiwe Mkhize said the department will use SITA to implement IT throughout government's infrastructure to meet the national development goals and also "catch-up" with international standards and deadlines.
Asked if an entity with so many internal problems is hindering government objectives, Mkhize said it definitely is: "SITA is a critical player in terms of developing the new technology revolution. On our arrival, we assisted the board to look for a person who has a track record of being effective in running a state-owned entity; the current CEO (Setumo Mohapi) turned around Sentech, and we are confident he will do the same for SITA."
In April, Mohapi became the 18th CEO in 15 years of the IT procurement arm's existence. Democratic Alliance shadow telecommunications and postal services minister, Marian Shinn, previously said Mohapi is a considerable asset to SITA, and the department at large.
"SITA has been mismanaged from the start; they are not highly regarded and have no credibility left in government. Mohapi has a tremendous burden on his shoulders. One hopes he will get the political support he needs because he is up against a lot of people with their own objectives and who have gotten away with dismal performance for so long. He will have to make some very unpopular decisions to turn it around," said Shinn.
Mkhize agreed there is not much time for Mohapi to turn around SITA: "At the same time, we need it to achieve our goals so the country does not slip further behind."
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