New SITA CEO, for a year

Cabinet has approved the appointment of Sithembiso Freeman Nomvalo as CEO of the State IT Agency (SITA) and as executive member on its board for up to a year, while it seeks to fill the post on a longer-term basis.

The move follows the unexpected departure of former CEO Blake Mosley-Lefatola, who left last Thursday, eight months before his contract came to an end. Nomvalo is the agency's 17th head.

Cabinet made the announcement following the conclusion of its regular meeting yesterday. SITA was expected to issue a statement yesterday, but this was held up pending the Cabinet meeting.

SITA says in a statement that, after a review of SITA's strategic direction, the board and Mosley-Lefatola agreed to an amicable parting of ways to allow him to pursue other interests outside SITA.

Mosley-Lefatola - who in 2011 became the agency's 16th chief executive since its inception in 1999 - has told ITWeb his departure was not linked to his performance and that he did not initiate the move.

SITA, set up in 1999 in a bid to act as government's IT buying arm to trim costs across the board, endured another ruction when its entire board stepped down in November, after a probe by the Special Investigation Unit was launched into every tender it has ever issued.

At the same time, it is wrapping up a three-year turnaround strategy, implemented after a risk assessment found a complete breakdown in systems and procurement practices. It also found large-scale irregularities within the organisation and its procurement practices, involving several of the agency's employees and other high-profile figures, including senior members of the South African Police Service.

Nomvalo's appointment as permanent CEO for up to a year is aimed at "assisting in ensuring the finalisation of the implementation of the board turnaround intervention and in enhancing SITA's ability to fulfil its legislative mandate".

Almost three years ago, the agency was in disarray. It had been plagued by a lack of top-level stability, and had also been beleaguered by large-scale corruption and irregular procurement practices. Then public service and administration minister Richard Baloyi announced the turnaround strategy in 2010.

This week, chairperson Jerry Vilakazi told the Government Information Technology Officers Council Summit that SITA's "short-term strategy is to plug the holes, our medium-term strategy is to right the ship, and our long-term strategy is to take SITA into Africa and bring revenue into our country through our contribution to the knowledge economy".

In a statement, SITA says Nomvalo's role as National Treasury's accountant-general included the accounting and reporting of internal auditing of provincial departments, local government, public entities and constitutional institutions. He was also responsible for the National Revenue Fund, as well as the reconstruction and development of the risk-management strategy for the entire public sector.

Nomvalo served on several boards on behalf of the National Treasury. These included the Accounting Standards Board, the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors, the Electronic Communications Security Board, the Board of Trustees of the Government Employees Pension Fund, and the Board of Trustees of the Political Office Bearers Pension Fund.

Before joining treasury, Nomvalo worked for Pretoria Portland Cement in various capacities. He joined treasury in March 2000 as a director for cash management, and was appointed chief director of financial operations in 2001.

SITA says: "Nomvalo's background in influencing organisational change stands him in good stead with the current transformational agenda of SITA, as in his role as accountant-general, he influenced the development and execution of turnaround strategies for government entities such as Department of Home Affairs, the then water affairs, and a number of the Eastern Cape provincial departments.

"He furthermore provided strategic guidance and advice to executive authorities on their public financial management responsibilities, especially on how to respond to various challenges facing their institutions."