GijimaAst CEO John Miller will step down at the end of June, in a move that an analyst says has added uncertainty to the company's future.
In a notice to shareholders on Monday, GijimaAst said Miller had already overtaken the company's official retirement age, but had stayed on to complete the merger between the Gijima and AST groups. Miller has been offered a non-executive position on the board, it added.
An analyst, who prefers to remain unnamed, says the announcement increases the uncertainty surrounding the company.
"The announcement was a little bit of a surprise as I expected him to stick around for another year. However, he is getting on and it won't be a bad thing to get some fresh blood into the business. In terms of the business going forward, it makes sense for Miller to step aside," he explains.
Suitable successor
GijimaAst executive chairman Robert Gumede says the company is looking for the best candidate for the job, regardless of race.
Last year, Gumede caused controversy by telling the State IT Agency's inaugural GovTech conference that the IT industry was still not representative of the country's demographics.
An advocate of black empowerment, Gumede says empowerment of black people cannot be achieved at the detriment of white people - a factor that will be brought to bear in the company's pursuit of a new CEO.
"We are looking to attract a talented person to take Miller's role. Obviously given two equally suitable candidates, we would give preference to the black contender, but ultimately we are looking for someone who can take us forward."
The analyst expects the most suitable candidate will be found outside the company rather than from within its management team.
Not all black
The incoming candidate should not expect to head a company seeking to be all black either, says Gumede.
"Our company has more white employees than black at the moment and we have no intention to get rid of these people. We are seeking to improve our employment equity, but not through retrenchments or early retirement. Rather, we are challenging our company to grow our business so that we can bring on more people in a balanced, equitable manner," says Gumede.
The company's recruitment policy is to attract three white people for every seven black people employed.
While integration of black resources into the company is relatively easy, Gumede notes that both the public and private sector are sometimes dismissive of the skill levels of black professionals.
"We are not interested in tokenism or window dressing. However, people sometimes seem to think that black professionals are less skilled than their white compatriots. Let me be clear though: there is no Bantu education in IT, or Harvard for that matter. We are only looking for people who can help us grow our business and that of our customers. And that includes our new CEO."
GijimaAst's share price remained flat on Monday, closing at 96c following the news.
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