After getting "derailed" in 2007, the Black IT Forum (BITF) wants to use 2008 to get back on track, from a strategic point of view.
The BITF recently held a strategy workshop to assess work done last year and map out the way forward for 2008.
BITF chairman Mthunzi Mdwaba says the organisation has to transform itself from "a toy-toying organisation, screaming for change, to one that is executing the transformation agenda".
"We were derailed last year by a number of issues, but we have still done a lot. The question we have asked ourselves though is: have we done what we were supposed to?"
The first disappointment of 2007, according to Mdwaba, was the delays in pushing through the ICT sector's black economic empowerment (BEE) charter.
"While waiting for the gazetting of the charter, we lost a whole year in terms of a strategic direction, which is not an easy feeling."
He says the charter has now been finalised by the Department of Communications (DOC) and is in the hands of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). He says he has no idea how long it will take the DTI to complete the process - "they have been known to be a slowcoach and are never in a rush".
However, he is hopeful the charter can be pushed through the legislative process by the middle of the year, paving the way for the BITF to focus on its implementation.
The DTI's spokesman was not available for comment on the charter's progress at the time of publication.
The second disappointment the BITF identified was attacks on its integrity from "disgruntled members".
Former BITF employee Cathy Phage last year accused the BITF, and Mdwaba personally, of being power-hungry and mismanaging the organisation. Mdwaba subsequently won a defamation of character lawsuit against her. He says he is "still trying to find her" in order to make her pay the R150 000 he was awarded in damages.
The situation with Phage was challenging, he says, but - "having cleaned up the organisation" - he is confident 2008 heralds a new start for the BITF.
What has been achieved
According to Mdwaba, the BITF has a solid base to work from in 2008 as far as stakeholders are concerned.
'Within the Government IT Officers (GITO) Council, we have moved from being an observer to an integral member," he says. "We are influencing the way government works."
He also sees the organisation's relationship with the State IT Agency (SITA) as a positive one. "It makes sense in terms of our GITO partnership - we can form a sort of tripartite relationship."
SITA is in the process of providing the BITF with physical infrastructure in the various provinces. It is also a partner in the body's Tswelopele initiative, which provides business support to various small and medium enterprises across the country.
The BITF did, however, identify its relationship with the DOC as one that needs to be improved. Mdwaba says even though "the leadership in the DOC could be better" there is a lot that can be done in partnership with the department.
"The DOC needs a quantum leap in terms of how things are done." He adds that a working committee has been created within the organisation to, among other issues, look into how to address this.
The working committee has until mid-March to come up with suggestions, which then have to be decided upon by the organisation's leadership by the end of March.
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