SITA says CEO exit is 'amiable'

By Martin Czernowalow for SITA
Johannesburg, 30 Jan 2009

The State IT Agency (SITA) has confirmed that its acting CEO, Femke Pienaar, has tendered her resignation and will be leaving the organisation in the near future.

According to a statement released by SITA, minister of public service and Administration Richard Baloyi and Pienaar “are still in discussions on the terms of the resignation, to ensure a smooth handover of the process”.

SITA spokesperson Anthea Summers dismissed speculation that Pienaar quit amid tension within the SITA ranks, specifically between the executive and the board.

Well-placed sources yesterday stated that the ministerial task team, investigating the management and operational problems plaguing SITA, may have inadvertently sparked the resignation of Pienaar, as well as four board members.

Summers would not comment or confirm the resignation of the board members, referring queries to Baloyi's office, as board members are appointed by the minister.

However, she stated that Pienaar resigned to pursue other interests and that the move was “amiable”. The exact date of her departure and the appointment of her successor would form part of the terms and conditions of her exit.

Pienaar could not be reached for comment.

Meanwhile, Baloyi's spokesperson could also not be reached this morning and it is understood that no statement would be made until the minister returns from a visit to Ethiopia at the weekend.

SITA also said in a statement that the appointment of a permanent CEO “remains on track and an announcement in this regard will be made in due course”.

In a recent interview with ITWeb, Baloyi explained that he would not rush the appointment of a permanent CEO, but would rather wait for the task team to conclude its investigation, before appointing the “right person”.

Historically, SITA has a poor record of retaining CEOs and senior executives - a situation which has led to a skills dearth at the agency.

However, Baloyi earlier laid out ambitious plans to reposition the company, which will most likely see a large-scale restructuring of the agency's board and executive.