Pienaar likely to stay on as SITA CEO

By Martin Czernowalow for SITA
Johannesburg, 23 Mar 2009

The State IT Agency (SITA) may well appoint Femke Pienaar as its permanent CEO, but says talks are still ongoing.

Pienaar, SITA's chief of business operations, has been acting CEO since the abrupt departure of Llewellyn Jones, who left the agency in July last year, amid a rift between himself and government CIO Michelle Williams. Williams is also the current deputy chairperson of the SITA board.

Should Pienaar stay on, it would be a complete about turn from January, when she tendered her resignation and planned to leave the organisation.

While Pienaar never stated her reasons for wanting to leave the agency - simply saying she wanted to pursue other interests - she indicated that her exit would be amiable and agreed to discuss her resignation with public service and administration minister Richard Baloyi.

At the time, sources close to SITA stated that Pienaar quit amid tension within the organisation, specifically due to ructions between management and the board.

It was suggested that an investigation by a ministerial task team, appointed by Baloyi, could have brought the tensions to the fore and prompted Pienaar to resign.

While sources now say Pienaar has been convinced to stay, and that her appointment as permanent CEO is all but a done deal, SITA has been more circumspect.

“Following Femke Pienaar's resignation, the SITA leadership has subsequently engaged with Ms Pienaar to reconsider her resignation. The discussions on the matter are still ongoing and have not been concluded,” says a statement released by the agency last Friday.

Sources have speculated that Baloyi's efforts to convince Pienaar to stay on as CEO would mean she is being positioned to signify the new face of SITA; once the organisation has been revamped and repositioned to operate effectively again.

The investigation currently being conducted by the ministerial task team could see “sweeping changes” across all levels of the organisation, Baloyi stated earlier this year. In announcing his intention to streamline the organisation, the minister hinted at brutally purging the current board and management structure to rid the agency of people not suited to their positions.

Pienaar's appointment as permanent CEO could also add some stability to SITA, which has seen numerous CEOs departing through the years after short stints in the position. This has had an adverse effect on SITA and its ability to deliver on its mandate, as the agency is said to have lost its focus and stability.

It is expected that the task team will conclude its work shortly and Baloyi could announce Pienaar's appointment within the next few weeks.