Tando Luyaba, chief information officer (CIO) at the Information Regulator, was announced the winner of the 2026 Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) President’s Award for IT Personality.
Luyaba received the coveted award in recognition of his contribution to the ICT industry, including his technology leadership and role in advancing the IT profession.
He has also played a central role in transforming the Information Regulator’s technology environment and expanding its use of digital platforms to improve organisational efficiency, regulatory services and stakeholder access.
The IITPSA President’s Awards, which have been a fixture on the South African ICT sector’s annual calendar for nearly 40 years, were presented at a gala event last night at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg.
The ceremony followed the institute’s first Workforce Intelligence Conference, where the 2026 IITPSA ICT Skills Survey was officially launched.
Speaking at the event, IITPSA president Pearl Pasi said this year’s winners demonstrate excellence in ethical digital transformation, which is the theme of the awards and the institute’s motto.
“As we have learned from the findings of the 2026 IITPSA ICT Skills Survey, the 2026 IITPSA President’s Awards and the IITPSA Workforce Intelligence Conference come at the start of a period of dramatic change and upheaval in the ICT world,” Pasi says.
“Technology can transform a business, a city or a country for better or worse. What determines the outcome is the people behind it and the values they bring to their work. That is why ethics and professionalism are more important than ever before.
“Navigating the changes brought about by artificial intelligence will require strong ICT leaders who are ethical, adaptable and innovative. We are proud to see those qualities in this year’s winners.”
The IT Personality of the Year Award has previously recognised several prominent figures in SA’s technology industry, including 2025 winner Matt Putman, co-founder and CEO of fintech company iKhokha; 2024 recipient Cinga Nyangintsimbi, MD and founder of Batsamayi Software Development; 2023 winner Mamela Luthuli, founder and CEO of cyber security firm Take Note IT; and 2022 recipient Nyari Samushonga, CEO of technology academy WeThinkCode.
Shared visionary award
Kershnee Ballack, CIO: workforce and workplace enablement at Old Mutual, and Dr Sylvia Sathekge, CIO at the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), were named joint winners of the 2026 Visionary CIO Award.
The award recognises CIOs who demonstrate visionary leadership in using technology to support, grow and transform organisations, or establish best practice in technology implementation.
Ballack has more than 20 years’ experience leading large-scale digital transformation across Africa’s financial services sector.
She is responsible for technology supporting the daily working lives of more than 30 000 employees and 40 000 devices across 12 African countries. Her portfolio includes Workday Human Capital Management, Oracle Payroll, Microsoft 365, ServiceNow and enterprise observability.
Sathekge has more than 25 years’ experience in ICT and leadership roles. At the NHLS, she is responsible for developing and executing ICT strategy, strengthening digital capabilities, improving cyber-security and enabling technology-driven transformation.
Beyond her NHLS role, she serves as a non-executive director of Sentech and chairs the Mpumalanga Provincial Treasury Audit Committee. She also represents South Africa at the Africa Internet Governance Forum and is a professor of practice affiliated with the University of Johannesburg.
Other award winners
Faheem Ballim, head of automation and AI transformation at Standard Bank Insurance Brokers, won the 2026 Technology Excellence Award.
The award recognises individuals or teams that demonstrate exceptional or innovative use of technology, delivering measurable benefits to organisations or the South African economy.
The 2026 Social Responsibility/Community Award went to Pinky Thandeka Ndlozi, founder and CEO of COMMSHUB NPC.
Ndlozi is a multi-award-winning South African science, technology, engineering, and mathematics educator, coding and robotics specialist, and digital inclusion advocate.
COMMSHUB is a non-profit initiative focused on bringing learners, educators, women and young people from underserved communities into the IT and STEM ecosystem.
Elihle Amahle Stali, founder and CEO of Spectacles4TheBlind SA, received the Dynamism in ICT Youth Award.
Inspired by his late grandmother, who was blind, Stali began developing assistive devices for blind and low-vision people in 2019.
His solution uses AI and computer vision to interpret users’ surroundings and provide directional voice guidance, with a particular focus on African language accessibility.
His work has received recognition through the EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity, GIBS Festival of Ideas, Standard Bank Kasi SME programme and international innovation platforms, including the LEAP Start-up East Top 150.
Pragashani Reddy, chief commercial officer at Digital Solutions Group, received the 2026 WIIT Woman in IT Excellence Award.
A Six Sigma-certified (quality-management) professional, Reddy has built her career across all Tier 1 South African banks. She has a track record of developing and bringing customer, product, process and digital innovations to market.
Kholofelo Halefose, a chief advisor: IT and OT cyber-security at Eskom, received the IITPSA Member Ambassador Award for her contributions to the institute’s Gauteng Chapter, Cyber-security Special Interest Group, AI and Robotics Special Interest Group, and Women in IT Chapter.
The institute also named Tony van der Linden, CIO and head of research and development at BBD, a Fellow of the IITPSA.
Professor Riana Steyn, full professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, received the IITPSA/EngineerIT Distinguished Service in ICT Award.
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