The Information Technology Association of South Africa (ITA) represents various companies concerned with the supply of IT equipment, systems, software and services in the ICT industry.
ITA can trace its origins back to 1934 with the formation of the Business Equipment Association (BEA) focusing on office equipment distribution and dealers.
Included in this, an IT industry training board (ITITB) was also formed, in terms of the Manpower Act, and was registered as an Employers Association.
In 1968, another association called the Computing Services Association was formed, which agreed to merge with BEA forming the Association now known as ITA.
ITA is known as the official employer body representing the industry as a whole, before national and international companies, institutions, organisations, government and parastatal entities.
ITA is governed by an executive council, which serves a one-year term of office, usually consisting of between 16 and 20 companies. The executive council selects the office bearers consisting of:
* One president - Adam Rabie - Bytes Technology Group
* Three Vice-Presidents:
Dr Thabo Lehlokoe - Swicon Group
Janette Cumming - Paracon
Pfungwa Serima - SAP
* Honorary treasurer - Roger Latchman
New committees are notorious for seeing things from a fresh perspective and energetically perusing new goals.
Such is the case with the incoming committee.
Passionate and enthused ITA President Adam Rabie has made significant comment around the fragmented nature of the sector, leading to IT being under-represented with regard to government policy drives.
His plans for the duration of his one-year term include a unification of the sector through mergers with other similar types of associations, with the intention of offering better value to the new larger membership base. Rabie says: “At the end of the day it is about the value proposition for members.”
By doing this, one automatically strengthens the association's voice in government and business, creating a force to be reckoned with. A collective unified voice certainly has far more impact, and member companies are able to express the opinions in an anonymous manner as a collective view rather than be singled out by their peers for having controversial beliefs.
ITA will continue to work with the various government departments on quantifying the country's skills shortages.
Rabie has voiced his thoughts that there is not necessarily a skills shortage, but distortions at play, due to factors such as job-hopping, and over-pricing resulting from job-hopping. Although job-hopping increases one's remuneration, it stifles one's level of experience, as one does not progress further than the level that one enters a company.
In order to address this local phenomenon, he suggests implementing a scorecard system, whereby companies are forced to try and retain skills more proactively.
Rabie alluded to the issue of enterprise development, which is a core belief for the direction of ITA through its Phakisa programme.
Standards, whether developed through participation via SABS working groups or promoting international levels of accreditation such as CMMI, are benchmarks for the companies to practise in order to establish an ethical and proficient IT cluster in the country at a national level.
Association life is not all serious droll. Members are encouraged to let their hair down and challenge their colleagues. Annually, for the last nine years, the association hosts a golf day. Rabie congratulated Paracon on being the reigning champion, and urged other companies to claim the coveted title.
Date: 22 October 2008
Venue: Kyalami Golf Club
For further information, contact info@ita.org.za or telephonically + 27 11 312 3040.
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