The State IT Agency (SITA) is in capable hands, with consistent leadership, as it turns a corner in its development, ready to fulfil its mandate to digitise government service delivery, advance digital sovereignty and address the issue of fragmented systems in government.
This is according to communications and digital technologies minister Solly Malatsi, who spoke on the opening day of the GovTech 2026 event, hosted this week in Durban, under the theme: “Building towards digital sovereignty: South Africa as an architect of its digital destiny for citizens.”
Malatsi said SITA must fully understand its mandate to establish and secure digital sovereignty as the foundation for a digital state, to enhance government service delivery, as well as foster citizen trust in government services.
“SITA, as an organisation, is going through a phase of recovery. It has a new MD and board to steer it towards a phase of good governance, consistent, reliable delivery and a better digital experience for citizens. It is now in good hands to fulfil its mandate as a trusted and efficient information and technology agency.”
He said the agency is instrumental in developing digital infrastructure, the backbone of society and the economy, while the ICT sector is an enabler of growth.
“Government can’t own every cable, server and platform. Rather, government must set public-interest objectives and provide policy certainty. We need to shift from defining policy to execution….and develop as architects of our own digital destiny.”
Malatsi added that GovTech’s focus on digital sovereignty comes at a time of much geopolitical contestation and serious conversations about the rate of evolution of AI and the future risks to humanity it poses.
SITA’s difficulty in stabilising its executive leadership has placed the spotlight on the organisation, after it was reported that the Public Service Commission’s probe of government IT procurement affairs between 2020-2025 identified leadership gaps as one of the main causes of this instability.
Magatho Mello, MD of SITA, told delegates that SITA needs strong and visible collective leadership, and it had responded to this need.
“Sixty percent of our exco positions were vacant. We have actively addressed this. We have appointed a permanent CFO, an executive for client engagement, an executive for supply chain management, an executive for network, cloud and platform, and several other critical leaders,” said Mello.
He introduced newly-appointed leaders, including Yolande van Biljon, Gaba Tabane, Phumzile Njoko and Musa Kumalo.
Mello noted that the agency also needed a common government enterprise architecture covering business, data, applications, integration, technology, cloud and cyber security.
“Digital sovereignty is a shared responsibility and a shared national endeavour. SITA’s role is to help create the common foundations, shared platforms, standards, infrastructure and capabilities that enable government to operate as one digital ecosystem, while partnering with all stakeholders to deliver sustainable outcomes,” he said.
According to Malatsi, digital sovereignty must be treated as more than just security or control issues; it must be viewed as a developmental issue that forms part of growth plans as a developmental and capable state.
“To the government officials who make the choices about which solutions are adopted by respective government departments, always think about how that will make life better for citizens, rather than what’s in it for you.
“Let us be honest about what is not working, commit to doing better and learning from what works so that when we next gather here, we don’t repeat the same ambitions but rather showcase tangible results. Technology is not our destiny; our choices are.”
Share
