Key topics
- Government departments owe SITA R1.4 billion, impacting service delivery.
- SITA faces governance, procurement, and leadership instability issues.
- Minister orders probe into corruption, inefficiencies, and accountability.
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KwaZulu-Natal provincial management for the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) has highlighted government departments’ nonpayment for services rendered as a significant challenge for the IT organisation.
This was raised as a concern during Portfolio Committee for Communications and Digital Technologies member Sibongiseni Vilakazi’s oversight visit to the state-owned company’s offices in Durban.
Management wants the powers to encourage and compel government departments to pay for their services.
It also highlighted the challenge of rendering services to government departments without much notice. SITA wants government departments to share their demand plans in advance so it can plan accordingly.
SITA spokesperson Tlali Tlali told MyBroadband that it understands most of its client departments experienced budget cuts in the current fiscal cycle. It said the consolidated national and provincial amount owed to SITA is around R1.4 billion.
“Noting these constraints, we held meetings with affected clients and developed a record of understanding on how to manage all our interests and mitigate risks on both ends,” he said.
He noted that SITA’s overall net collection rate has registered slightly above 80% of what it has billed.
“It is worth noting that one of our major clients whose consumption of SITA rendered services constitutes 25% of our total revenue, is honouring their commitment as we have received Government Orders and have started invoicing for services consumed earlier in this financial year,” Tlali added.
While he did not disclose their names, Tlali said three national and two provincial departments are among the worst offenders when it comes to non-payment.
The South African IT Agency has struggled to deliver on its mandate recently. Communications Minister Solly Malatsi recently asked the Public Service Commission to investigate governance issues at SITA.
In early December 2024, he visited SITA’s head offices in Pretoria with the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies.
He said the visit was aimed at addressing issues impacting SITA’s ability to deliver on its mandate. These include governance issues, irregular procurement practices, operational inefficiencies, and deteriorating service delivery.
The Minister discovered that the state IT agency was outsourcing the procurement of internal transactions and supply chain-related issues to Nakede Management Service.
This is despite SITA’s staff headcount being over 3,300, of which around 72 individuals are employed specifically for these purposes.
Malatsi pointed out that Nakede was also appointed without being vetted by government. However, Tlali has since denied this.
He said SITA followed the necessary procedures required to award the tender, adding that it was a short-term solution to address additional capacity needed in the agency’s supply chain environment.
Malatsi highlighted that service delivery failures are impacting multiple departments, including the Ministries of Police, Home Affairs, and Justice, prompting them to seek exemption from using SITA’s services.
On governance challenges, the Minister said allegations of corruption, maladministration, and interference at the board level have raised concerns over the agency’s transparency and accountability.
Malatsi also highlighted concerns over irregular procurement, where SITA has allegedly not followed proper procurement processes and awarded tenders irregularly.
This, in turn, has damaged its reputation and raised legal concerns.
Other pressing issues include:
- Unstable leadership: High turnover of individuals at executive and senior management levels left critical roles filled by individuals in an acting capacity, and divisions at the exco level have resulted in organisational instability and poor decision-making.
- Worsening audit outcomes: SITA failed to submit its 2023/24 annual report, highlighting a worrying decline in financial and operational accountability.
- Missed performance targets: SITA has consistently produced underwhelming results against its predetermined objectives, reducing confidence in the agency.
According to Malatsi, if these issues remain unaddressed, they pose a significant threat to SITA’s mandate and its ability to deliver value for the country.
“Recognising the urgency of these matters, I have formally requested the Public Services Commission to investigate a range of critical issues affecting SITA,” he added.
The investigation will address governance lapses, instability and infighting in leadership, and mismanagement, among other things.
“The investigation will also focus on the deteriorating professional standards within SITA, and the root causes of operational inefficiencies,” said Malatsi.
Read also:
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- Undersea cable chaos: Why South Africa’s internet is in crisis
- South African Starlink prices slashed by major importer
This article was first published by MyBroadband and is republished with permission.
