The CEO of the State IT Agency (Sita), Bongani Mabaso, has resigned, signalling further turmoil at the long-troubled company that has been wracked in the past by corruption.

Mabaso confirmed to TechCentral that he has resigned but declined to comment further, citing “sensitivities”. A well-placed source said, however, that his position had become untenable due to interference by certain members of the agency’s board.

Mabaso had joined Sita from the private sector – he had been in a senior IT role at Standard Bank previously – and had big plans to turn around the troubled agency.

Sita confirmed Mabaso’s resignation on Friday. In a statement sent to TechCentral, the agency said its board accepted Mabaso’s request to be released early from his employment contract. He’d been in the role for only nine months and had been appointed on a five-year contract.

“He indicated the desire to pursue interests elsewhere, aligned with his career direction and growth. The board respects the choice and decision Dr Mabaso has made,” it said.

As recently as September, Mabaso remained upbeat about Sita’s prospects, telling TechCentral in an interview at GovTech in Durban that he was bullish about turning around the troubled government IT procurement and services agency.

Mabaso was appointed to lead Sita after several years of the agency not having a CEO. It had been placed into a form of administration by former communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams in 2019.

Corruption

Addressing the issue of corruption at Sita – an ongoing problem going back many years – Mabaso said in the September TechCentral interview that achieving clean governance all depended on instituting the right culture.

TCS | Bongani Mabaso’s plan to fix the State IT Agency

“We have just completed the first 100 days of a culture campaign to instil the values of corporate governance. We have signed off new terms of reference for committees and combed through policies, closing off gaps.” — © 2023 NewsCentral Media