State IT agency in trouble

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development confronted the embattled State Information Technology Agency (SITA), lambasting it for inefficiency and instability.

The committee urged SITA “to get its house in order and stabilise the organisation” as its inefficiencies continue to impact government work.

SITA was established in 1999 to optimise the state’s IT resources for cost savings, improved delivery, and interoperability.

Mandated by the SITA Act, it enhances service delivery through IT solutions while ensuring information security for government entities.

However, SITA has had high-profile troubles for some years now.

Chairperson of Parliament’s Justice and Constitutional Development committee, Xola Nqola, said in a recent statement that during oversight visits to entities in the justice portfolio, SITA was singled out as a major impediment to courts operating effectively due to connectivity and infrastructure issues.

“It comes across as if there are delays in what the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ) have been planning to do due to SITA,” said Nqola.

“As far back as last year, we took an official committee decision to call SITA and the department to iron out the challenges,” he added.

The committee was also briefed on the DoJ’s Integrated Justice System (IJS), with input from various agencies.

The IJS aims to integrate criminal justice processes and combat fraud by linking systems like SASSA and the Department of Home Affairs for real-time identity verification.

According to the government, it aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the South African criminal justice process.

It facilitates interdepartmental collaboration to improve the investigation, prosecution, sentencing, rehabilitation, and reintegration of offenders, contributing to public safety.

However, the committee heard that SITA does not have the capacity to deliver on IJS projects.

SITA resources are used to work on multiple projects simultaneously and end up being inundated with work, and the agency’s supply chain processes are also cumbersome.

The DoJ said a further concern is an ageing and/or obsolete infrastructure, which remains a challenge across the CJS and may lead to cyber-attack vulnerability.

During the meeting, SITA acknowledged that it has capacity issues due to a high vacancy rate.

The organisation has cited its instability as a result of challenges with a previous board that was dissolved and then took the matter to court.

An interim board was appointed, and the court reinstated the old board. Thus, the interim board has been mixed with the old one.

The Auditor General told the committee that SITA “was slow” in addressing her recommendations and has now received a disclaimer audit opinion.

“The committee and the AG now bear the responsibility of strengthening accountability to see through the problems engulfing the entire system,” said Nqola.

He urged the acting chairperson of the SITA Board to stabilise the organisation.

The chairperson stressed the need for an efficient IJS and committed to regular progress meetings.

Not the first clash

Various government departments have expressed their dismay with SITA.

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi called for a probe of the agency late in December of 2024.

“SITA faces mounting challenges, including governance concerns, irregular procurement practices, operational inefficiencies, and an alarming deterioration in service delivery,” said Malatsi.

“These issues, if left unaddressed, pose a threat to the agency’s mission and its ability to deliver value to South Africans,” he added.

In November, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber criticised SITA for inefficiencies, calling it a major obstacle to digital transformation in government.

He described SITA as an outdated construct hindering technological progress.

In response, SITA spokesperson Tlali Tlali revealed that Home Affairs still operates on a low-tier Bronze service-level agreement.

Despite SITA recommending a Gold or Platinum SLA, the department has not upgraded.

In 2021, former Home Affairs Minister Aaron Motsoaledi sought the National Treasury’s approval to bypass SITA and contract a private IT provider.