Head of technology and solutions delivery (TSD) at SA Revenue Service (SARS), Intikhab Shaik, has been awarded the accolade of Visionary Chief Information Officer of the Year.
The honour was bestowed on Shaik by the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa.
In a statement on Tuesday, SARS said the prestigious accomplishment is noteworthy because Shaik’s work was compared against industry peers in both the private and public sectors.
“The determination that his performance is unmatched and stands head and shoulders above all others is a testament to the quality of his technology leadership. It was during the period of Covid-19 that the genius of Mr Shaik and his team shone the brightest,” read the statement.
SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter said during the lockdown, Shaik and his team designed and implemented more than 40 digital in-house solutions that enabled the taxman to continue to deliver its services to taxpayers, as well as deliver on its core mandate to collect revenue.
“The continued operation of SARS during this time was measurably enabled through the enabling technology platform built by the TSD team under Intikhab’s leadership.
“This contributed measurably to the economy of the country’s functioning despite the severe restrictions imposed during Covid-19. We are immensely proud of this contribution and believe that this public recognition is well-deserved,” said Kieswetter.
He added that the capability of SARS to use data science, artificial intelligence and enabling technology innovation was best demonstrated by the implementation of auto assessments that covered well over 4-million taxpayers.
The exceptional achievement of the TSD team dovetails with the SARS vision of building “a smart modern SARS with unquestionable integrity, trusted and admired”, he said.
SARS mentioned that it is proud of Shaik’s achievements for continuously improving the important interface between the organisation, taxpayers and traders.
“The recognition he has achieved resoundingly confirms that industry players acknowledge the strides that SARS has made, notwithstanding the financial constraints that the organisation face. Hearty congratulations to Mr Shaik and the team.”
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