Parliament is considering legal options to launch an inquiry into the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), following a series of governance failures, financial mismanagement and labour disputes that have brought the agency to the brink of collapse.
The portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies, led by Khusela Diko, has cited serious concerns over allegations of maladministration, board infighting and mismanagement at the state-owned entity responsible for government IT infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Parliament’s legal advisors are examining whether an official investigation into Sita should be legally mandated under Section 227 of the National Assembly rules, a move that could expose individuals behind the crisis.
“The committee received an update on governance at Sita after the end of the contracted terms of the board of directors and the acting managing director in January and February 2025, respectively,” Diko said in a statement.
She further noted that some government departments are now considering legal exemptions to bypass Sita’s services, a move that threatens the agency’s core mandate.
“Such an enquiry would focus on the staff concerns that organised labour have raised with the committee, the high staff turnover at the executive level, and the governance and operational inefficiencies that have led some government departments to consider applying for exemption from using Sita,” she added.
Parliament’s intervention follows ongoing probes by the Public Service Commission and the Public Protector, both of whom are investigating board infighting, financial mismanagement and failures in decision-making.
At the heart of the scandal is a R1.2-billion tender awarded by the Western Cape education department, which was flagged for potential procurement irregularities in a forensic audit by law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr.
The report has been referred to the SIU for further scrutiny.
