The State Data Expertise Company (Sita) has responded to current media reviews suggesting the Division of Residence Affairs (DHA) intends to half methods with the company.
The DHA formally utilized for a separation from Sita, citing ongoing disruptions, delays, and value points as main threats to its digital transformation agenda. In keeping with its 2025/26 annual efficiency plan, the division’s reliance on Sita has led to frequent system outages, sluggish procurement processes, and above-market prices which have strained its already restricted finances.
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Pay attention/learn: Leon Schreiber on Residence Affairs’ migration to machine studying and on-line companies
“The DHA has utilized for separation from Sita. This may grant the DHA flexibility to supply IT companies from extra dependable and cost-effective exterior suppliers, finally guaranteeing uninterrupted service supply and enhancing nationwide safety,” the division acknowledged.
In its bid to transition away from Sita, the DHA is exploring partnerships with private-sector IT suppliers able to delivering secure, safe, and high-availability companies.
“To efficiently transition away from Sita, the DHA is exploring partnerships with personal IT suppliers that may ship sturdy, safe and high-availability companies. These options are anticipated to scale back downtime, streamline procurement processes and optimise prices,” it stated.
DHA putting ‘disproportionate blame on Sita’
The company expressed concern over this improvement, reaffirming its willingness to work with the DHA and different authorities departments to resolve ICT challenges and improve service supply by expertise.
“Sita performs a crucial position within the environment friendly provisioning of ICT options to allow authorities to dispense companies to members of the general public. These departments have a mixed ICT finances of roughly R24 billion yearly of which roughly R7 billion is channeled by Sita. This additional interprets right into a technical protection of 37% of ICT panorama managed, managed and secured by Sita,” stated Tlali Tlali, head of company affairs at Sita.
Learn/hear:
Unlocking a succesful state: Let departments select their tech
SA’s digital wellbeing finest in Africa
Regardless of providing a number of proposals to DHA since 2021, Sita stated little progress has been made of their implementation. It claims the division continues to put disproportionate blame on Sita for its ICT shortcomings, even in areas the place the company has delivered on agreed outcomes.
The company highlighted a number of accomplished initiatives for the DHA, together with a R400 million, five-year undertaking to modernise its core community infrastructure with software-defined networking-ready programs; upgrades to make sure 99.35% community availability; and the complete migration to a 10Gbps core community. Extra help, similar to distant atmosphere monitoring programs and VPN migration, was additionally accomplished to mitigate disruptions and enhance stability.
Sita additionally famous that it had supplied to offer DHA with a Digital ID answer freed from cost. Nevertheless, this was not formally accepted and was as a substitute included into the bigger Inter-Departmental Working Group on authorities digitalisation.
Learn: SA govt’s digital ID push
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The company careworn that solely 20% of the DHA’s ICT consumption at the moment comes from Sita and that almost all of this includes obligatory companies. It emphasised that, other than a number of procurement delays, all contracted outcomes have been met, regardless of tight monetary situations imposed by the division.
Sita additional defended its position in delivering a proof of idea for enhanced entry at high-priority websites, saying a full report was submitted in 2022. Nevertheless, the DHA declined to maneuver ahead, citing considerations about legacy infrastructure. In keeping with Sita, it had suggested including redundancy to handle these considerations – a advice the division selected to not implement.
Cybersecurity
When it comes to cybersecurity, Sita reported ongoing enhancements to its safety framework, together with strengthening its Safety Operations Centre, incident response, compliance with international requirements, and conducting government-wide maturity assessments.
“Sita has change into an all-too-convenient scapegoat for undertaking failures or inefficiencies, even in circumstances the place we had no operational position to play. The division is at the moment consuming core companies from Sita, at a value of about R243 million of its R1.2 billion ICT finances allocation,” Tlali added.
Learn: SAA probes cyberattack that disrupted key programs
Sita expressed explicit concern over current public statements by the DHA’s management describing it as a “monopoly” or “synthetic assemble”. The company stated these portrayals misrepresent its position and overlook its ongoing reform efforts to enhance governance and efficiency.
It concluded by reaffirming its dedication to strengthening partnerships throughout authorities and referred to as for renewed engagement with the DHA to align on strategic aims and resolve misunderstandings.
Comply with Moneyweb’s in-depth finance and enterprise information on WhatsApp right here.
The State Data Expertise Company (Sita) has responded to current media reviews suggesting the Division of Residence Affairs (DHA) intends to half methods with the company.
The DHA formally utilized for a separation from Sita, citing ongoing disruptions, delays, and value points as main threats to its digital transformation agenda. In keeping with its 2025/26 annual efficiency plan, the division’s reliance on Sita has led to frequent system outages, sluggish procurement processes, and above-market prices which have strained its already restricted finances.
ADVERTISEMENT
CONTINUE READING BELOW
Pay attention/learn: Leon Schreiber on Residence Affairs’ migration to machine studying and on-line companies
“The DHA has utilized for separation from Sita. This may grant the DHA flexibility to supply IT companies from extra dependable and cost-effective exterior suppliers, finally guaranteeing uninterrupted service supply and enhancing nationwide safety,” the division acknowledged.
In its bid to transition away from Sita, the DHA is exploring partnerships with private-sector IT suppliers able to delivering secure, safe, and high-availability companies.
“To efficiently transition away from Sita, the DHA is exploring partnerships with personal IT suppliers that may ship sturdy, safe and high-availability companies. These options are anticipated to scale back downtime, streamline procurement processes and optimise prices,” it stated.
DHA putting ‘disproportionate blame on Sita’
The company expressed concern over this improvement, reaffirming its willingness to work with the DHA and different authorities departments to resolve ICT challenges and improve service supply by expertise.
“Sita performs a crucial position within the environment friendly provisioning of ICT options to allow authorities to dispense companies to members of the general public. These departments have a mixed ICT finances of roughly R24 billion yearly of which roughly R7 billion is channeled by Sita. This additional interprets right into a technical protection of 37% of ICT panorama managed, managed and secured by Sita,” stated Tlali Tlali, head of company affairs at Sita.
Learn/hear:
Unlocking a succesful state: Let departments select their tech
SA’s digital wellbeing finest in Africa
Regardless of providing a number of proposals to DHA since 2021, Sita stated little progress has been made of their implementation. It claims the division continues to put disproportionate blame on Sita for its ICT shortcomings, even in areas the place the company has delivered on agreed outcomes.
The company highlighted a number of accomplished initiatives for the DHA, together with a R400 million, five-year undertaking to modernise its core community infrastructure with software-defined networking-ready programs; upgrades to make sure 99.35% community availability; and the complete migration to a 10Gbps core community. Extra help, similar to distant atmosphere monitoring programs and VPN migration, was additionally accomplished to mitigate disruptions and enhance stability.
Sita additionally famous that it had supplied to offer DHA with a Digital ID answer freed from cost. Nevertheless, this was not formally accepted and was as a substitute included into the bigger Inter-Departmental Working Group on authorities digitalisation.
Learn: SA govt’s digital ID push
ADVERTISEMENT:
CONTINUE READING BELOW
The company careworn that solely 20% of the DHA’s ICT consumption at the moment comes from Sita and that almost all of this includes obligatory companies. It emphasised that, other than a number of procurement delays, all contracted outcomes have been met, regardless of tight monetary situations imposed by the division.
Sita additional defended its position in delivering a proof of idea for enhanced entry at high-priority websites, saying a full report was submitted in 2022. Nevertheless, the DHA declined to maneuver ahead, citing considerations about legacy infrastructure. In keeping with Sita, it had suggested including redundancy to handle these considerations – a advice the division selected to not implement.
Cybersecurity
When it comes to cybersecurity, Sita reported ongoing enhancements to its safety framework, together with strengthening its Safety Operations Centre, incident response, compliance with international requirements, and conducting government-wide maturity assessments.
“Sita has change into an all-too-convenient scapegoat for undertaking failures or inefficiencies, even in circumstances the place we had no operational position to play. The division is at the moment consuming core companies from Sita, at a value of about R243 million of its R1.2 billion ICT finances allocation,” Tlali added.
Learn: SAA probes cyberattack that disrupted key programs
Sita expressed explicit concern over current public statements by the DHA’s management describing it as a “monopoly” or “synthetic assemble”. The company stated these portrayals misrepresent its position and overlook its ongoing reform efforts to enhance governance and efficiency.
It concluded by reaffirming its dedication to strengthening partnerships throughout authorities and referred to as for renewed engagement with the DHA to align on strategic aims and resolve misunderstandings.
Comply with Moneyweb’s in-depth finance and enterprise information on WhatsApp right here.
