SITA pushes back as Home Affairs eyes IT exit

South Africa’s State Information Technology Agency (SITA) is pushing back against the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) following media reports that the department wants to ditch the agency in favour of “more reliable and cost-effective” IT service providers.

In a strongly worded statement, SITA said it remains committed to working with the DHA and other government departments to improve service delivery — and refuted claims that it was solely to blame for Home Affairs’ tech woes.

“SITA plays a critical role in provisioning ICT solutions that enable government to serve the public,” said Tlali Tlali, Head of Corporate Affairs at SITA.

Billions in ICT: SITA’s defence

SITA manages R7 billion of the government’s estimated R24 billion annual ICT budget, covering nearly 37% of the state’s IT infrastructure — a fact the agency says proves its scale and strategic relevance.

The agency also defended its track record with the DHA, listing key infrastructure upgrades, including:

• A R400 million network overhaul introducing SDN-ready systems across 24 switching centres

• Redundant core links that boosted uptime to 99.35%

• VPN migration and remote monitoring systems to prevent downtime

• A full transition to a resilient 10Gbps network architecture by October 2024 through a private sector partnership

Free services ignored?

SITA claims it even offered pro bono services, such as a proposed Digital ID platform aligned with the department’s goals. But, according to the agency, DHA never formally adopted the solution — and instead folded it into a wider inter-departmental digitalisation initiative.

The agency further clarified that only 20% of DHA’s ICT spend actually flows through SITA, and most of that is for mandatory services. “We’ve delivered everything agreed upon — often under serious budget constraints,” the agency said.

Blame game or governance gap?

SITA accuses the department of painting it as a scapegoat for deeper issues. Public statements labelling SITA as a “monopoly” or “unreliable” are “mischaracterisations,” the agency said.

“We’re being blamed for projects we had no role in. Meanwhile, DHA still relies on our core services — to the tune of R243 million annually,” Tlali added.

Cybersecurity and reforms

Addressing digital security concerns, SITA said it has invested heavily in strengthening its cybersecurity posture — including building a more robust Security Operations Centre, launching awareness campaigns, and aligning with international security standards.

It also acknowledged past governance challenges but says it is now actively implementing reforms to become a more agile, transparent ICT provider.

What’s next?

Despite tensions, SITA says it is open to further discussions with the DHA to “re-establish strategic alignment” and clear up any misconceptions.

As Home Affairs weighs a potential split, the real question is whether South Africa’s public IT ecosystem can thrive through fragmentation — or if it risks falling into a patchwork of inconsistent providers.