These agreements are the reason why SITA is not meeting its transformation goals, he adds. “The OEM framework agreements concluded by SITA are important and contribute significantly to the transformation of the ICT sector. As these commitments materialize, it remains important that service delivery continues in the best possible way. Rolls notes that the PBICT is part of SITA`s Black Business Industry Transformation Unit, which was created to help the IT agency transform, and that includes reviewing these highly biased OEM framework agreements. “SITA invited Micro Focus to a meeting to discuss the reasons for the termination and the rest of the process. In practice, the letter of intent will allow Microsoft to engage with national, provincial and local governments through SITA: When Gary de Menezes, micro Focus` managing director for SA, was asked to comment, he told ITWeb that the company “should have an answer to this story this week.” “When we decided to invest in the public cloud in South Africa, we did so with the belief that it would have a dramatic impact on the country. Cloud technology will not only help the public sector transform and optimize service delivery and create more engaged citizens and empowered employees, but will also enable the private sector to innovate in a way that helps drive economic growth and job creation,” said Barnard. In a move that will accelerate the digital transformation of government services in South Africa, the National Information Technology Agency (SITA) and Microsoft South Africa have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will pave the way for the government to adopt public cloud services. “To those who are there, we say: don`t touch our commander and boss Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and her deputy Pinky Kekana.” “The issue is receiving the attention it deserves, as SITA remains committed to its role of coordinating IT resources to ensure transformation, further SME development, access to opportunities and transparency as we fulfill our role as these values are enshrined in the South African Constitution,” she said. Ntutule Tshenye, Acting CEO of SITA, said: “Microsoft`s inclusion in the government`s digital ecosystem is the first of many valuable players who will work with SITA to digitally modernize and transform government, enable new business outcomes, and improve the citizen experience.” Rolls points out that the PBICT model is very different in that it identifies and pressures the best SMEs to give them access to opportunities, and once they are there, they open doors for all SMEs. “We have reason to believe that some SMEs and SITA executives – current and former – have found a backdoor to ally and befriend these OEMs just to pamper and be pampered with greed. The real rot is exposed through balanced journalism and reporting. Meanwhile, the progressive blacks in ICT (PBICT) lobby group, which represents more than 2,000 members, came forward in the controversial tender to defend Kekana.

The MoU, announced today at Govtech in Durban, enables ministries to move their services to Microsoft`s Azure cloud via SITA and supports Microsoft as a key partner of the South African government to enable digital transformation. “On July 11, 2019, SITA was officially informed that Micro Focus was ending its relationship with Afrocentric. No reason was given and SITA was not consulted. The National Information Technology Agency (SITA) has asked British software provider Micro Focus to explain the reasons for the termination of a controversial $364 million IT contract. According to the report, Kekana then advised Micro Focus on the local company that should be named a local partner. Kekana was a guest speaker at a Micro Focus event held late last month, with ITWeb being a media partner. Adoption of Microsoft Azure in South Africa is gaining momentum after the recent announcement that Nedbank, Standard, EXXARO and Altron would migrate their services to the cloud. “The tendency to be blinded by the headhunting of women in power and damage their reputation is an obsession among some journalists that has become a very brutal and sexist sport.” Leon Rolls, president of PBICT, said: “We have read this article [from the Sunday Times] and are very disappointed that the journalist did not dive deep into the article and missed a very good story in the process.” In the case of Micro Focus, we identified Cde Khethi [Nkosi] as our point of contact for Micro Focus because he has been working for them for years as an employee and has a long and very serious relationship with them.

This was originally Micro Focus` preference before a few tricks took place. This is good news for us as it will open up opportunities for all our SMEs as PBICT. We must mention that Khethi is one of our members. Le Roux explains that SITA Micro Focus responded on September 4. August 2019 officially asked the organization for the reasons for the termination of the contract between Micro Focus and Afrocentric. The process of appointing a new executing agency is not yet complete, she notes. The government`s ability to accelerate its digital transformation will help build economic growth, expand social inclusion, foster good governance, achieve better outcomes for citizens, and create a more efficient, transparent and productive government. Microsoft is preparing to celebrate six months after the launch of its South African data centers, which offer enterprise-class reliability and performance with a local data residency. According to Le Roux, the agency met with its shareholder last week over the issue that British software and information technology multinational Micro Focus is firing Afrocentric as a processing agent. According to the report, Kekana used its influence over UK-based software and IT solutions provider Micro Focus to terminate its contract with local company Afrocentric Projects and Services and award it to another local company, X Telecoms.

Kekana spokesman Zandile Ngubeni told ITWeb: “Unfortunately, the deputy minister is not in a position to make a statement on the Sunday Times article at this stage. As soon as she is able to do so, we will be happy to let you know. Mimi Le Roux, acting CEO of SITA, told ITWeb that SITA is the agency that created the South African government and entrusted it with the procurement of ICT and the transformation of the sector as the country integrates into a globalized economy. Lillian Barnard, MD Microsoft South Africa, said, “Microsoft welcomes this milestone in SITA. It is in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa`s call for South Africa to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the opportunities that come with it. At Microsoft, it is important that we work with ministries to drive their digital transformation and help them maximise their ability to generate economic growth, develop social inclusion, foster good governance and achieve better outcomes for South African citizens. . . .