EC threw spanner in works of cheaper e-learning, says Sita
Provincial contract going against the work put in by the government
The State Information Technology Agency says it and the national government are negotiating an e-learning solution for the entire country which will be much more costeffective than the R600m contract the Eastern Cape concluded with Sizwe Africa IT Group.
Executive caretaker of the agency Luvuyo Keyise was speaking on Friday during a break in proceedings in the Bhisho high court where Sita is trying to stop an EC department of education (DoE) piggybacking tender for learner tablets.
Keyise was appointed to the caretaker position in 2019 when the terms of some board members were not extended by communications and digital technologies minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, as part of a plan to “repurpose” the agency.
He said Sita’s intervention in the DoE contract with Sizwe was based on concerns over the cost of the e-learning solution agreed between education officials and the company.
“I can confirm to you that Sita has reviewed that and we know very well that the cost of implementing the solution as agreed by the EC DoE is far higher than the negotiations Sita has been having with all parties,” Keyise said.
He said Sita and the minister were “engaged in a process to set in place an e-learning solution for the entire country”, which included “negotiating even with developers of the same instruments to say ‘how can we reduce the cost for the country?’ Because the whole country does not have money.
“And you then have one province that goes against what we are trying to do nationally to ensure that there is a huge cost reduction in terms of the delivery of these tools — they sign an exorbitant agreement.”
He dismissed a suggestion that the legal fight between different organs of state represented a failure of protocols to mediate intergovernmental disputes.
Instead, he said it was about “government departments that know the law but deliberately go out and disrespect the same laws that our government has put in. They fail even to work with other state entities that are put in place to assist them to fulfil their mandate.
“I can tell you frankly that the department of education knew very well the process they were getting into was irregular, but they went ahead with an irregular process.”
Keyise said efforts at mediation by provincial directorgeneral Mbulelo Sogoni failed because “the DoE just wanted Sita to continue to allow them to implement an irregular contract”.
“Part of my job is ensuring that any entity of the state respects the Sita Act. I cannot be an accounting officer or an executive caretaker for Sita when I allow any entity of the state to continue to disrespect the same legislation of the state I am mandated to protect.”
At various times since its inception, Sita itself has been accused of being at the centre of state corruption.
Most recently, the department of home affairs master file relating to its tender for a biometric identification system disappeared, with MPs calling for disciplinary action against Sita officials.
Keyise claimed repurposing the agency included making it a more effective implementing entity of the government’s digitising policy.