SCOPA wants to call former SITA board members to account for agency's problems

CAPE TOWN - Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) wants to call the former board members of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) to account for its problems.

MPs have questioned the viability of the agency, labelling it "a horror show" and a "cash cow".

Receiving a briefing from the auditor-general's office on Tuesday, some MPs questioned whether government departments should rather be allowed to procure their own IT services.

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SCOPA members have been less than impressed by the insufficient services provided to state departments by the state’s information technology company. 

ActionSA's Alan Beesley has questioned the viability of the arrangement.

"We always say, it can’t get worse every time we have a presentation, but this one is right up there as another one of those shockers, a horror show."

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)'s Chumani Matiwane said he believed the agency could still be economically viable but the failures stemmed from poor governance.

"SITA is being treated like a cash-cow, if you look at the wasteful and fruitless expenditure."

The EFF's Veronica Mente said the agency had failed to deliver for years and lamented the lack of accountability for the corruption.

The Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Patrick Atkinson said the agency could not be allowed to continue operating in this manner for another term.

"A lot of poor people will be paying more VAT next week and it's exactly because of these kinds of organisations like SITA where large amounts of money get wasted and very little gets delivered."

SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi said he planned to call the communications ministers, along with former board members, to explain the situation.