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The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have condemned the worsening crisis at the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), where nearly 60% of positions remain vacant. The party released a statement on Friday, 10 October 2025, describing the situation as a calculated attempt to paralyse public sector digital systems and accountability.
What Happened
According to the EFF, 435 out of 759 positions at SITA remain unfilled, leaving the agency critically understaffed. The party accused government leadership of deliberately undermining the state’s digital infrastructure, which supports services such as healthcare, social grants, education, and cybersecurity.
SITA is responsible for IT infrastructure, data systems, and digital services across all government departments. Its inability to operate at full capacity, the EFF claims, poses a direct threat to public service delivery.
Official Response
In their statement, the EFF warned that this is not just a management issue, but a deliberate weakening of the state. They criticised the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, affiliated with the Democratic Alliance (DA), for proposing new regulations allowing departments to bypass SITA and procure IT services independently.
“This is reckless, anti-state, and disastrous for accountability,” the EFF said.
“Instead of fixing SITA, the DA is dismantling oversight and enabling corruption through decentralised IT procurement.”
The party argued this policy shift would result in inflated costs, fragmented systems, and weakened cybersecurity, further damaging digital governance in the country.
Community Impact
The EFF emphasised that the failure to fill SITA vacancies betrays thousands of unemployed ICT graduates who could be employed by the agency. The collapse of SITA’s capacity, they say, contributes to rising unemployment and a breakdown in critical government functions.
They demand that all posts at SITA be filled immediately, and that the proposed procurement regulations be reversed. According to the EFF, restoring SITA’s strength is essential to maintaining public accountability, cybersecurity, and digital coherence across departments.
