SITA Names Draaijer Strategy Executive

The state IT agency completes its six-member executive committee with new appointments under its leadership programme.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in People

The South African State Information Technology Agency (SITA) appointed Itumeleng Draaijer as executive for strategy and corporate services, effective November, and Portia Matsena as chief digital officer. The appointments complete the six executive committee positions under the executive leadership programme led by managing director Magatho Mello.

Why it matters

The appointments aim to address executive leadership gaps and churn that the agency identified as contributing to instability within the organisation. Filling the full committee is intended to translate leadership capacity into consistent execution of digital services across South Africa's public sector.

SITA has now filled all six positions on its executive committee, with Draaijer and Matsena each bringing more than 20 years of managerial experience. The announcement does not specify the timeline for measuring the committee's performance or the criteria used to assess success.

The players

Itumeleng Draaijer

Draaijer is a senior South African executive with a chemistry degree from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, now serving as SITA's executive for strategy and corporate services.

Portia Matsena

Matsena is a South African technology leader with experience across banking, national payment systems and government, appointed as SITA's chief digital officer.

Magatho Mello

Mello is the managing director of SITA, leading the executive leadership programme under which the appointments were made.

The details

Draaijer holds a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and has more than a decade of senior leadership experience. Matsena has led across banking, national payment systems, government, ICT and large-scale digital transformation, and will lead SITA's digital transformation agenda.

November 2026: Draaijer's appointment takes effect.
During the 2026 financial year: the six executive appointments were made.

Market Landscape

SITA's role as the state's central ICT provider places it at the centre of South Africa's government digital transformation mandate. Completing its executive committee positions them to deliver on that mandate after a period of leadership instability.

Citizens interacting with government digital services may see changes as SITA's new leadership implements its digital transformation agenda. Reliable execution of those services depends on the committee's ability to translate leadership capacity into consistent delivery.

The takeaway

Stable executive leadership is a precondition for reliable public digital services, and the completed committee gives SITA the chance to demonstrate consistent delivery. Watching how the agency reports on that execution will show whether the appointments address the instability it identified.