Seen Here: Ms Itumeleng Draaijer, newly appointed Executive: Strategy and Corporate Services at the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), effective November 2026, as the agency strengthens its executive leadership to advance institutional stability and digital transformation. Photo Credit: Supplied
Appointments of Itumeleng Draaijer and Portia Matsena reinforce the agency’s strategy and digital capabilities as government confronts an increasingly AI-driven future.
PRETORIA, 9 November 2026 – The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) is strengthening its executive leadership as it seeks to consolidate institutional stability, improve service delivery and position government to navigate an increasingly complex digital landscape shaped by artificial intelligence, data and emerging technologies.
The agency has appointed Itumeleng Draaijer as Executive: Strategy and Corporate Services and Portia Matsena as Chief Digital Officer, with both appointments taking effect in November 2026.
The appointments form part of a broader executive leadership programme led by SITA Managing Director Magatho Mello during the current financial year, aimed at strengthening the agency’s operational capacity, governance and contribution to South Africa’s digital transformation agenda.
At the heart of the changes is a recognition that government’s digital future requires more than technological investment. It demands strong institutional leadership, sound financial management, accountable procurement, reliable infrastructure and the ability to translate digital innovation into tangible public value.
Strategy and digital leadership take centre stage
Draaijer’s appointment brings more than two decades of managerial and professional experience to SITA, with a career spanning corporate strategy, organisational performance, stakeholder relations and business operations.
She has held leadership positions at the Development Bank of Southern Africa, South African Bureau of Standards, National Prosecuting Authority and Accenture, alongside experience in major financial institutions.
Her professional background includes leading corporate strategy development and strengthening organisational performance, research and innovation, stakeholder and media relations, partnerships and international relations.
At SITA, her responsibility will be to connect the agency’s strategic direction with the institutional systems, people and operational disciplines required to deliver on its mandate.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Cape Town and an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. She is also a Certified Director of the Institute of Directors South Africa and has served as an independent non-executive director and audit committee member.
Matsena, meanwhile, brings more than 20 years of leadership experience across banking, national payment systems, government, information and communications technology, and large-scale digital transformation.
Her career includes serving as Managing Director: Cash at Absa, Chief Information Officer at BankservAfrica, Chief Digital Officer at Gijima and Acting Group Chief Information Officer at the South African Post Office. She has also served as Head of Department at SITA and held senior management positions in provincial treasuries and the National Treasury.
Her experience in modernising operations, managing multidisciplinary teams, strengthening critical payment systems and implementing complex technology programmes positions her to lead SITA’s digital transformation agenda.
With expertise spanning intelligent automation, AI-enabled solutions and digitally optimised operating models, Matsena’s appointment comes at a time when public institutions are increasingly required to adopt emerging technologies while maintaining security, accountability and public trust.
She holds an MBA from the University of South Africa, a Master’s in Project Leadership and Management from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a Bachelor of Technology from Tshwane University of Technology and a postgraduate qualification in Data Science and Business Analytics from the University of Texas.
Seen Here: Ms Portia Matsena, newly appointed Chief Digital Officer at the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), effective November 2026, bringing extensive leadership experience to advance digital transformation and support the responsible adoption of emerging technologies across government. Photo Credit: Supplied
A broader executive renewal programme
The appointments of Draaijer and Matsena follow four other executive appointments made during the financial year.
These include Phumzile Njoko as Executive: Supply Chain Management, Gabaiphiwe Tabane as Executive: Client Engagement, Bongumusa Kumalo as Executive: Network, Cloud and Platforms, and Yolande van Biljon as Chief Financial Officer.
Together, the six appointments strengthen the executive functions responsible for strategy, digital transformation, financial stewardship, procurement, client relationships and the technology infrastructure underpinning government services.
Mello said the leadership changes were part of a deliberate effort to stabilise the organisation while preparing it for the demands of a rapidly changing technological environment.
“The work of stabilising SITA is inseparable from preparing it to serve government in a rapidly changing digital era. These appointments are about building an executive team that can govern responsibly, execute with discipline and understand the significance of SITA’s mandate to the country,” he said.
He added that the collective experience of the new executives would help deepen accountability, rebuild institutional confidence and strengthen SITA’s ability to support government’s digital transformation.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that technology delivers practical public value, protects South Africa’s digital interests and enables the state to serve people more effectively,” Mello said.
Protecting South Africa’s digital interests
As governments worldwide accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, questions around data sovereignty, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure and responsible innovation are becoming increasingly important.
For South Africa, the challenge is to embrace technological advancement without compromising national interests or overlooking the country’s developmental priorities.
Mello said SITA’s position at the intersection of technology and public service placed particular responsibility on the agency to ensure that digital transformation produces meaningful improvements in how government operates and serves citizens.
“South Africa must harness artificial intelligence and digital innovation while protecting sovereign data, critical infrastructure and the national interest. For SITA, this means ensuring that digital systems respond to the country’s social and economic realities, support its developmental priorities and strengthen the ability of the state to serve all citizens,” he said.
He emphasised that the value of digital transformation should ultimately be measured through practical outcomes, including easier access to public services, better-informed government decisions and secure, connected systems across public institutions.
This places Matsena’s digital leadership portfolio alongside Draaijer’s strategic responsibilities as central components of the agency’s institutional renewal.
Stability must translate into better public services
The latest appointments reflect SITA’s intention to build an executive structure in which individual portfolios operate as part of a coordinated leadership system rather than isolated functions.
Mello stressed that collaboration and shared accountability would be essential in translating the new leadership capacity into improved organisational performance.
“A strong executive team is not simply a collection of individual portfolios. It must operate as one leadership system, with every function contributing to the same organisational purpose,” he said.
The challenge ahead will be to convert the strengthened executive structure into measurable improvements in institutional performance, dependable technology services and more effective support for government departments.
For an agency with a critical role in South Africa’s public-sector technology environment, stability is an important starting point. However, its long-term value will depend on whether that stability results in stronger execution, more reliable digital infrastructure and improved experiences for citizens interacting with the state.
As Draaijer and Matsena assume their new responsibilities, SITA’s broader leadership renewal signals an effort to align institutional discipline with technological ambition.
Ultimately, the success of this transformation will not be determined by the number of executive appointments or the sophistication of the technologies adopted, but by the agency’s ability to deliver secure, accessible and efficient digital services that make a meaningful difference in the lives of South Africans.
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