Bogoshi was tipped for SITA top job

By Damaria Senne for SITA
Johannesburg, 20 Jul 2007

If the State IT Agency (SITA) had moved quicker to appoint its former chief of strategy Jonas Bogoshi as CEO to succeed Mavuso Msimang, it would not have lost him to GijimaAst.

Speaking at a farewell function for former GijimaAst CEO John Miller, at Montecasino, in Fourways last night, Msimang, now director-general of the Department of Home Affairs, said he expected Bogoshi to succeed him as SITA CEO.

He also expressed puzzlement as to how SITA lost Bogoshi to GijimaAst. "What whale swallowed Jonas from SITA and spat him at GijimaAst?" he said, making an analogy to the Biblical Jonah.

A number of insiders previously said Bogoshi left SITA out of frustration with its inability to move fast on the CEO appointment.

What whale swallowed Jonas from SITA and spat him at GijimaAst?
Mavuso Msimang, DG of the Department of Home Affairs, making an analogy to the Biblical Jonah

Msimang bemoaned the fact that SITA lost Bogoshi, a "strong, capable CEO candidate" who deserved much of the credit attributed to him (Msimang) for turning SITA around.

He said Bogoshi was ready five years ago to take up the CEO position. At the same time, Msimang said Bogoshi did not entertain offers from outside SITA, as he felt he still needed to learn some things related to the financial management of large institutions.

SITA refused to comment on whether Msimang made recommendations to the board that Bogoshi succeed him, and what action was taken following these recommendations. "I cannot comment on this information. You would have to speak to Mavuso and Jonas directly," said SITA spokesman Elton Fortuin.

ITWeb was unable to obtain further comment from Msimang as to the extent to which he made his views regarding Bogoshi known to the SITA board.

Bogoshi is, however, diplomatic about the matter. He previously said he allocated a limited time to his tenure in the public service sector and the GijimaAst offer was the most interesting he had received in a while.

GijimaAst executive chairman Robert Gumede said Bogoshi has shown in the past two weeks, since he began his tenure as the company`s CEO, that his appointment was spot-on.

Miller said the financial markets agree Bogoshi will be able to lead GijimaAst to greater achievements. He noted that, on the day his retirement and Bogoshi`s appointment were announced, the GijimaAst share price increased.

Last month, Fortuin said SITA was closing in on its search for a new CEO. However, he refused to give a timeline for the process, saying it was "not prudent", given the approval processes still required.