The top 10 IT personalities for this year have been identified, and online voting for the IT Personality of the Year 2007 will be open until 30 September.
The winner will be announced at the CSSA President's Annual Awards Banquet, on 7 November, at Montecasino.
The top 10 are:
* Hamilton Ratshefola, CEO and co-founder of Cornastone Consulting. He has been credited with building one of the country's most respected IT companies and named among the 20 most influential black businessmen.
* James Grcic, MD of Computer Storage Services Africa. He led the development of data recovery technology that is now patented to the CSS local office and licensed to the CSS group globally.
* Melusi Zwane, former headmaster of Myeka High School. He introduced computers to the school to educate learners and the local community; over 1 000 pupils have been taught on the computers and the project has broadened.
* Mirriam Zwane, co-owner and director of Praxis Computing. Already recognised for her "vast contribution to the ICT sector", Zwane has led Praxis to many areas of success. Among her initiatives is a development project that leads to a positive community response to crime.
* Dr Ntsika Msimang, head of the Meraka Institute's Open Source Centre, in Soweto. He introduced people in disadvantaged areas to open source software, driving IT skills creation and using local talent to produce home-grown technology solutions.
* Pfungwa Serima, MD of Microsoft SA. Due to his initiatives, more than 1 000 graduates have been trained and employed in 2007 alone. A further 2 000 graduates will be trained and placed by the end of the calendar year.
* Phuthuma Nhleko, CEO of MTN Group. Under his leadership, the MTN Group accelerated its expansion programme in line with the company's vision to be the leader in telecommunications in developing markets. He was identified as one of the most powerful executive directors of a JSE-listed company.
* Stephen Smith, founder of the Papillon Foundation, which equips poor and indigent people in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg with computer and other skills, to enable them to find employment. Over 1 300 people have successfully completed Papillon's training.
* Vincent Maher, strategist for Mail & Guardian Online. He is a key figure in the emerging Web 2.0 space in SA. His contributions both academically in his post at Rhodes University and his work at Mail & Guardian Online have paved the way for a fundamental change in the way online media works in this country.
* Viola Manuel, executive director of the Cape IT Initiative (CITI). She has taken CITI from a small NGO to an industry body that is now recognised by national government. She has helped CITI to develop projects such as Youth in IT and Women in IT.
Full biographies can be found here.
The award is presented by the Computer Society of SA, in association with ITWeb, Gartner Africa and the Gordon Institute of Business Science.
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