Speech at Movers and Shakers

Hasmukh Gajjar

Thank you master of ceremony. Good evening comrades, friends, colleagues, honored guests, ladies and gentleman.

I wish to thank the organizers of this event for extending an invitation to speak to you tonight.

May I also take this opportunity to congratulate Forge-Ahead BMI-T for their initiative and efforts in bringing this project to fruition. We are becoming increasingly exasperated by the "so called" industry achiever’s events that do not reflect the face of the new SA. For the last eight years I have observed the lack of diversity in the personalities who are lauded at these functions.

At last, this initiative provides us with an opportunity to present to the industry personalities who are moving, and who are shaking within their own right, who are making a difference, challenging a legacy that refuses to budge beyond tokenism.

Before I touch on the topic that has been selected by our hosts, it may be prudent to sketch a brief background on the organization I represent, the Black Information Technology Forum.

I do this not just simply as an abuse of the platform provided this evening, but it has some relevance to the subject I will expand on.

• Western Cape BITF was constituted in April 1995.
• Gauteng constituted April 1997.
• Bilateral discussions between the two provinces held and kept links forged.
• Desire to initiate a national structure conceived in October 1998.
• Workshop held in December 1998 – invited other provinces.
• Speakers at conference were from SITA and J Naidoo.
• They challenged the BITF to become national.
• They challenged the BITF to engage in national policy and framework endeavors.
• Subsequently we held a workshop and elections for National Body in April 1999.
• National Executive elected at this event.
• Conditions for achieving legitimacy were the

• BITF KZN launched in September of this year.

• Develop significant participation in the industry by black ICT professionals, practitioners and entrepreneurs.

• Redress historical imbalances

• Promote access to IT for all communities of South Africa.

The Role of Black Professionals in Developing ICT Within Their Own Communities.

Before I make certain observations tonight, rather my suggesting what that should be, we have to all agree on what we mean by an ICT professional; secondly, we need to remind ourselves of the environment we find ourselves in, and the cycle within which we find ourselves.

There is no standard definition of an ICT professional. The range of skill and experience is so wide that it becomes difficult to include or exclude categories of individuals. Suffice it to say that for the purposes of tonight’s encounter, we include under the banner of professionals those who are dependent on their acquired technical skill to seek a living and we deliberately exclude entrepreneurs.

This definition would cover individuals who are employed by ICT companies, or who find themselves in an ICT department within an organization or those who provide tech-centric services to ICT companies or organizations.

The target group for my observations tonight is engineers, sales and marketing personnel, consulting firms such as the big six, directors and managers in ICT shops, etc. It does exclude related professions such as accountants, hr managers, and other non-technical and organizational support staff. It also excludes entrepreneurs who are in the business of ICT, but ICT is not their business.

1. Technology is the driver of change, it is the industrial revolution awakening as we end this millennium, and it will exponentially dictate to, and influence the national and individual fortunes in the new millennium. This technology revolution is the third wave. The first was the nomadic to the organized agriculture phase, the second was the urbanization and industrial phase, and the third phase is the information or knowledge phase. Each phase changes the landscape of society, of peoples and nations. Each phase effects the disappearance of some stakeholders, and the creation of new ones. Understanding the new values and the shifting paradigms enables the survival of those who seize the opportunity of change.
2. Technology is the enabler and the agent of change – some we like, some we do not.

1. It has created the economy of disinflation.
2. It has caused the reorganization of corporations, businesses and economies. It has caused massive loss of jobs in the traditional economic makeup. It has shifted the wealth on the balance sheet from materials to skilled human resource as the pivotal asset of corporations, of countries.
3. Countries are required to grow their work force into knowledge workers.
4. The Americans and Europeans are once again exporting product to the developing world. The product has changed from TV’s, cars and fridges to knowledge, and techno-savvy professionals.
5. Reality is that globally 3 out of 10 jobs in IT are not filled. There is huge demand for technology skills, and yet, paradoxically as in South Africa, we have massive unemployment.
6. The USA has issued 120,000 H1 visas for 1999. Never before has fierce IT competitors such as Microsoft and Oracle been so united as when they pleaded with US legislators to issue another 50,000 H1 visas. South Africa is a prime target to recruit this high level human resource – the wealth of the new millennium. Technology is in the process of creating a newer form of colonization, it is creating a new form of classes: the information rich ( who continue to be the haves ), and the information poor ( the have nots).

1. Technology is the enabler of governance, it is the enabler of delivery of services such as education, health, safety and security.
2. Our leadership, our communities demand that we collectively meet these challenges. This is war – and we have to see this as our new struggle. We have to respond to the changes demanded by this phase.
3. This struggle demands that we organize ourselves.
4. The have society in our country (brought about by the previous system) are unable to fulfill the leadership role.
5. The input and engagements by the ICT sector continues to be eurocentric. Current business will not permit the establishment of effective competition from businesses owned by HDI. Current businesses are not taking responsibility for re-engineering our society. It is the government’s responsibility they say. Their business is business.

We need the collective brainpower, skills base and engagement of the black ICT professionals to wage the new struggle, the economic struggle, and to help our country position itself into the unstoppable info-based global economy.

1. Influencing and assisting our leadership in developing a national ICT strategy. We have a conspicuous absence by comrades who provide consulting services to the largest enterprises in meeting the challenges of the ICT revolution, yet they are unable to offer their services to an under resourced public sector.
2. Why are our key managers and directors in organizations not embarking on aggressive skilling policies. It is worthy to note that at a recent Gartner Conference, there were 60 black IT professionals amongst an audience of 600. Fifty percent of that 60 were from one parastatal. Why is it that this parastatal could provide opportunities to our people to come though the ranks and develop high level expertise that shapes the strategies of corporations.
3. With the massive unemployment, and the disinflationary impact this info-revolution has, are our professional comrades providing creative solutions? How do we reskill our unemployed, how do we encourage an uptake into this profession by our people, how do we create opportunities within our own organizations.
4. Why are our professionals not engaged in providing input in resolving national challenges such as safety and security, education and health services. The delivery of these services is enabled by technology. Why do we have to put up with eurocentric models as solutions, why can we not develop solutions unique to our continent.
5. Where are all our ICT professionals, the engineers, the trainers, the consultants, the managers, and the directors, within the context of our educational system we have inherited. Why are we not adopting schools as individuals, providing management and technology skills as knowledge resources. By adopting a school, an ICT professional can propel the severely under resourced schools in our rural and poor areas, to have some insight and awareness of this impending knowledge revolution. Those schools that have resources, should be protected from greedy providers of services who have the profit bottom line as the only motivator. Improving the lives of the poor, the empowerment of the schooling community is not an attractive return on investment for them.
6. Our engineers and trainers can wire our schools, can train our teachers, and can provide career counseling to our pupils. Are we waiting for government to solve the problem, are we waiting for government to issue a lucrative contract. The education sector requires the collective engagement of everybody so that we can have a scalable impact on challenging the legacy we have inherited.
7. Why are we as black people not debating the impact of this info revolution. Why are we not evolving solutions to the disinflationary revolution that creates such huge job losses. Why are these debated in organizations that we regard as not politically correct, or socially unacceptable. We cannot criticize these organizations and at the same time provide no input or alternatives.
8. Why are we not debating what opportunities this techno revolution provides. How do we leverage technology to stimulate growth in all provinces. Why do we live in South Africa that is perceived to have only two provinces, Gauteng and WC. Or should I say one and a half for the time being. We kappies really need to solve our politics out there in the Cape. Why not develop call centers and supported services in the other provinces. Why do we, who are in large corporations in the private and public sector become so dismissive of businesses and entrepreneurs in the other provinces. Surely, supporting the industry in the Eastern Cape by leveraging technology can play a significant role in changing the economies of these regions. Why is Mauritius able to service large UK based banks, how is it that Ireland is the customer support center for Europe and Africa. Why and how do software engineers in India manage large systems remotely. Technology enables all of this. Surely technology enables us to develop the other provinces too.
9. There is no lack of criticism of emerging black ICT businesses from our professionals, some of these are legitimate, some are pronounced from an ivory tower platform. Why do these black ICT companies not get the support, the mentoring , and the opportunities to become successful. We need increasing engagement by our black IT mafia with black businesses, not less, not damning them for trying.
10. We need our black IT professional to build capacity, to aspire towards greater heights in skills development. Every black IT professional wants to become an entrepreneur. Very few want to struggle with their comrades in building a successful enterprise. At the slightest whim, our black engineers and professionals want to open their own business because there is this opportunity in black economic empowerment. If they do not do that, they find a secure position with a large established corporate.
11. Why are our ICT professionals not willing to risk in growing enterprises. Those with the most skills, with the most to offer, want financial security and guarantees that no emerging black ICT business can provide. How do we break this cycle. Where do we intervene.
12. What are black IT professionals not promoting interest and careers in this sector. How do we ensure that we reach the fever peach and scramble to acquire technology skills that exists in India, in the remote villages and towns, everybody has an understanding that technology skills provide new opportunities. In a country much poorer than SA.

I think, rather than suggesting the role of black ICT professionals, I have tried to raise a number of questions, questioning the role of black ICT professionals. There is a need for us to organize ourselves. There is a need to share our collective skills and knowledge to make a difference.

I believe that it is time for all black ICT professionals to engage themselves into a forum, into an organization where we can debate the undebatable, where we can play a supporting role to the efforts of our double edged challenge – redress our past, and at the same time meet the challenges our sector is causing to our country, our continent.

I ask the question, why are you not part of the BITF ?