A University of Johannesburg (UJ) professor has set himself the task of raising the profile of the information industry (IT) to winning heights by challenging the status quo and the monopoly in the industry during the Annual Computer Society of South Africa (CSSA) President’s Award Banquet in Sandton, Johannesburg.
The Vice-President of the International Federation for Information Processing and Head of the Department of the Academy for Information Technology at the University of Johannesburg, Professor Basie van Solms, has been honoured with the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Leadership accolade for his exceptional thought leadership qualities and sustainable contribution to the development and growth of the South African IT industry.
On receiving the award, Prof Von Solms took the stage to challenge academia, industry and government, also committing himself to improving the quality and quantity of research facilities in the country.
A self-proclaimed advocate for the inclusion of academia in the development of the local IT industry, Prof Von Solms believes the industry, government and academia should form a body that would serve as a platform for all three entities to discuss the issues facing the industry, enabling them to work together in filling critical gaps. “I am challenging industry at large, myself included, to do something about the lack of research recourse in SA and I intend to use this platform that I have been given to emphasize that and ensure there is a change.”
Past winners of this award, which was established in 2002, have been Andile Ngcaba (the then director-general of the Department of Communications), Alewyn Burger, the director of direct banking at Standard Bank, in 2003 and Ken Jarvis, the CIO of SARS, in 2004.
At the helm of the Academy of Information Technology at the UJ, Prof Von Solms has researched the skills gaps that have to be filled in the industry, highlighting his passion for industry transformation, education and skills development.
He has concluded that South Africa has talent that needs to be given time to grow and mature.
Contact Herman Esterhuizen, University of Johannesburg, Tel (011) 489-3960,
he@ rau.ac.za