2022 marks the IITPSA’s 65th anniversary, a significant milestone that underlines our ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing environment.

When the Computer Society South Africa – CSSA was first formed in 1957, Fortran was brand new, COBOL was only introduced 2 years later, and the first computer chip was a work in progress. It’s unlikely that our early members could have foreseen the computing innovations that would follow, and how they would change the world.

As an IITPSA member for over 34 years, I have been privileged to witness – and participate in – much of the change that has taken place in our sector, and within the Institute. From small beginnings as a group of like-minded computing enthusiasts, the IITPSA has grown into a professional body representing thousands of members, which is trusted at the highest level.

The IITPSA was there at the dawn of PC and internet revolutions in the early 1980s, when the first IBM personal computer emerged, ARPANET and the Defense Data Network changed to the TCP/IP standard, and Microsoft released its first version of Windows. Our members witnessed the birth of the first web browser, the granting of the .za address to South Africa, and the first internet connection to the country (a 9.6kbps link) in the early 90s. We’ve seen the arrival of email, the launches of GSM, the first mobile phones and the landing of undersea cables.

Since then, the pace of change and innovation accelerated.

To better reflect our role as a professional body, we changed our name from the CSSA to the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) in 2013. We were recognised as a Professional Body by SAQA in 2012, and were accredited by IFIP IP3 in July 2015, and we are now SAQA recognised and IFIP IP3 accredited for our professional programmes (Professional Member and Professional CIO).

Over the years, our public profile has grown, and the Institute is now widely recognised as the voice of South African IT professionals. Illustrating this, we signed an MoU with the City of Johannesburg earlier this year to collaborate on ICT sector development and digital skills development initiatives. We are engaging with Government in a number of areas on ethical behaviour and professionalism. The media regularly asks the IITPSA’s opinion on developments in the sector.

We are exceptionally proud of our growth and the role we have played in representing our IT professionals and encouraging professional development and early IT skills development.

We thank all of our members for their ongoing contributions to our growth and development!

Tony Parry
IITPSA CEO