By Thenzie Stewart – IITPSA WIIT Chapter Chair
Every year on Heritage Day, South Africans gather around the braai, a tradition that cuts across cultures, languages, and backgrounds. The braai is more than a meal; it’s a symbol of sharing, connection, and bringing people together around a common fire. Culturally, the roles are familiar: men light the fire and take charge of the grill, while women prepare the salads, spice the meat, and set the table. But Heritage Month gives us the perfect opportunity to rethink these patterns, both at the braai and in the workplace.
Flipping the Script
What if women lit the fire, managed the flames, and proudly claimed the braai tongs? And what if men, equally capable, prepared the salads, stirred the pap, and added the secret spices? By shifting roles, we challenge outdated norms, open new possibilities, and show that skills are not defined by gender.
The same is true in ICT. For too long, women were expected to stay in the “supportive” roles, project coordinators, testers, or administrators, while men dominated system architecture, AI development, and executive leadership. The numbers tell the story: although women now make up nearly 45% of South Africa’s ICT workforce, according to Trialogue’s 2025 sector insights, their progression into senior, decision-making, and executive leadership roles remains slow.
Women remain clustered in support and mid-level roles, while only about 5% of ICT company CEOs are women (Trialogue Knowledge Hub, 2025).
At the same time, an ITWeb 2025 report shows there are 4,708 women in senior ICT management positions across the sector with the majority being white women (2,332), followed by African women (1,118), Indian women (592), Coloured women (505), and foreign nationals (161). While this demonstrates that women are breaking through into leadership, it also highlights how representation remains uneven and progress fragmented across demographics (ITWeb, 2025).
While this demonstrates progress, it also reveals the unevenness of representation across demographics. These numbers are not just statistics; they are markers of how heritage is still being written, one leadership story at a time.
From the Braai Pit to the Server Room
- Lighting the fire: Women CIOs and engineers are sparking bold digital visions, igniting transformation projects that power whole organisations.
- Balancing the heat: Just as the perfect braai requires managing the coals, women leaders are balancing risk, compliance, and governance while still delivering innovation.
- Adding the spice: Creativity, empathy, and inclusivity — often dismissed as “soft skills” — are now recognised as the essential seasoning in ethical AI and inclusive design.
Heritage Month is a time to reflect on where we come from, to honor those who laid foundations, and to celebrate the traditions that give meaning to our progress. In the world of ICT, this heritage is not only written in code and systems but also in the journeys of people who have shaped the profession. For the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA), women leaders form a vital part of that heritage — pioneers who challenged convention, opened doors, and redefined what leadership in technology looks like.
Pearl Pasi, who rose through roles including IITPSA Vice President and Western Cape Chapter Chair before being elected IITPSA President in August 2024, embodies inclusive leadership and has worked tirelessly to raise the visibility of women in IT. Moira de Roche, a past President and now Non-Executive Director of IITPSA as well as Chair of IFIP IP3, has been a Fellow since 2009 and has dedicated decades to professionalising ICT, ensuring global credibility and governance. Senele Goba, also a IITPSA past President, has long focused on education and representation, actively creating opportunities for women in ICT at both national and chapter levels.
Together, these women are not only part of IITPSA’s heritage, they are proof of its progress. Their leadership journeys demonstrate how far the profession has come in advancing women into positions of influence and how this legacy continues to inspire future generations.
Changing the narrative at the braai reflects what’s happening in boardrooms, labs, and innovation hubs; women are no longer just “preparing the side dishes” of digital transformation. They are in charge of the fire itself, ensuring that South Africa’s digital future is not only functional but also flavourful, inclusive, and sustainable.
This year, may the braai fire remind us that when women lead, whether in the kitchen, at the fire, or in the server room, the results are richer, bolder, and more innovative.
Thenzie Stewart – WIIT Chapter Chair