Boitumelo (Tumi) Sathekge General Manager: Enterprise Technology and Project Management Office (PMO)

For South African rail, port and pipeline company, Transnet SOC Ltd, ICT plays a critical role in terms of its service delivery to its client base. At the technology helm is Boitumelo (Tumi) Sathekge: General Manager: Enterprise Technology and Project Management Office (PMO). For her, the socio-demographic challenges of the past few years and economic and political pressure had a significant impact on the role of ICT to maintain Transnet’s strategic intent, with new ways of working and budgetary constraints two pain points.

However, this has not deterred her from her work to equip Transnet employees with the technology they need in order to engage with other employees and clients, following a philosophy of “even if a device isn’t broken, does it achieve what we want it to achieve?” and she constantly evaluates the needs of the company.

Her priorities continue to be the provision of the technology that fits the needs of the business. “Everything has become tech – even machinery. CIOs have to understand the core business, how technology speaks to the business and how it can help our employees. We have to be specialists in both technology and the business and understand how any department engages internally and externally while maintaining a balancing act with cost – and technology is super-expensive.

“What I’ve learned is that you must put the basics in place and then prioritise. At the top of our list should be people, understanding our employees and putting our clients at the centre of the application of technology – even as we run with implementing technologies, including automation. Technology changes every day and while every company has had to become a data company, we are a logistics company, a technology user and not a technology company.”

Sathekge underlines the importance of people, saying that training is a top priority and never to neglect soft skills training. “We can never overcommunicate as an organisation.

For example, we have all adopted GenAI in one way or another in both our home and business lives and everybody has become a technology resource. People need to understand what they are using and their use – plus the importance of cybersecurity. Knowledge transfer from the top of the organisation and throughout the organisation is vital.”

As an active mentor of children, Sathekge says there are many lessons that can be learned from them, such as love, forgiveness and striving to give your best, adding that future leaders and young professionals need to learn and develop these qualities. “Good leaders recognise that it’s not one style that fits all occasions. We have to be adaptable to the environment we are in. Learn to discern what leadership style, be it authoritive or empathetic, is appropriate for the specific situation. “Additionally, sometimes it’s the small things that are the most important, such as being willing to listen to someone, regardless of age, dressing professionally and punctuality.”

What gets Sathekge up in the morning is: “Our environment is challenging and that’s what gets me going. It’s the thrill and adrenalin rush of successfully overcoming challenges. What keeps me grounded is maintaining a balance with my spiritual life,” she concludes.

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