Moloti Nkune, CIO of the MICT SETA, balances the thrill of AI, data and digitalisation with the grounding influence of resilience and people-first leadership.
Growing up in rural Burgersfort, Limpopo, Moloti Nkune had to walk five kilometres to get to school and back each day. While this might seem like a stringent daily regiment for a young boy, he believes the challenge shaped his future. “Life there was tough but formative. That upbringing taught me patience, resilience and discipline. Even today, I draw on those lessons in how I lead, make decisions and relate to others.”
Moloti didn’t always picture himself as an integral player at the centre of IT but rather, balancing figures: “I even used to tell my teachers to teach me as if I was their ‘future accountant’,” he jokes. That changed when a University of Pretoria lecturer visited his former school during a career week. “This lecturer spoke about IT being the next big thing that would change the world. From then on, I became curious. By the time I finished matric, I was torn between accounting and IT. At university, I made the decision to pursue IT and I’ve never looked back. It’s dynamic, constantly evolving and influences every sector.”
“IT has allowed me to grow, explore and contribute to transformation across industries. Even those in non-technical fields want to integrate IT into their work – that tells you how critical it has become.”
That is how Moloti started as an intern 20 years ago and within four years, was managing ICT teams.
“That rapid journey gave me broad exposure, curiosity and resilience. Now, as CIO of a national skills development entity, I’m at the centre of South Africa’s skills revolution. My role is exciting because it involves modernising a traditionally paper-heavy environment, digitising processes for over 20,000 learners and enabling both unemployed youth and corporates to thrive. Every decision we take has a ripple effect on the future of the country’s workforce.”
Innovation with precision
Moloti explains that his role encompasses constant balance and while in government innovation is critical, it must be handled carefully as there isn’t budget or time for innovation that may fail. “I can’t spend a million on a failed project. That would be wasteful expenditure. Here, we must deliver with surgical precision,” he explains.
He ensures that this does not stifle creativity or innovation by creating a safe environment for his team to analyse risks carefully. “The Board has also supported us by adopting the triple helix model of innovation, where we partner with universities to co-develop systems. This lets us experiment, learn and correct while still producing tangible outcomes,” he explains.
Explaining the model, Moloti says: “Our core business system was built with Tshwane University of Technology; our e-recruitment portal is being developed by Vaal University of Technology; our intranet from University of Johannesburg and when the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) tasked with developing the College and SETA Times website, we built it with University of Limpopo. We’re now developing a data lake with Durban University of Technology. This way, we innovate boldly but within a framework that keeps us accountable.”
IT driving purpose
While Moloti understands the functional role of IT he does not see it merely as a supportive system but as an enabler for change. “I don’t want IT to just keep the lights on. My vision is to transform the MICT SETA and the entire post education and training (PSET) system into a digitally enabled, data-driven and learner-centric sector. That means: reducing certificate backlogs through digitisation and AI-enabled site verification; driving cultural change in how the organisation adopts digital tools; embedding cybersecurity and data protection at the centre of everything. Our goal is not just to digitise – but to digitalise, changing how we fundamentally deliver services.”
This, he believes, is driven by the value that data brings and how it is used. “Data is the new gold. At the MICT SETA, accurate data informs everything from sector skills plans to identifying critical and scarce skills.” He explains that tracer studies on learners help the organisation understand whether training leads to employment. “When past data showed gaps in rural areas, it led to the board approving a rural development strategy. Without reliable data, our decisions would be flawed but with it, we’re able to focus interventions where they’re needed most.”
Always focused on balance, Moloti is critically aware that with the value of data, also comes risk. “Cybersecurity is a top priority and fortunately our risk management programme is rated at the highest level (five) by the National Treasury. We’ve implemented a personal information impact assessment, and the board has placed cybersecurity at the heart of our strategy. I am also working with our newly appointed manager ICT governance and security to ensure both our systems and people are resilient. This is vital, because government entities are increasingly targeted by cyber attacks.”
In his role, he believes that integration, especially involving different parties, is one of the toughest hurdles. “The biggest challenge is navigating fragmented systems and data across 21 Setas, 50 TVET colleges and other government entities to build an integration system. Integration is slow because of resistance, multiple stakeholders and conflicting solutions. I am driving an ICT shared services model of the sector as envisioned in the national skills development plan 2030. It’s difficult, but progress is being made, though not as fast as I’d like.”
The power of people
Moloti shares that in his view as a CIO, he believes that success in the future will depend on both technical and human capabilities and he is equally focused on both to drive success in his organisation. It’s not always an easy task, however and he cites the competition for talent as one of his biggest challenges.
“It’s tough – we can’t always match private sector salaries. But at the MICT SETA we make our value proposition attractive through competitive remuneration, a strong, respected brand and exposure to impactful, national-scale projects. Many of our alumni have gone on to senior roles in companies or government departments. While we do lose talent, it’s also a sign we’re developing people well.”
“We’re focusing on future-facing technical skills like AI, cloud, business analysis and data science, alongside softer skills like emotional intelligence, stakeholder engagement and adaptability. Technical skills open the door, but soft skills ensure we can deliver and build trust.”
Moloti is people-focused in his leadership and believes his team sees him as “open, approachable and developmental. I’ve mentored people from intern level to senior management and I focus heavily on both technical and soft-skill growth”.
He says he learnt much about leadership from reading as well as experience: “A book that has truly shaped me is 100 Lessons in Diversity by Stanley Bongwe. It taught me to treat people how they want to be treated – not how I think they should be treated. That helped me build empathy, resilience and emotional intelligence in leadership,” he says.
The evolution of the CIO
This type of strong leadership is critical in managing the evolving role of technology in government, where evolution is core to survival: “CIO roles continue to evolve while we see emerging roles like CDO, CISO and CTO to respond to other developments of the ICT discipline. In future, every thriving organisation, whether public or private, will centre itself around technology. If government entities don’t embrace technology, they risk irrelevance. CIOs will increasingly be at the strategy table, not just in the back office.”
Balancing technology and people, and innovation with safety can be stressful but Moloti says that high-pressure days are inevitable. “I know I’m not a morning person, so I preserve energy during the day for admin and keep evenings for deep, creative work. My team knows this – evenings are often when I deliver my best insights and direction. It’s about self-awareness and working with, not against, your natural rhythm.”
And outside of work, innovation and technology, Moloti still returns to nature as his perfect ‘reset’ button – another perfect counterbalance. “Nature over malls, every time. I love driving and exploring scenic routes. Being in natural spaces still grounds me and helps me recharge.”
