Software engineering in South Africa

The tourist slogan used to market South Africa A World in One Country cuts across many more dimensions than just those of interest to tourists. Everywhere in the country, there is evidence of both a highly advanced and sophisticated economy and lifestyle, as well as of poverty and underdevelopment. The purpose of this session is to reflect on whether and how this peculiar positioning of the country impacts on the IT industry in general, and on software engineering in particular. Based on their experience of South African IT in general, and on the practice, teaching and research of software engineering in particular, session panelists will give their perspectives on what is being done and on what should be done. Are the challenges and opportunities significantly different from elsewhere? Are there the opportunities, threats and challenges for disseminating IT skills into the underdeveloped contexts in South Africa and Africa? What does South Africa need to do to become the outsourcing point of choice for North Atlantic IT? How do companies that operate both in South Africa and elsewhere spread the development load, and what are the challenges in doing this?