Cybercrime is a growing problem worldwide, with the industry expected by some estimates to cost national economies a combined US$10-trillion in 2025.
South Africa is not immune to this growing scourge, and an estimated R2.2-billion to R4-billion was lost to the economy due to cybercrime in 2024.
According to Jayson O’Reilly, MD of CYBER1 Solutions, the scale and sophistication of cybercrime presents big challenges for the South African Police Service (SAPS), with underfunding, skills shortages and a lack of the right technologies crippling its ability to go toe to toe with cybercriminals. However, O’Reilly said, the SAPS cannot be left to fight the growing scourge of cybercrime alone.
“The scale of cybercrime is always going to be a challenge,” O’Reilly said in an interview with TechCentral. “Where there is collaboration with outside organisations such as Europol and the FBI … is also where there is most impact. Everybody looks to the SAPS, but they don’t create the [cybersecurity] strategies and polices.”
According to O’Reilly, collaboration with the private sector, experts and international bodies is key to bolstering local law enforcement’s ability to fight cybercrime.
The development of cybersecurity rules in South Africa is scattered and involves the State Security Agency, the State IT Agency and Armscor. According to O’Reilly, the policies themselves are sound, but there is a disconnect between them and their implementation. One of the major reasons for this, he said, is that there is a lack of rationalisation and oversight – something a single government entity in charge of cybersecurity could remedy.
Fragmentation
“Fragmentation is an issue and there is a lack of implementation of existing policies. Successful countries have a dedicated entity responsible for the safety of citizens online,” said O’Reilly.
The US, the UK, Germany, China and Mauritius have all invested in creating independent cybersecurity agencies to oversee policy, fight cybercrime and perform security audits across government. The Cybercrimes Act of 2020 makes provision for such an entity in South Africa but this section of the legislation is yet to be implemented.
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In his state of the nation address last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa hinted at the creation of a digital forensics lab to help combat cybercrime, but detail was not provided.
The lack of adequate funding for such an entity is a concern, especially considering how constrained the national fiscus already is. Last month, finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget presentation to parliament was postponed to 12 March after parties in the government of national unity failed to reach consensus on a VAT hike proposal by the ANC.
South African law enforcement has recently strengthened its relationship with Interpol to bolster its cybersecurity capabilities. In a recent interview with SABC News, Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya said many of the crimes that now fall under the definition of cybercrime – including cyberfraud, online impersonation, online extortion and cyber forgery – are not new crimes per se because these were committed in other ways prior to their computerisation. Now that these crimes have moved into the digital realm, Lebeya said, there is a need to upskill police officers and investigators.
“The reason we needed Interpol to come and join us is we have realised that cybercrime is not limited to a particular country; all countries are linked and affected by cybercriminals. Secondly, we would like to enhance the skills of our own personnel so that we can effectively respond to cyberattacks.
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“Interpol, because they are liaising with a number of countries – 195 member countries – will be able to share the experiences that they have picked up in other countries. That is why we have called them to come and assist us,” said Lebeya. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
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