Security Focus Africa July 2020

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Vol 38 No 7 July 2020

The official industry journal for professional risk practitioners: security, safety, health, environment and quality assurance

FARM ATTACKS SA’s farmers on a “knife’s edge” as attacks escalate on the back of lockdown

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Security Focus Africa: Serving the South African security industry for 38 years

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VOL 38 NO 7 JULY 2020

11

Vol 38 No 7 July 2020

The official industry journal for professional risk practitioners: security, safety, health, environment and quality assurance

FARM ATTACKS SA’s farmers on a “knife’s edge” as attacks escalate on the back of lockdown

Special feature: Farm attacks Horrified by both the brutality and escalating numbers of attacks on South Africa’s farming community since the start of the country’s Covid-19 lockdown, Security Focus Africa is adding its voice to calls for the government to intervene as a matter of urgency.

11 SA’s farmers on a “knife’s edge” as attacks escalate on the back of lockdown Farm attacks in South Africa are reportedly on the rise as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, with a shocking average of one a day in June this year alone. That’s according to Tommie Esterhuyse, chairperson of Agri SA’s Centre of Excellence: Rural Safety, who says farmers’ nerves are on “a knife’s edge” as a result of the ongoing brutal and senseless attacks on them.

18 Combating financial crime: Covid-19’s financial fallout The financial impact of the Covid-19 virus will likely put enormous pressure on organisations’ financial results, while also presenting potential challenges for individuals. In these uncertain times, and with no clear end to the pandemic, criminals will be all too eager to exploit the currentsituation.

16 18 2

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

securityfocusafrica.com

Official Journal of the Security Association of South Africa

REGULARS EDITOR’S COMMENT 4 Of Madiba’s legacy, doing small things with great love and being extra vigilant.

NEWS IN BRIEF 6 News snippets from around

Published by Contact Publications (Pty) Ltd (Reg No. 1981/011920/07)

NEWS 24 Access to illegal firearms plays a huge role in Cape Town’s crime crisis.

ON THE MARKET 25 Challenges and solutions

membership is even more important during Covid-19.

for the security workforce industry.

26 Hored Networking Solutions now in South Africa.

26 New compact emergency phones by Viking Electronics.

COVID-19 NEWS 16 Migrant smugglers profiting from

COMPANY NEWS 27 Datacentrix bolsters security

the world.

ASSOCIATION NEWS 10 SASA update: Why SASA

travel restrictions.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP 18 Combating financial crime Covid-19’s financial fallout.

CYBERSECURITY 20 Covid-19 drives criminal and political cyberattacks across networks, cloud and mobile.

22 Growing cybersecurity threats.

23 No More Ransom celebrates its fourth anniversary.

portfolio with Tenable.

27 Gallagher and Detection Technologies Limited join forces.

PERSONALITY PROFILE 28 The legacy lives on: the life of Nelson Mandela.

LAW & SECURITY 30 Protectionism, nationalism and pandemic combine.

32 DIRECTORY

Vol 38 No 7

TEL: (031) 764 6977 FAX: 086 762 1867 MANAGING DIRECTOR: Malcolm King malcolm@contactpub.co.za

EDITOR: Ingrid Olivier ingrid@securityfocusafrica.com

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN EDITOR: Hayley Mendelow hayley@contactpub.co.za

JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Elrisha du Plooy elrisha@contactpub.co.za

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER: Jackie Goosen jackie@contactpub.co.za

HEAD OFFICE PHYSICAL ADDRESS: Suite 1, Fields Shopping Centre, Old Main Road, Kloof 3610

POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 414, Kloof 3640, South Africa

PUBLICATION DETAILS: Security Focus Africa has 12 issues a year and is published monthly, with the annual Buyers’ Guide in December. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, we will only be publishing digitally until further notice.

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Editorial contributions are welcome.

For details please email editorial@securityfocusafrica.co.za.

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Malcolm King Email: malcolm@contactpub.co.za

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EDITORS COMMENT

Of Madiba’s legacy, doing small things with great love and being extra vigilant After Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president, stepped down in 1999, he formed the Nelson Mandela Foundation as a platform for his charitable work and to pursue his vision of a just society “that learns from its past and listens to all its voices”.

H

is legacy lives on in the Foundation, which reiterated his commitment to helping the less fortunate in its up-tominute message on Mandela Day 2020 (observed every year on his birthday on 18 July). “Communities across the world are affected by the spread of Covid-19, which has hit every economy, causing new social and economic challenges and exacerbating old ones,” it said, adding: “On a scale never seen before, individuals and groups are finding ways to help those in need of support.”

Leading by example, the Foundation launched the #Each1Feed1 hunger relief fund just weeks into South Africa’s lockdown, with an initial contribution of R500 000 and in partnership with the Imbumba Foundation and the Kolisi Foundation.

In these strangest of times, with the news both predictable and alarming in equal measure, I am learning more about the human condition than in all my previous years put together. I have seen the heart-warming side of human nature: people digging deep into their pockets or skillsets to help those less fortunate than themselves.

I’ve seen countless acts of courage and kindness, along with the faltering of leaders in whom we, as a global collective, placed our trust and hope before Covid-19 hit us.

I’m seeing people innovating, adapting or

carving out new roles for their businesses (I for one, certainly didn’t foresee the growth of the webinar prior to lockdown, and now, just four months down the line, there are two or three invitations in my inbox every day. And online meetings... traffic jams have become a distant memory for so many of us). In a time characterised by fear and mistrust and anger, there is also bravery, a glimmer of hope (to quote a friend) and an unprecedented generosity of spirit that underpins the very best of South Africa.

There is so much still that we don’t know but these things I know for sure now: • That a single, small act can make a big difference. A meal donated to feed a hungry child, R5 for the car guard in exchange for him not helping you unpack the trolley, a check-up phone call or message to someone to remind them that they’re not alone. Shopping for the elderly and infirm (not only for our own parents and friends but also for high-risk others). Donating clothes and blankets from our own cupboards, feeding feral cats, thanking cashiers and guards at shop entrances and pharmacists for doing what they’re doing (literally putting their lives at risk on a daily basis). In our individual capacities, most of us can’t do big things, but in Mother Teresa’s words, we can “do small things with great love.”

• That at some point, a vaccine will be found, and the world will start to heal.

• That South Africa can heal too, not only from the pandemic but from the corruption and crime in which it is steeped.

EDITORIAL POLICY Statements made or opinions expressed in articles in Security Focus Africa do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Security Association of South Africa (SASA) nor those of any of the other security associations listed in Security Focus Africa. Similarly, advertising in this publication does not imply in any way endorsement or approval by these security associations of any products or services. It is the policy of the Security Association of South Africa that any office-bearer who has an executive position in a company, or companies, which supply security products or services should on no account allow his position to be used to promote his company or its objectives in the editorial content of Security Focus Africa, the official journal of the Association. If, at any time, an office-bearer’s position has been quoted in relation to his company or product, this does not imply the Association’s approval or involvement.

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

We have a window of opportunity, a fork in the road that could lead to the turnaround so desperately needed by our beautiful country. For this to happen, however, citizens will have to stand together en masse with a voice so loud that the powers-that-be cannot ignore it. And this needs to happen now while the window is still open...

• That we need to support each other in business and be receptive to doing things differently – or better – if we’re going to survive firstly, and then thrive. This includes buying local where possible, positively differentiating ourselves by under-promising and over-delivering, and embracing the latest technology in order to remain visible and relevant, to connect with our customers and staff, and to safeguard our data.

• That we need to be extra vigilant about protecting ourselves and our loved ones against crime. From farm attacks, (see our special feature on page 11 in this issue) murder, rape, abduction, hijacking and armed robbery to online fraud in its many guises, crime in South Africa appears to be sky-rocketing on the back of the Covid-19 lockdown. It’s no secret that our police force, long under-resourced, is battling both rising criminality and infections. This should surely translate into opportunities for the private security industry in terms of supplying best-in-class safety products and services?

It is a time of great danger and uncertainty, in Madiba’s words. It’s also a time to demonstrate the courage and compassion that he showed during his lifetime. As he said: “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”

Ingrid Olivier, Editor ingridolivier@idotwrite.co.za

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

News snippets from around the world KZN magistrate accused of going easy on rapists provisionally suspended

KwaZulu-Natal regional court acting magistrate Kholeka Bodlani has been provisionally suspended pending an investigation into her fitness to hold office. The matter was referred to Justice Minister Ronald Lamola by the magistrates’ commission, justice department spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said in a statement. “A judicial quality assessment of Ms Bodlani’s work revealed serious irregularities and shortcomings, most notably that a number of her cases had to be sent on special review in terms of Section 304(4) of the Criminal Procedure Act as several serious shortcomings and incompetent sentences were imposed by her,” he said.

(Source: News 24)

Twitter attack: New details on hack that took over 100+ accounts, including those of Bill Gates, Elon Musk

As the dust settles from one of the biggest hacks in Twitter’s history last week, investigators inside and outside the company are still trying to understand what happened. The hack compromised some of the most prominent accounts on Twitter last Wednesday, including Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk.

6

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

The compromised accounts repeatedly posted fraudulent messages urging people to send bitcoin to a specific address. After more than two hours of mayhem, Twitter stopped the messages by blocking all verified accounts from posting tweets. But damage to the company’s reputation was already done, and Twitter saw $1.3 billion (R51 billion) in market value wiped out in premarket trading the next day. Twitter said that 130 accounts were accessed by the hackers in total, and added that the perpetrators downloaded data from eight of those accounts. “We’re embarrassed, we’re disappointed, and more than anything, we’re sorry,” the company said in the blog post. “We know that we must work to regain your trust, and we will support all efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

(Source: Business Insider SA)

Gauteng increases budget by R4bn to deal with Covid-19

and remuneration of frontline health personnel, which is a key component in the Covid-19 response,” Nkomo-Ralehoko said.

(Source: Sowetan Live)

African Development Bank approves R5bn Covid-19 loan to SA

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a R5 billion loan to South Africa which also represents its first budget support allocation to the country. The AfDB said the loan, which translates to $288 million, forms part of its $10 billion Covid-19 Response Facility and will fund the country’s response programme to the virus.

(Source: MoneyWeb)

Covid samples missing after truck hijacked in PE

Gauteng finance MEC Nomantu NkomoRalehoko has presented a budget to the legislature which reprioritised money to help the provincial government respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nkomo-Ralehoko’s adjusted 2020/2021 budget increased by R4bn from the R142.4bn announced in March to R146.4bn.

Funds were reprioritised by provincial treasury to avail more money for health, education and social development which desperately need more funding in the fight against Covid-19 in the province. “A total of R5.9bn is allocated to the health response, and will be used to provide health infrastructure including refurbishment of facilities and build field hospitals, procure necessary medical equipment, ensure the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE), oxygen and testing kits, and hiring

A courier truck carrying Covid-19 specimens was hijacked in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape on Monday and the samples are missing. The National Health Laboratory Services has warned the robbers and the public not to touch the samples, saying they may be highly infectious. NHLS manager in the province Tabita Makula said people who come across the specimens “must urgently call our Port Elizabeth NHLS office on 041 395 6158”. Tracing and retesting of 111 people, whose Covid-19 samples were lost when criminals pounced on a courier truck during a heist in Port Elizabeth on Monday, is now reportedly underway.

(Source: News 24)

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Companies pay R14m in fines as Competition Commission comes down hard on Covid-19 price gougers

on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP), an independent research unit based at the University of Cape Town, found that the average price of cigarettes has increased by nearly 250 per cent compared to pre-lockdown levels.

(Source: News 24)

Limpopo local govt almost loses more than R25m in scam, bank official in court

Companies that have been investigated or found guilty of price increases of as much as 1 918 per cent for essential Covid-19-related products have already paid more than R14.05 million in fines. Of this, R5.5 million has been donated to the Solidarity Fund and more than R508 000 worth of essential goods have been donated, said the Competition Commission. According to Siyabulela Makunga, the commission’s spokesperson, the R14.05 million is for settlements and agreements that have been confirmed by the Competition Tribunal. It does not include fines of R1.2 million and R76 040, which the tribunal imposed on DisChem and Babelegi Workwear & Industrial Supplies, respectively. In both cases, the companies have lodged appeals, which will be heard in the Competition Appeal Court, he said. To date, the commission has referred or settled 27 Covid-19-related cases.

(Source: City Press)

Cigarette ban latest

a bid to boost its law enforcement capacity.

SAPS spokesperson Colonel Brenda Muridili said the recruitment of former police officers forms part of the police service’s commitment to improving the staffing levels, to enable the organisation to fulfil its constitutional mandate of fighting crime and keeping people safe. Muridili said successful candidates will be posted where there is a shortage, including specialised units such as the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit and the Public Order Policing unit as well as newly established units such as the taxi violence unit, cold case investigation and the murder and robbery unit.

(Source: IOL)

Telkom begins migration to fibre-based internet

A Limpopo man accused of attempting to defraud three Limpopo provincial government departments and a parastatal out of several million rands has been remanded in custody by the Waterval Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo. His house was also searched and four Absa ATM cards, two withdrawal slips and R2,030 in cash were found and seized. Fhatuwani Sydwell Mudzanani, 27, allegedly attempted to defraud the Limpopo provincial government out of more than R25 million.

Mudzanani, an Absa consultant attached to the Elim branch outside Makhado in Venda, will appear again on Monday for a formal bail application.

(Source: The Citizen)

SAPS re-enlisting squeakyclean former cops to boost crime-fighting capacity

Telkom’s migration from copper-based asymmetric digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet to new-generation fibre technology for customers in all fibre-ready regions is underway across South Africa. The telecommunications provider said the move is part of the group’s long-term strategy to “optimise user experience and reduce the cost of maintenance.”

“There has always been a high demand for fast, reliable internet. In current times, and in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic with so many people working from home and just spending more time at home in general, this demand is higher than ever before,” said Telkom product development and management executive Steven White.

(Source: The South African)

Ramaphosa signs Border Management Authority Bill of 2020 into law The ongoing cigarette ban in South Africa has resulted in prices spiking on the black market, while any benefits of the ban were mostly achieved under lockdown alert level 5, according to a recent study. Moreover, the study found, brands associated with the Fair Trade Tobacco Association – which went to court to have the tobacco ban overturned – are proving big sellers under the ban.

Research conducted by the Research Unit

securityfocusafrica.com

The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced last week that it is re-enlisting trained and skilled police officers who left the service “honourably” in the ranks of constable, sergeant and warrant officer, in

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Border Management Authority Bill of 2020 into law. The legislation will implement an integrated and well-coordinated border management service that will ensure secure travel and legitimate trade in accordance with the Constitution and international and domestic law, said Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko in a statement.

(Source: The Citizen)

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

7

NEWS IN BRIEF UIF latest: Who can apply for TERS payments in August?

led by French and Dutch police, and also involved Europol – the EU agency for law enforcement cooperation.

(Source: BBC News)

Driving licence expired in lockdown? Now it’s valid until 2021

Although the UIF Covid-19 relief fund has been extended to August, it looks like only certain industries will be able to apply for TERS payments. Although many of the structures stay the same, the Labour Ministry has hinted that their August extension will apply mainly to businesses that have been completely shut down since March. It’s also worth noting that: Applications will only be accepted for the remainder of July, up to 15 August (when the State of Disaster expires); the extension will apply for certain industries only, believed to mainly be ones that haven’t yet reopened; this will apply to bar workers, stadium and event staff, gym employees, and others in the tourism and hospitality industry who have been prevented from resuming operations so far. A complete list will be released soon. The department is still consulting with partners at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) before announcing the full criteria list.

(Source: The South African)

Hundreds arrested as crime chat network cracked

South African Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has gazetted an amendment to the lockdown regulations to allow road users until next year to renew their expired licences. The gazette states that licence cards expiring as of 26 March will be valid until January 2021. “All learner’s licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits that expire during the period that commenced from 26 March up to and including 31 August are deemed to be valid and their validity period is extended for a further grace period ending on 31 January 2021,” it states.

The grace period is also extended for all motor vehicle licence discs, temporary permits and roadworthy certificates that expired from 26 March up to and including 31 May. They will be considered as valid until 31 August this year. The gazette further stipulates that motor trade number licences that expired during the period from 26 March and up to 31 May also have their validity extended for a further grace period ending on 30 November.

(Source: Times Live)

lives of those reliant on the public health care system through analysis of complaints from “ordinary people” who use hospitals and clinics controlled by both the national and provincial governments.

Elderly people, women, and children are most likely to bear the brunt of the fall-out, the report finds. Those committing the crimes are generally senior public officials, administrators, doctors and nurses, and companies bidding to do business or already providing services and products.

(Source: First published in Ground Up and then Business Tech)

Most dangerous destinations in the world MAPPED – top 10 cities with the most crime

A new index has ranked the most dangerous destinations in the world for 2020. The cities were examined according to their crime rates. Global database Numbeo’s 2020 midyear crime index tracks 133 countries. The city that scored highest on the crime index was Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, which has one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the world. Violent crime is prevalent and armed robberies take place in daylight – often in areas visited by tourists.

Meanwhile, South African destinations took up four spots in the top 10. Pretoria, the capital, was ranked as the second most dangerous destination in the world.

Pietermaritzburg came in fifth, followed

by Durban in sixth and Johannesburg in seventh.

(Source: Express UK)

Whistleblowers lift the lid on widespread corruption at South Africa’s state hospitals A top-secret communications system used by criminals to trade drugs and guns has been “successfully penetrated”, says the National Crime Agency. The NCA worked with forces across Europe on the UK’s “biggest and most significant” law enforcement operation. Major crime figures were among over 800 Europe-wide arrests after messages on EncroChat were intercepted and decoded. More than two tonnes of drugs, several dozen guns and £54m in suspect cash have been seized, says the NCA. While the NCA was part of the investigation, it was initiated and

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

A new report from almost 700 whistleblowers points to the lifethreatening extent of corruption in the state health care system. The report

by Corruption Watch points to the devastating impact of corruption on the

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

SASA UPDATE

Why SASA membership is even more important during Covid-19 In today’s challenging times, the value of belonging to a credible, highly resourced and inthe-know organisation can’t be over-estimated. As a source of reliable information, a conduit between government and employers, and a watchdog for the private security industry, SASA (Security Association of South Africa) is guiding its members through the tricky and uncharted waters of the Covid-19 lockdown.

E

stablished more than 50 years ago, SASA is a non-profit organisation committed to promoting and driving industry compliance in South Africa’s private security industry. It is also the largest employers’ association in the security sector and a platform for consumers looking for reputable service providers.

Only companies with proven track records and which abide by its strict code of ethics are eligible for membership, which sets them apart from the masses.

Here’s what SASA membership gives you: • A strictly applied Code of Ethics.

• Representation at national and local government level.

• Industry exposure in the media as well as at major shows and exhibitions.

• Contacts and networking opportunities.

• Discounted training courses, events and seminars.

• Access to a security library managed by UNISA. • Updates on new legislation and other industry-relevant information.

• Access to security-related and affiliated associations in South Africa and overseas.

• The SASA national website and Facebook page.

• A central administration office.

• Free digital subscription to Security Focus Africa magazine, the official journal of SASA. • A mentorship programme which is designed to guide and assist start-up

security companies with attaining the compliance standards required to qualify for Gold Membership.

SASA HOTLINE SASA is committed to driving compliance in the security industry and encourages members to report contraventions or complaints on its hotline: 0800 005 911.

For more information about what SASA does and how it can help you and your company, please contact Tony Botes, SASA national administrator, at:

Office: 0861 100 680 National Administrator: Tony Botes: 083 650 4981 Email: info@sasecurity.co.za www.sasecurity.co.za Physical address: Blake Bester Building, Cnr CR Swart Road & Mimosa Street, Wilro Park, Roodepoort

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

securityfocusafrica.com

SPECIAL FEATURE: SPECIAL FARM FEATURE ATTACKS

SA’s farmers on a “knife’s edge”

as attacks escalate on the back of lockdown Farm attacks in South Africa are reportedly on the rise as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, with a shocking average of one a day in June this year alone.

securityfocusafrica.com

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

11

SPECIAL SPECIAL FEATURE: FEATURE FARM ATTACKS

T

hat’s according to Tommie Esterhuyse, chairperson of Agri SA’s Centre of Excellence: Rural Safety, who says farmers’ nerves are on “a knife’s edge” as a result of the ongoing brutal and senseless attacks on them.

“Agri SA is deeply concerned about the country’s rural crime situation and strongly condemns the attacks and crimes on our farming and rural communities,” he says, adding that crime in agriculture has a detrimental impact not only on its victims themselves but also on food production and the national economy as a whole.

In these “most challenging and difficult of economies”, he continues, the escalation in rural crime is not conducive to creating an environment where agriculture can perform and contribute towards desperately needed economic development and growth. “When the agricultural sector suffers, so does the country. The farming community’s primary responsibility is to produce food – they should not have to conduct patrols to protect themselves and their property, which is the core responsibility of the police.”

According to a joint statement by Agri SA and TLU SA in April 2020, lockdown measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic were already then “making excessive demands on security forces and yet the government has not availed itself of the support offered by organised agriculture in terms of the Rural Safety Strategy due to its apparent inability to reach a positive decision regarding requests for assistance. While the government drags its feet, farmers are suffering enormous losses as a result of an increase in livestock and produce theft and illegal slaughtering and looting of farms. When people no longer have money to buy food, they will increasingly resort to theft, which can potentially give rise to serious conflict because farming communities will protect their own property, while the police are focusing on implementing the regulations in towns, cities and along the main routes.

The inability of the police to implement effective policing and maintain law and order in rural areas has resulted in producers having to incur enormous costs to introduce safety measures in order to protect food production.”

Says Kobus Visser, Director of Rural Safety and Provincial Affairs at Agri SA: “The farming community spends approximately R1.9 billion annually to safeguard themselves and their production against crime. To this end, the Agri 12

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

Securitas Trust Fund recently approved 15 rural safety projects in five provinces to the value of approximately R1.9 million, projects that will benefit more than 990 farmers and 7 000 farmworkers.”

The joint statement goes on to say: “Reports have been received from the respective provinces to the effect that the police are no longer involved in proactive policing. Incidents that are reported are not investigated and complainants in the agricultural sector must arrest suspects and bring them to the police otherwise the police cannot open a case. The current situation in rural areas is totally unacceptable. The farming community is also experiencing enormous frustration with the manner in which the police at local level interpret the regulations.

Effective command and control measures, backed by good communication, are needed now more than ever before.”

DOGS Homeless and unwanted dogs, instead of being euthanised, can be put to good use on farms protecting lives. says Annette van Rensburg, owner of the PSIRA and SASSETA accredited Security Dog and Handler Training Centre.

She recommends a pack of at elast three dogs, with a terrier among them to sound the alarm, and for them to be kept within a double fence around the main house and the workers’ residences.

“It’s what they do naturally,” she says.

Roets, AfriForum’s Head of Policy and Action. “The South African government has no qualm with developing focused counter-strategies in response to a variety of unique crimes. These include violence against women and children, gang-related violence, copper cable theft, cash-in-transit heists and rhino poaching, to name but a Not necessarily racially few. It is only in the case of farm murders motivated says Professor that we are suddenly confronted with, at Contrary to what some may think, worst, a justification of these crimes by the recent spike in farm attacks is not cabinet members, or, at the very best, a only or necessarily racially motivated, downplaying of the existence of the crisis.” says constitutional law expert professor According to Ian Cameron, Elmien du Plessis. In an article written AfriForum’s Head of

by Noluthando Ngcakani on Food For Community Safety, the law Mzansi she says that the Covid-19 provides for citizens to protect lockdown in March this year triggered a themselves. “This right must rise in criminal activity throughout the be taken up and utilised,” he country. “It is natural that we will now see avers. “It is high time that a spike in criminal activities everywhere every law-abiding citizen who in the country, and farms are part of that lives and works in a rural increase in crime,” she adds. area arms themselves within In the same article, Free State Agriculture the framework of the law. president Francois Wilken also agrees that Every person should know farm attacks are not necessarily racially when they may shoot motivated. This, he says, parallels the and they must be able sentiments of the African Centre for Food to protect themselves, Security which attributes increased hunger their families, their and poverty to the spike in rural crimes. neighbours and their communities.

Intensified campaign The increase “When the Desperate for government in attacks will agricultural sector to step in, civil rights most probably suffers, so does the organisation AfriForum country” says it has intensified its campaign against farm attacks with an open letter to President not subside, Cyril Ramaphosa and a 10-point action he continues, plan. In its press release, Afriforum says its adding that action plan includes producing a series of farmers and farm documentaries and driving an intensified workers are now fighting awareness campaign that advises people back and defending of their rights with regard to defending themselves, evidenced by the themselves and their communities. growing number of attackers “We’re not asking government for special being wounded or killed by treatment, just equal treatment,” says Ernst their intended victims.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

13

SPECIAL FEATURE: FARM ATTACKS Critical point Dr Theo De Jager, chairperson of the board of directors of the Southern African Agri Initiative (SAAI), says farm attacks and murders have reached a critical point, with foreign governments, multilateral institutions and the international media asking increasingly difficult questions.

The answers lie in the government first acknowledging that South Africa has a problem with farm attacks and farm murders, and then taking action, he says.

The starting point is a formal, independent enquiry into the drivers, nature and origins of, as well as the politico-social environment around the phenomenon of farm attacks, he continues, and then the establishment of a special multidepartmental unit to address the problem.

Until this happens, he warns, there is no alternative for vulnerable farming families but to arm themselves, raise their levels of alertness, take part in organised farm patrols and help each other in emergencies.

Parties unite in a call to action Defenceweb, in its article “Continued concern over farm attacks” on 2 July 2020 says the continued criminal activity in South Africa’s agricultural areas has seen leading organisations and political

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

parties uniting in a call for government intervention. These include the country’s official opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) and the Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU).

The costs of farm attacks to South Africa in 2020: R20 billion, murder and torture Calling for government to address rural safety as a matter of urgency, Dianne Kohler Barnard, DA rural safety work stream chair, says there has been “a significant upsurge in the number of reported incidents of farm attacks since the start of the lockdown” and that “these attacks have been particularly heinous in nature with brutal torture being commonplace.”

“Despite the ANC’s denialist stance, South Africa’s agriculture sector continues to be threatened by this volatile security situation, with the total costs related to agricultural crime in 2019 estimated at R10 billion and a further economic output loss to the South African economy of R20 billion,” she points out. “Government can no longer deny rural safety. The DA is of the belief that these attacks are a national emergency and must be addressed as a

matter of urgency”.

The DA will also action the following measures, in addition to their request for a debate of national importance in Parliament:

1 2

Classifying farm murders as hate crimes Allocating a special watching brief for farm attacks

Dedicated DA councillors and activists will track investigations and court proceedings related to all farm attack cases and will report back thereafter to farmers, ensuring they never miss a court date or that the case never stalls, in essence to ensure that the case is driven to completion, says Kohler Barnard. This could translate into support lent to investigating officers or prosecutors and identifying and correcting institutional blockages in the criminal justice system.

3

Increasing research and statistical information

The DA has requested a new study on rural security to be undertaken, looking for long-term solutions based on global

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SPECIAL FEATURE: FARM ATTACKS

best practice, she says. “There is presently only limited and outdated research on farm attacks, at both government and academic levels. For farm attacks to be effectively addressed the issue needs to be correctly assessed and contributing factors and underlying root causes identified and understood, she says, adding: “The unique levels of brutality and premeditation involved in these crimes and the role of farmers in providing food security, rural stability and job creation in rural communities should ensure that the South African Police Service (SAPS) includes these statistics in their annual crime release.”

4

Improving interaction with agricultural unions

Kohler Barnard says the DA will be working with the various agricultural unions to provide oversights on farm patrols and assisting with their organisation and formalisation.

5

Increasing support for emerging farmers

Agriculture’s contribution to the economy is “vastly underestimated in South Africa” she says. “The only way to kill poverty is to create wealth (so) the DA will continue

to drive land ownership and the financial support of emerging farmers.”

6

Improving relationships with the SAPS

“We will work for an improved SAPS/ farmer relationship in terms of firearm licences, firearm training, farm patrols and perpetrator apprehension in all areas (in order) to decrease the trust deficit currently experienced,” says Kohler Barnard. Further, the DA will ask the SAPS to run regular outreach community awareness and education days in at-risk areas with the focus on security and safety issues.

7

Reintroducing specialised units

The DA will again push for the establishment of fully outfitted specialised units dedicated to protecting rural communities and apprehending attackers, Kohler Barnard says.

8

Increasing SAPS investigative capacity

The DA wants the investigative capacity at rural SAPS stations to be increased to ensure that farm attackers are apprehended. The party also wants an increased police presence and the utilisation of every available technology when tracking perpetrators – “if K9 units are not available, drones should be,” Kohler Barnard maintains.

9

. Re-categorising farm murders as priority crimes

Kohler Barnard says the DA will be pushing for the SAPS to re-categorise rural attacks as priority crimes. “These attacks have many similarities to house robbery, business robbery and car hijacking, which are treated as priority crimes and as a result SAPS has set up specialist task teams that specialise in investigating and resolving the said crimes,” she says. “Thus farm attacks, (which share similarities with the crimes of house robbery, business robbery and carjacking,) should also be regarded as priority crimes.” And the link between cross-border crime syndicates and farm attacks also needs to be investigated, she adds.

“There should be a dedicated strategy for farm attacks and farm murders that targets the criminal groups responsible – similar to the way in which the trio crimes are managed. This strategy should be used to protect farming communities (all people on farm and smallholdings) and track down the perpetrators.”

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The answers lie in the government first acknowledging that South Africa has a problem with farm attacks and farm murders, and then taking action

10

Fighting the amendment to Section 25 of the Constitution Says Kohler Barnard, “Expropriation without compensation is every property owner’s worst nightmare, and this is on top of land claims (that are) stalling farm development year after year. “Economic growth and development are not possible without property rights, and expropriation without compensation will only serve to bring that to a grinding halt.”

11

Review of land occupation regulations

“We support legal evictions but will ask for a review of regulations as it is extremely difficult to remove threatening workers,” she says.

“This process must be reviewed (and) equally so, illegal land invasions and the regulations which only give 24 hours to evict invaders.”

12

Tax relief measures for farmers

Kohler Barnard says her party wants tax relief for farmers who pay private security companies and subsidies for farm patrols and farm watches.

13

Increasing crime intelligence capacity in rural areas A greater crime intelligence capacity in rural areas will play a huge role in terms of preventing attacks, she says.

14

Increasing border security

There is a desperate need for tighter border control says Kohler Barnard, with the SA Defence Force (SANDF) mandated to patrol ‘hot spots’ and the Department of Home Affairs strengthened to ensure that it has the fingerprints of every visitor on record.

15

Joint ministerial summit on rural safety

The DA is calling for a joint police, army, security and agriculture portfolio summit to work through the myriad rural security threats, find short- and medium-term solutions and ensure their implementation, she says, with farm workers included in these discussions.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

15

COVID-19 NEWS

Migrant smugglers profiting Measures to contain Covid-19 are increasing demand for smuggling and subjecting migrants to even riskier conditions.

By Aimée-Noël Mbiyozo, Senior Research Consultant, Migration, ISS Pretoria

T

ravel and movement restrictions do not deter people from fleeing conflict, violence and dangerous and inhumane conditions – they merely drive more people to irregular means.

Across the world, over 60 000 mobility restrictions to contain Covid-19 have been imposed. Travel constraints, border closures and reduced travel modes severely disrupted smuggling markets. After an initial slowdown though, smugglers are reviving and adapting to meet changing needs.

In the early weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, significant reductions in air and sea travel and border closures temporarily slowed many smuggling corridors. Land and sea smuggling has subsequently increased under even more perilous conditions.

Migrant numbers are rising across many common and new migration corridors, including those in Africa. The desire for migration combined with a lack of regular

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

pathways is bolstering demand for human smugglers and is expected to increase.

Migrants continue to travel through key African land migration routes, including across the Sahel and southwards from the Horn of Africa to South Africa. In March, 64 Ethiopian migrants were found dead – probably from asphyxia – inside the back of a shipping container on a lorry. After an initial easing of migrant flows, smugglers in Libya are now seeing new passengers from neighbouring countries and those further afield including Eritrea, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria.

Border closures and movement restrictions have made reaching destinations more difficult. This in turn has made people more reliant on smugglers who are looking for new methods of passage and monitoring border management to evade controls.

These new pathways come at even higher financial costs and greater personal safety

risks because journeys are more difficult to complete.

Smugglers are exploring and promoting alternative – and often more dangerous – land and sea crossings. They are using smaller and less seaworthy boats and taking riskier routes through rivers or at sea. Migrants crossing borders by foot are using increasingly remote paths to avoid detection. Public transport suspensions have also diminished regular road travel options and pushed people towards riskier options including concealing in cargo vehicles.

Smuggling prices are already increasing.

Those who can’t afford the higher costs will embark on perilous journeys on their own or be more vulnerable to traffickers posing as smugglers. Tens of thousands of migrants are stranded across Africa due to border closures. Many are trapped in dangerous situations and are extra vulnerable to smugglers and traffickers. In some cases,

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COVID-19 NEWS

from travel restrictions

Countries that have suspended or reduced access to asylum should restore these processes immediately smugglers have abandoned migrants midroute due to border closures.

Over 2 000 East African migrants are known to be trapped in Djibouti after smugglers abandoned them trying to reach the Arabian Peninsula in search of work. Thousands of migrants – mostly West African – have been found at the Niger-Libya and Niger-Algeria border after having been abandoned by smugglers.

In Zimbabwe, smugglers have been dumping migrants from Zambia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Botswana and Mozambique who are trying to reach South Africa after failing to circumvent tightened border controls.

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Among these abandoned migrants are pregnant women, children and other vulnerable people. They are ineligible to receive support from local governments and many lack the documents and resources to return home. Restrictive measures disproportionately affect women and other vulnerable migrants. This places them at heightened risk for crime, violence, extortion and trafficking.

Many governments have shut down rescue missions and asylum processes and are refusing entry regardless of the human costs. Barriers to movement are both state-imposed and community-led.

Covid-19 has intensified stigma towards migrants and this is pushing it to become even more clandestine, and making migrants more vulnerable.

Covid-19 is likely to increase determination to migrate. The geopolitical and socioeconomic conditions – ‘push factors’

– that drive migration have increased in all regions across Africa due to the pandemic and are projected to worsen in the medium and long term. Migrants are not deterred even from reaching destination countries that have been heavily impacted by Covid-19.

Safe and legal avenues for migrants are the most robust and successful migration management tools available and hold the most potential to reduce irregular movement. While travel restrictions are necessary to stop the spread of Covid-19, countries must recognise that they are not fool-proof and carry consequences of their own. Continental, regional and country responses should factor smuggling and criminal markets into their responses.

Countries that have suspended or reduced access to asylum processes should be compelled to restore them immediately.

Ensuring safe, regular passage to vulnerable migrants is fundamental to controlling Covid-19 and upholding migrant and refugee rights. This can be achieved in a protected and controlled manner that includes access to health screenings and healthcare.

Countries with high numbers of irregular migrants should consider schemes that bring people out of the shadows. Untracked movements are a direct threat to this public health crisis. All responses should include migrants, regardless of their status.

Migrants need access to health screenings and care and should be included in relief packages. Governments must recognise the damage that stigma does to controlling the pandemic and put measures in place to combat xenophobia.

As African countries and the African Union work to mitigate the impacts of Covid-19, they should restore regular migration pathways for vulnerable people that include health and security screenings and are responsive to smuggling and trafficking threats.

Article first published on https://issafrica.org/.

Opinions expressed on the websites do not necessarily reflect those of the ISS, its Trustees, members of the Advisory Council or donors.

Authors contribute ISS content in their personal capacity.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

17

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Combating financial crime

Covid-19’s financial fallout

By Jaco van der Merwe, Ovations Group

The financial impact of the Covid-19 virus will likely put enormous pressure on organisations’ financial results, while also presenting potential challenges for individuals. In these uncertain times, and with no clear end to the pandemic, criminals will be all too eager to exploit the current situation.

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

J

aco van der Merwe, Capability Architect at Ovations Group, says: “Since the nationwide lockdown came into effect on 26 March, the majority of the country’s workforce is working remotely. This, in itself, introduced several challenges, ranging from, but not limited to: • Potential disruption to business operations and business continuity; • Threats to information security; • Potential rise in financial crimes; • Threats to confidentiality of basic communication; and • Impact on customer experience.

Van der Merwe says as much as the pandemic has highlighted strengths and weaknesses in humanity, bringing out the best in people wanting to assist others, it has also brought to the fore opportunities for others to commit crime.

The interesting thing is that the advent of Covid-19 has resulted in a reduction in many types of crime around the world.

A report by USA Today on 4 April 2020 detailed a drop in criminal incidents (in the United States) since 15 March 2020 in 19 out of 20 police agencies examined.

However, the report also noted an increase in domestic violence. Closer to home,

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Police Minister Bheki Cele confirmed a decrease in cases of murder, rape, assault with intention to inflict grievous bodily harm and what he referred to as trio crimes – car hijackings, house robberies and business robberies.

However, in contrast, cyber crime has surged and ConsumerFraudReporting.org published an article detailing the top 10 scams that consumers should be aware of: 1. Debt collection; 2. Fake government officials; 3. Identity theft, phishing and pharming; 4. Phone scams; 5. Loan scams/credit fixers; 6. Fake prizes, free gifts and lottery scams; 7. Internet merchandise scams; 8. Automobile-related complaints; 9. Credit bureau and related credit scams; and 10. Phishing/spoofing e-mails.

Van der Merwe goes on to discuss the two main approaches that cyber criminals are taking to exploit the Covid-19 pandemic, and he talks about what can be done to

securityfocusafrica.com

protect individuals and organisations against this onslaught.

“Phishing sites and phishing attacks have exploded since the outbreak of the coronavirus. There’s been a massive increase in the registration of Web sites relating to the coronavirus. The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a statement regarding scammers disguising themselves as the health authority, while many other information and cyber security experts have also advised that users must take particular care when dealing with communications and information relating to the virus.

“They further advised that demand for information about Covid-19 was creating the ideal situation for phishing attacks, with scamsters offering everything from fake cures to appeals to people’s charitable instincts. This type of scam is not new, it’s just the subject matter that’s changed, so it’s vital that employees and users are educated in how to avoid phishing e-mails.”

Cyber criminals are also on the lookout for vulnerabilities within organisations’ systems. “With a large part of the workforce working remotely, many organisations had to rush to find remote working solutions to support and facilitate their ongoing operations. This could potentially result in vulnerabilities and weaknesses within systems, controls and products for cyber criminals to exploit.”

Although many organisations have anti-money laundering (AML) and antifraud systems in place, depending on the business’s size and systems, many AML and compliance programs rely on manual processes. They might even lack the technical resources to adapt business practices to support this new way of working. These limitations can hinder critical investigative workflows, risk assessments and reporting of potentially fraudulent or suspicious behaviour and transactions.

In addition, when working remotely, financial crime management teams may have difficulties securely connecting to core banking and investigative systems or navigating multiple applications supporting their daily operations. Employees may also need to travel to the office if they are limited by manual investigation tools or lack adequate means to perform required compliance functions or file regulatory reports.

While remote working can potentially impact operational efficiencies and productivity for the business, it can also lead to several challenges for employees.

They have to adapt to a new way of working

Jaco van der Merwe, Capability Architect at Ovations Group.

while trying to juggle health and safety concerns and family responsibilities. All of this can place added stress on employees and the emotional toll can’t be understated or overlooked.

Van der Merwe recommends that organisations put policies, processes and procedures in place to minimise the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and to ensure business continuity. Industry agencies are urging institutions to remain alert and vigilant in monitoring for rising fraud schemes and report potentially suspicious activity capitalising on consumer fear surrounding Covid-19.

The pandemic has also led to a change in consumer behaviour and this, by default, also introduces new challenges. For instance, many consumers are asking their banks to increase their daily transaction limits to meet increased demand for additional cash, card purchases and transfers. As organisations strive to support customers, financial crime management programs are necessary to monitor for illicit activity.

Also, change in consumer behaviour can potentially increase the number of false positive alerts for anti-money laundering compliance professionals to review. Risk management and compliance programs with limited resources may find it challenging to manage the added workload that false positives can create, while ensuring effective monitoring and reporting of suspicious activity.

Van der Merwe concludes: “Organisations need to think about using everything at their disposal to future-proof their practices and create an ability to respond very quickly, accurately and defensibly to the changing regulatory landscape and to have confidence in the people with whom they do business.”

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

19

CYBERSECURITY

Covid-19 drives criminal and political cyberattacks across networks, cloud and mobile ’Cyber Attack Trends: 2020 Mid-Year Report’ reveals how criminals have targeted all sectors with pandemic-themed attacks, and highlights surge in nation-state cyber activity.

C

heck Point® Software Technologies , a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally, today released its ’Cyber Attack Trends: 2020 Mid-Year Report’, which shows how criminal, political and nation-state threat actors have exploited the Covid-19 pandemic and related themes to target organisations across all sectors, including governments, industry, healthcare, service providers, critical infrastructure and consumers.

Covid-19 related phishing and malware attacks increased dramatically from under 5,000 thousand per week in February, to over 200,000 per week in late April. Also, in May and June, as countries started to ease lockdowns, threat actors also stepped up their non Covid-19 related exploits, resulting in a 34 per cent increase in all types of cyber-attacks globally at the end of June compared to March and April.

Key trends revealed in the report include: • Cyber warfare escalates: nation-state cyber-attacks surged in intensity and severity in H1 as countries sought to gather intelligence on or disrupt rivals’ handling of the pandemic. This extended to targeting healthcare and humanitarian organisations such as the WHO, which reported a 500 per cent increase in attacks.

• Double-extortion attacks: In 2020, a new form of ransomware attack has become widely-used in which the attackers exfiltrate large quantities of data prior to encrypting it. Victims who refuse to pay the ransom are threatened with the data being leaked, putting additional pressure

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

would have allowed hackers to compromise data and apps of other Azure tenants, showing that public clouds are not inherently secure.

“The global response to the pandemic has transformed and accelerated threat actors’ business-as-usual models of attacks during the first half of this year, exploiting fears around Covid-19 as cover for their activities. We have also seen major new vulnerabilities and attack vectors emerging, which threaten the security of organisations across every sector,” said Maya Horowitz, Director, Threat Intelligence & Research, Products at Check Point. “Security experts need to be aware of these rapidly evolving threats so that they can ensure their organisations have with the best level of protection possible during the rest of 2020.”

on them to meet the criminals’ demands.

• Mobile exploits: threat actors have been seeking new mobile infection vectors, improving their techniques to bypass security protections and place malicious apps in official application stores. In another innovative attack, threat actors used a large international corporation’s Mobile Device Management (MDM) system to distribute malware to more than 75 per cent of its managed mobile devices.

• Cloud exposure: The rapid move to public clouds during the pandemic has led to an increase in attacks targeting sensitive cloud workloads and data. Threat actors are also using cloud infrastructure to store the malicious payloads used in their malware attacks. In January, Check Point researchers found an industry-first critical vulnerability in Microsoft Azure which

The most common malware variants during H1 2020 were: Top malware overall during H1 2020 1. Emotet (impacting 9 per cent of organisations globally) – Emotet is an advanced, self-propagating and modular Trojan. Emotet was originally a banking Trojan, but recently has been used as a distributer of other malware or malicious campaigns. It uses multiple methods for maintaining persistence and evasion techniques to avoid detection. In addition, it can also be spread through phishing spam emails containing malicious attachments or links.

2. XMRig (8 per cent) – XMRig is opensource CPU mining software used to mine the Monero cryptocurrency. Threat actors often abuse this open-source

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CYBERSECURITY

software by integrating it into their malware to conduct illegal mining on victims’ devices.

3. Agent Tesla (7 per cent) – AgentTesla is an advanced remote access trojan (RAT) which functions as a keylogger and password stealer and has been active since 2014. AgentTesla can monitor and collect the victim's keyboard input and system clipboard and can record screenshots and exfiltrate credentials for a variety of software installed on a victim's machine (including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Outlook email client). AgentTesla is sold on various online markets and hacking forums.

Top cryptominers during H1 2020 1. XMRig (responsible for 46 per cent of all cryptomining activity globally) – XMRig is open-source CPU mining software used for the mining process of the Monero cryptocurrency, and first seen in the wild in May 2017. Threat actors often abuse this open-source software by integrating it into their malware to conduct illegal mining on victims’ devices.

2. Jsecoin (28 per cent) – Web-based Crypto miner designed to perform unauthorised online mining of Monero cryptocurrency when a user visits a particular web page.

The implanted JavaScript uses a large amount of the computational resources of the end-user’s machines to mine coins, thus impacting the performance of the system. JSEcoin stopped its activity in April 2020.

3. Wannamine (6 per cent) – WannaMine

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is a sophisticated Monero crypto-mining worm that spreads the EternalBlue exploit. WannaMine implements a spreading mechanism and persistence techniques by leveraging the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) permanent event subscriptions.

Top mobile malware during H1 2020 1. Helper (responsible for 24 per cent of all mobile malware attacks) – xHelper is an Android malware which mainly shows intrusive popup ads and notification spam.

It is very hard to remove once installed due to its reinstallation capabilities. First observed in March 2019, xHelper has infected more than 45,000 devices.

2. PreAMo (19 per cent) – PreAMo is a clicker malware for Android devices, first reported in April 2019. PreAMo generates revenue by mimicking the user and clicking on ads without the user's knowledge. Discovered on Google Play, the malware was downloaded over 90 million times across six different mobile applications.

3. Necro (14 per cent) – Necro is an Android Trojan Dropper. It can download other malware, show intrusive ads, and fraudulently charge for paid subscriptions.

Covid-19 related phishing and malware attacks increased dramatically from under 5,000 thousand per week in February, to over 200,000 per week in late April

The ’Cyber Attack Trends: Annual Report 2020 H1’ gives a detailed overview of the cyber-threat landscape.

These findings are based on data drawn from Check Point’s ThreatCloud intelligence between January and June 2020, highlighting the key tactics cyber-criminals are using to attack businesses. A full copy of the report is available from https://pages. checkpoint.com/cyber-attack2020-trends.html.

Top banking malware during H1 2020 1. Dridex (responsible for 27 per cent of all banking malware attacks) – Dridex is a Banking Trojan that targets Windows PCs. It is delivered by spam campaigns and Exploit Kits, and relies on WebInjects to intercept and redirect banking credentials to an attacker-controlled server.

Dridex contacts a remote server, sends information about the infected system, and can also download and execute additional modules for remote control.

2. Trickbot (20 per cent) – Trickbot is a modular Banking Trojan that targets the Windows platform, and is mostly delivered via spam campaigns or other malware families such as Emotet.

3. Ramnit (15 per cent) – Ramnit is a modular banking Trojan first discovered in 2010.

Ramnit steals web session information, giving its operators the ability to steal account credentials for all services used by the victim, including bank accounts, and corporate and social networks accounts.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

21

CYBERSECURITY

Growing

cybersecurity threats

By Cybersecurity expert and J2 Software CEO John Mc Loughlin

There is an emerging trend in cybersecurity threats worldwide and also a massive spike in scammers and hackers using the pandemic for informational and financial gain.

Governments worldwide have reported an increase in cyber threats over the past months.

A

ccording to a recent survey by Centrify, about 70 per cent of business decision makers believe that the shift to 100 per cent remote working during the pandemic crisis has increased the likelihood of a cyber-breach.

The data was obtained via a poll of 200 senior business decision makers in largeand medium-sized UK companies. The report also states that 46 per cent have already noted an increase in phishing attacks since implementing a policy of widespread remote working.

Cybercriminals have certainly been using the pandemic in their relentless phishing and ransomware attacks, they even disguise themselves as the World Health Organisation (WHO) to steal personal and sensitive information. There has also been a significant increase in malicious emails and misinformation.

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

The prime reason is the drastic increase of internet users since the global lockdown.

Meetings have moved to online platforms as most employees and students now work and study from home.

With many more people spending more time on the internet, it has increased their exposure to the risks of cybercrime. There has been a 350 per cent surge in phishing websites since the start of the pandemic.

According to Forrester's "Cloud Security Solutions Forecast: 2018 to 2023", businesses are expected to spend more than $12-billion on cloud security tools by 2023. The report investigates the ways companies will invest in cloud security tools over the next five years.

Inadequate cybersecurity education and awareness is another concern, especially considering the sudden change in online usage and habits. People don't always

realise the dangers of being online, especially when working from home.

Companies often fail to provide staff with adequate cybersecurity education and training, especially with regards to regulation and policies.

There is a huge demand for awareness and education. Companies need to improve their IT security, control and protect their data and educate their staff in order to reduce the chances of a cyberattack.

The Centrify research also found that 79 per cent of business decision makers have increased their cybersecurity procedures to manage high volumes of remote access over the next three months.

Similarly, 73 per cent of businesses have given staff extra training on how to remain cyber-safe when working remotely, with specific training around verifying passwords and log-in credentials.

Also, the amount of time children spend using electronic devices has drastically increased. They struggle to distinguish between reality and the virtual world, thus increasing their risk of falling prey to cybercriminals. Workforces have become more dependent on digital platforms and this has increased both employee and company vulnerabilities.

The problem is that cybersecurity infrastructure is not strong enough, especially in developing countries like SA. Companies urgently need to establish a legal and regulatory framework in the cyberspace and at the same time, run cybersecurity awareness campaigns.

According to Gartner, enterprise spending on cloud security solutions is predicted to increase from $636 million in 2020 to $1.63 billion in 2023. Unfortunately, this pandemic will continue to change the world and people will continue to be more exposed to the increasing number of cybersecurity threats.

securityfocusafrica.com

CYBERSECURITY

No More Ransom celebrates its fourth anniversary Over 140 ransomware families down

Partners 163

https://www.europol.europa. eu/activities-services/publicawareness-and-preventionguides/no-more-ransom-doyou-need-help-unlockingyour-digital-life.

Partners breakdown 2%

Telcos

2%

16 Associate

Consulting

3%

EU Agencies

4%

Non profit / Public organisations

6%

Financial services

7%

72% Public Private entities

11%

CERTs Law enforcement

28%

Internet security companies

37%

53 115 136

151

2020

Academia

143 Supporting

Partners annual growth

2019

4 Founding members

28% Law Enforcement

MORE PREVENTION TIPS AND INFORMATION

2018

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open access via RDP for online connections – instead, use a connection to the corporate network via VPN.

2017

O

ver just the last two years, Kaspersky decryptors, posted on the NMR website, were downloaded over 216,000 times. Of those, the two most popular decryptors were WildFireDecryptor and CoinVaultDecryptor. Both of them are focused on helping victims of the relevant ransomware family recover their data. .

Celebrating its fourth anniversary this month, the No More Ransom decryption tool repository has registered over 4 million visitors from 188 countries since its launch and has stopped an estimated $600 million in ransom demands from ending up in criminals’ pockets.

“The success of the No More Ransom initiative is a shared success, one that cannot be achieved by law enforcement or private industry alone. By joining forces, we enhance our ability to take on the criminals and make it harder for them to harm people, businesses and critical infrastructure. What ransomware has taught us for sure is that prevention is no doubt better than a cure.

Internet users need to avoid becoming a victim in the first place. Many relevant prevention tips are available on the No More Ransom website. If you do become a victim, it is important not to pay the ransom and report your infection to the police,” said Fedor Sinitsyn, security expert at Kaspersky.

Among other new ways to use malware extortion is by exploiting unreliable passwords for Remote Desktop Protocols (RDPs) and subsequently remotely launching the decryptor.

In this regard, it is extremely important to use strong passwords for accounts, and it is also recommended not to allow

2016

In July 2016, the No More Ransom initiative was launched by the Dutch National Police, Europol, McAfee and Kaspersky.

Today there are 163 partners all over the world. The portal has added 28 tools in the past year and can now decrypt 140 different types of ransomware infections. The portal is available in 36 languages.

163

Tools 110 Ransomware families

Tools

54

5

2

11

Emsisoft

Kaspersky

Trend Micro

Avast

54

32

27

11

3

3

3

McAfee

ESET

4

3

2

CERT_PL Telefónica 3

2

7

Bleeping Bitdefender Computer 9

3

5

Cisco

Check Point

6

5

7

9

2

1

1

1

KISA

French Police

F-Secure

Tesorion

2

1

1

1

140

ransomware families covered

+4.2M downloads of the available tools

$632M criminal profit prevented

Languages & countries Top 5 languages among 36 available 35%

English

Top 5 countries of traffic USA

13%

Korean

Russia

8%

4%

6%

Portuguese

4%

Spanish

South Korea

4%

5%

Russian

13%

India

7%

Brazil

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

23

NEWS

Access to illegal firearms plays a huge role in Cape Town’s crime crisis A recent report by the Mexican Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice ranked Cape Town as the eighth most violent city in the world. especially over a prolonged period of time.

That is what we’ve seen here.”

High levels of unemployment and lack of job opportunities – especially for young men – also play a part. “Often, communities riddled with crime are poor, very underresourced and unemployment is rife. There’s also a kind of culture: one of hyper-violent masculinity where conflicts are resolved with violence that contributes to it all,” Dr Lamb said.

D

r Guy Lamb, director of the Safety and Violence Initiative at the University of Cape Town (UCT), said access to illegal firearms plays a huge role.

The report annually surveys 50 of the world’s most dangerous cities, and last month’s results place Cape Town in the top ten. The city recorded 3 065 murders among its 4.5 million people – the highest number of deaths out of the 50 countries surveyed.

Dr Lamb said the city has long been gripped by a serious crime crisis, compounded by high levels of unemployment, alcohol abuse and access to illegal firearms.

“Sadly, Cape Town is facing a violent crime crisis and it has not emerged out of nowhere. It has taken place over the years and dates far back to apartheid and colonial times. All of it contributes to the current dynamics we are experiencing now.”

According to Dr Lamb, violent crime has increased rapidly in the city over the past 10 years. The city’s murder rate in particular has seen a sharp incline when compared to other large cities in the country.

Issues driving violent crime include access to illegal firearms and ammunition, which

24

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

“Cape Town is facing a violent crime crisis … It has taken place over the years and dates far back to apartheid and colonial times.” play a “huge role” in the escalating gang violence in communities on the Cape Flats.

The crisis deepened dramatically from 2011, Dr Lamb said, when convicted former senior police officer Chris Prinsloo and a number of his associates illegally supplied gangs with guns.

“Gangs were getting access to large consignments of illegal arms from Prinsloo.

About 2 500 firearms were transferred directly to gangs, and this changed the gang dynamic in Cape Town. Firearms emboldens gangs,” Dr Lamb said.

Easy access to firearms meant some gangs tried to take over other gang territory, which also led to an increase in interpersonal violence between gang members. “Everything just spiralled out of control, and this is the main reason the murder rate in Cape Town has doubled,” Dr Lamb said.

However, access to illegal firearms is not the only driver of violent crime in the city.

Dr Lamb said a combination of alcohol and drug abuse and a history of domestic violence have also contributed significantly to the scourge.

“People are prone to … violence if they’ve been exposed to violence as children –

Addressing the scourge Deploying the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to crime-ridden areas is not the answer. “The SANDF temporarily reduces crime; it doesn’t solve long-term determinants of crime,” Dr Lamb said.

As an alternative, using community-based organisations for interventions, which focus on why violence is prevalent at the family level and dealing with the root cause, is an effective recommended approach.

“Violence at a household and community level is common. Therefore, more emphasis needs to be placed on finding those families in communities who are vulnerable to violence in the home and working closely with them,” he said.

Rolling out new violence prevention programmes and “fully supporting” those that exist plays an important part in the process.

He commented: “We need more interventions in our communities. We need to work with those individuals prone to dropping out of schools to join gangs. We need to do a lot more to support those most vulnerable, to change things in our city.”

securityfocusafrica.com

ON THE MARKET

Challenges and solutions

for the security workforce industry In the security guard industry, there is a great level of complexity and market factors that are creating various challenges to reduce costs, improve profitability and operate in the most efficient way possible.

W

ithout a doubt, one of the largest emerging trends is the increased use of smart technology for monitoring and managing security workforces.

The implementation of GPS tracking and real-time incident reporting have led to significant improvements in employee accountability while integrating apps with employees’ smartphones has allowed for improved communication and efficiency.

Challenges in the security workforce industry

SecuTraq mobile App will ensure all your objectives are met. It will offer you the following: • Real-time management.

• A single platform allowing for data and voice communication, real-time tracking of your workforce, event & attendance management, photos & videos in real-time, monitoring of various technologies and easily integrated with other risk management solutions.

The SecuTraq unit and mobile application allow you to manage and track the following: • Monitoring and tracking of guards and events.

• Proof of attendance & reporting for work.

• Risk mitigation management and integration.

• Transparency to your client/s.

• A virtual guard tour concept.

• Reporting daily/ weekly/ monthly.

The SecuTraq security workforce tracking and management platform gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your workforce is where they are supposed to be, doing what they are required to do. Ensuring that you are offering your clients the best possible solution for their guarding and monitoring needs.

The SecuTraq all-in-one bodycam has a proven robust

design that is easy to operate.

Using the bodycam and mobile application will allow you to do GPS Tracking, GSM voice & data, snapshots, video, panic and time & attendance. The platform is Cloud based and therefore can be accessed and managed from anywhere and can be set up in accordance with your specific business rules.

The SecuTraq App is available on Android devices (iOS coming soon).

For further information and demonstrations, please get in touch with us: sales@secutel.co.za +27 (0)10 015 1401.

• Guards not adhering to procedures.

• Remote sites.

• Lack of communication – voice and data.

• Technology failures and no communication zones.

• Monitoring and managing events as and when they occur.

• Costly monitoring solutions.

• Integration problems with other risk management solutions.

Secutel Technologies has just the right solution to address these problems. SecuTraq, developed by Secutel is one of the pioneers of the guard monitoring industry. By using the most innovative monitoring technologies we have managed to stay at the forefront of the industry since its inception.

The SecuTraq platform is a complete, real-time monitoring system for security guards on patrol and their supervisors.

The SecuTraq platform &

securityfocusafrica.com

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

25

ON THE MARKET

Hored Networking Solutions now in South Africa

Founded in 2011, Shenzhen Fengrunda Technology referred to as Hored, is the world’s leading IoT (Internet of Things) solutions provider with data transmission as the key product.

B

eing one of the first brands to develop, produce and sell PoE switches, and being the founder of AI PoE switches, the company has established itself in the market in over 120 countries worldwide.

LD Africa is the South African distributor for HORED products.

With smart networks & smart transmission solutions as the main focus; Hored offers switches, wireless networking and the Apollo Cloud platform for monitoring the network performance and device health. They specialise in industry specific

solutions e.g. commercial supermarkets, real estate parks, hotels, public security and medical sites.

Fast wireless connectivity has become a necessity. Companies nowadays need stable, efficient and easy to manage wireless coverage systems. Hored independently develops high-quality, technology-leading wireless coverage hardware and software systems. Their wireless networking solutions offer stable, easy to operate, visual management and high-performance results.

Hored created a one-stop cloud management platform to manage the

entire transmission network, with high-end configuration and intelligent management with safe, stable and flexible control.

LD Africa is in the process of installing Apollo in South Africa and will be able to offer local users’ access to this exciting management and monitoring platform.

To find out more about the Hored range, please contact LD Africa, the sole distributor for Hored solutions in South Africa.

Contact details: +27 (0)10 015 1430 sales@ldafrica.com www.LDAfrica.com

New compact emergency phones by Viking Electronics The same strength and reliability and durability you’ve experienced with Viking’s standard ADA compliant emergency phones is now available in a compact chassis.

“A

ll the function and long-lasting durability of a Viking emergency phone all wrapped up in a sleek compact chassis, plus – we have some new colours!” says Greg Yocom, engineering manager, Viking Electronics When the button is pressed, the compact emergency phones automatically dial a pre-programed emergency phone number or central station number. The phones will roll to the next number if there is a busy signal or no answer, and will continue to

26

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

dial until the call is answered. The red “Call Connected” LED is built into the button and can be initiated manually or automatically to indicate the call was received.

Viking’s compact emergency phones meet ADA standards for handsfree emergency communication in elevators, areas of refuge, or any place an emergency phone is needed. The ADA compliant phones provide a single push-button auto dialer, call indicator light, prerecorded location announcement, and a tactile braille label.

All programming parameters, including phone numbers and location numbers, are stored in non-volatile memory. The units are phone line powered, requiring no batteries or external power and are compatible with common central station monitoring equipment.

The compact phones are available in 6 different models: red, yellow, black, stainless steel, or blue chassis with “Emergency Phone” verbiage, as well as a blue chassis with “Police” verbiage.

securityfocusafrica.com

COMPANY NEWS

Datacentrix bolsters security portfolio with Tenable ICT solutions provider Datacentrix has confirmed it has joined the Tenable Assure™ Partner Program, strengthening its security portfolio with cyber exposure solutions from Tenable®.

“D

atacentrix is pleased to announce that it has reached Gold status level with Tenable,” states Wayne Olsen, security business unit manager at Datacentrix.

“The range of cyber exposure solutions enhances the value of our end-to-end cybersecurity services, including intuitive threat hunting solutions, advanced managed security services and assessments, and a state-of-the-art Security Operations Centre (SOC), and helps safeguard both IT and operational technology (OT) environments. Our appointment as a Tenable Gold partner proves the ability of our cybersecurity team to deliver.”

As part of the Tenable Assure Partner Program, Datacentrix can offer its customers the Tenable Cyber Exposure platform, which includes Tenable.io®, for vulnerability management managed in the Cloud, and Tenable.sc™ (formerly SecurityCenter), for vulnerability management managed on-premises. These two flexible deployment options uniquely provide the breadth of visibility into cyber risk across IT, cloud, IoT and OT environments and the depth of analytics to measure and communicate cyber risk in business terms to make better strategic decisions.

“We are laser focused on helping businesses address their complex cybersecurity challenges and reduce business risk,” explains David

Wayne Olsen, security business unit manager at Datacentrix.

Cummins, vice president of sales EMEA for Tenable. “As a partner, Datacentrix will be able to draw upon the expertise of our team to ensure customers get full value from our Cyber Exposure portfolio with data driven results. I look forward to developing a strong relationship with the team at Datacentrix in the coming days, months and beyond.”

Gallagher and Detection Technologies Limited join forces Security solutions manufacturer, Gallagher, has partnered with Detection Technologies Limited, a high-performing microphonic cable solutions manufacturer. The partnership will see Gallagher distribute Detection Technologies’ VibraSector and MikroTek detection systems as part of their perimeter security portfolio.

T

he partnership was formed following an extensive on-site product assessment, which highlighted and confirmed the high quality of Detection Technologies’ products. Testing of the products returned very low false alarms and excellent detection probability – two of Gallagher’s key measures of performance.

“At Gallagher, quality, performance, and reliability contribute to the non-negotiable foundation of our security solutions,” says Rachel Kelly, Gallagher’s chief product officer – enterprise solutions. “As we continue to expand upon our product portfolio and work to delight our users, we’re consciously partnering with organisations who align with

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our values and help us deliver exceptional outcomes. We’re pleased to partner with Detection Technologies to offer wider access to perimeter intrusion detection systems around the world.”

Sam Berlemann, director of detection technologies, says, "Gallagher is a worldrenowned organisation known for its high-quality security solutions. Detection Technologies is delighted to partner with Gallagher to jointly offer leading-edge and customer focused perimeter intrusion detection solutions."

Gallagher will distribute Detection Technologies’ VibraSector analyser, VibraTek Plus sensor cable, and MikroTek analyser to most countries worldwide.

Sam Berlemann signing DTL Gallagher partnership agreement.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

27

PERSONALITY XXX PROFILE

The legacy lives on: the life of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected president and a joint Nobel Peace Prize winner, would have celebrated his 102nd birthday on 18 July this year.

R

olihlahla “Nelson” Mandela was born into the Madiba clan in the village of Mvezo in the Eastern Cape on 18 July 1918. His father (who died when Nelson was 12 years old), Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, was principal counsellor to the Acting King of the Thembu people Jongintaba Dalindyebo, and his mother was Nonqaphi Nosekeni.

It was during his primary school years in Qunu that he was given a customary Christian name – Nelson - by his teacher, Miss Mdingane. After completing his Junior Certificate at Clarkebury Boarding Institute, he went on to matriculate at Healdtown, a Wesleyan secondary school. Mandela then began studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University College of Fort Hare, but, following his expulsion as a result of his participation in a student protest, he and his cousin Justice relocated to Johannesburg.

Nelson got a job as a mine security officer, during which time he met Walter Sisulu, an estate agent, and Lazer Sidelsky of the law firm Witkin, Eidelman and Sidelsky, where he finished his articles.

After completing his BA through the University of South Africa, he began studying for an LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand. By his own admission he was a poor student and left the university in 1952 without graduating. He only started studying again through the University of London after his imprisonment in 1962, finally obtaining his LLB in 1989 and graduating in absentia.

Mandela became increasingly involved in politics over the years. In 1942 he joined the ANC (African National Congress) and helped found the ANC Youth League (ANCYL). Two years later, he married Evelyn Mase, a nurse and cousin of Walter Sisulu. They had two sons and two daughters, one of whom died in infancy. The marriage ended in divorce in 1958.

Meanwhile, Mandela rose steadily through the ranks of the ANCYL, and in 1952 he was elected National Volunteer-inChief of the ANC’s Defiance Campaign with

28

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

Maulvi Cachalia as his deputy. He and 19 others were charged under the Suppression of Communism Act for their part in the campaign and sentenced to nine months of hard labour, suspended for two years.

After completing a two-year diploma in law on top of his BA, Mandela qualified to practise as a lawyer. He and Oliver Tambo established South Africa’s first black law firm Mandela & Tambo in 1952, the same year that he was banned for the first time and accordingly could only watch in secret the adoption of the Freedom Charter in Kliptown three years later.

Mandela was arrested in a countrywide police swoop which led to the 1956 Treason Trial, a marathon event that culminated with him being acquitted. On 21 March 1960, after police killed 69 unarmed people in Sharpeville who were protesting against pass laws, South Africa’s first state of emergency was declared, along with the banning of the ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). During the lengthy trial Mandela married social worker Winnie Madikizela, and they had two daughters before divorcing in 1996.

Days before the Treason Trial ended, Mandela travelled to Pietermaritzburg to speak at the All-in Africa Conference, which resolved that he should write to Prime Minister Verwoerd requesting a national convention on a non-racial constitution, and to warn that should he not agree there would be a national strike against South Africa becoming a republic. After he and his colleagues were acquitted in the Treason Trial, Mandela went underground and began planning a national strike for 29, 30 and 31 March. The strike was called off, however, in the face of a massive mobilisation of state security. In June 1961, he was asked to lead the armed struggle and he helped to establish Umkhonto weSizwe (Spear of the Nation), which launched on 16 December 1961 with a series of explosions.

On 11 January 1962, using the adopted name David Motsamayi, Mandela secretly left South Africa. He travelled around Africa

and visited England to gain support for the armed struggle. He received military training in Morocco and Ethiopia and returned to South Africa in July 1962 where he was arrested in a police roadblock outside Howick.

Charged with leaving the country without a permit and inciting workers to strike, Mandela was convicted and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, which he began serving at the Pretoria Local Prison. On 27 May 1963, he was transferred to Robben Island, returning to Pretoria again a few weeks later. Within a month police raided Liliesleaf, a secret hideout in Rivonia in Johannesburg, which was used by ANC and Communist Party activists, and several of his comrades were arrested.

On 9 October 1963, Mandela joined 10 others on trial for sabotage in what became known as the Rivonia Trial. In June the following year, Mandela along with Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Denis Goldberg, Elias Motsoaledi and Andrew Mlangeni, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Goldberg was sent to Pretoria Prison because he was white, while

securityfocusafrica.com

Nelson Mandela

ABOVE: Nelson Mandela in Umtata at the age of 19.

BELOW: A mural of Nelson Mandela.

the others went to Robben Island.

Mandela, Sisulu, Mhlaba, Mlangeni and Kathrada were transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town in 1982. Six years later, Mandela ended up in hospital with tuberculosis before being sent to Victor Verster Prison near Paarl, where he spent the last 14 months of imprisonment. He was released on Sunday 11 February 1990, nine days after the unbanning of the ANC and the PAC and nearly four months after the release of his remaining Rivonia comrades.

Throughout his imprisonment he had rejected at least three conditional offers of release.

Mandela immersed himself in official talks aimed at ending white minority rule, and in 1991 he was elected ANC President to replace his ailing friend, Oliver Tambo. In 1993 he and President FW de Klerk jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize and on 27 April 1994 he voted for the first time in his life.

Weeks later, on 10 May 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

On his 80th birthday in 1998 he married Graça Machel, his third wife. True to his promise, Mandela stepped down in 1999

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after one term as President, turning his full attention to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund which he’d established in 1995 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation.

Nelson Mandela died on 5 December 2013, never wavering in his devotion to

This is the official photo of Mandela casting his vote in the 1994 elections. It was the first time Mandela had voted in his life. It was taken at Ohlange School, Inanda, Durban by the IEC’s official photographer, Paul Weinberg. It is one of only two images of this event.

democracy, equality and learning, and never answering racism with racism.

Information courtesy of the Nelson Mandela Foundation https://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/ page/biography

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

29

LAW & SECURITY

Protectionism, nationalism and pandemic combine South Africa has been in the various stages of lockdown since March 26 2020 and the local strictures have been described in many quarters as the harshest lockdown in place internationally. Without trying to be judgmental, a number of decisions made by the National Coronavirus Command Council are illogical or appear to be at odds with the publicised input from the scientific experts that advise the Command Council.

By Peter Bagshawe

T

he withdrawal of the sale of alcohol and ongoing ban of the sale of tobacco products (with the associated knock-on effect to the fiscus), carrying capacity of 100 per cent on short distance taxis and 70 per cent on long haul taxis, and closure of public but not private schools have featured prominently.

The impact of alcohol on the medical infrastructure has been explained. However, the impact and statistics presented have been queried in some sectors.

The ripple impact of lockdown on agriculture, food inflation, transportation systems, brewers and distillers, the restaurant industry, gyms and organised sport plus issues around the payment of UIF grants as well as allegations of corruption all come to mind as problematic in the short to 30

medium term. Despite Level 3 lockdown being in effect, the impact on South Africa has been great.

At the opposite end on the national control spectrum, Sweden immediately comes to mind. Unlike the balance of Scandinavian countries, Sweden chose not to enforce the mandatory shutdown of entire segments of its economy and society to flatten the infection curve in late March and April 2020, when Covid-19 caused its neighbours Norway, Denmark and Finland to do so. Typically, all four Scandinavian countries react in concert with each other. Sweden relied instead on voluntary measures and personal responsibility within its population by encouraging social distancing but imposed a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people, placed restrictions

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

on visiting care and old age homes, and mandated a shift to table-only service in bars and restaurants. Shops and gyms were allowed to remain open, schools remained open up to the under-16 level, universities were closed, work from home was encouraged where possible, the wearing of masks is not mandatory and the use of public transport was discouraged. This basis has remained in place and the Swedish economy, which is relatively small and heavily reliant on trade and tourism, is forecast to shrink by some 5 per cent. This is in line with the balance of the Scandinavian countries, but lower than European countries such as Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom that experienced hard lockdowns and high levels of infections and deaths. Given that Sweden has a population

of some 10 million, the deaths of 5 500 Swedes is substantially higher than the death rate of its Scandinavian neighbours and one of the highest rates of death relative to population size in Europe with the majority of deaths being in old age or care homes.

In a recent development Norway, Denmark and Finland opened their mutual borders for travel and business, but excluded Sweden due to its higher rate of infection and deaths.

The border closure is an indication of protectionism that is becoming a prevalent trend globally. The most obvious examples of this have been international actions geared around the preservation of individual states and their populations. The recent purchase by the United States of 500 000 doses of

securityfocusafrica.com

LAW AND SECURITY TRAINING

Remdesivir, which is the only drug currently approved by authorities in the United States to treat Covid-19, and is produced by patent holder Gilead, a pharmaceutical company based in California.

This figure represents basically the full production for July to September 2020, and the purchase has caused considerable consternation as this removes the largest point of supply for the balance of the world.

Gilead has however granted non-exclusive licences to a number of generic pharmaceutical manufactures including Cipla, which has a South African presence. The United States is considering an executive order that would require federal purchases of only domestic manufactured ventilators, masks and medicines – again reducing international supply capacity.

A number of countries spread across Europe and South East Asia have banned medical supply exports.

France, the United Kingdom and India have restricted the exports of certain medicines and vaccine development has become a source of friction internationally, with protectionist actions being debated on these.

Protectionism as a concept goes to the core of economic contraction and expectations of

economic recovery. China and America have both seen major pandemic-related economic contraction, and increased levels of unemployment in America are a concern (even more so in an election year), and this position is mirrored globally.

A rebound of between 6.5 per cent and 9.2 per cent of GDP going into 2021 is expected in China, but this is initially likely to be fuelled largely by domestic consumer demand, which is currently depressed.

As industries start up and recovery commences domestically, raw materials will become a scarce commodity with supply constraints and costs increasing. The opening of industries and production are likely to be further impacted by the presently dysfunctional logistic supply chain. Globally, shipping industries are similarly hampered.

Protectionism and nationalism often move in conjunction with each other, and the influence of Covid-19 has demonstrated this. Food supplies and the food chain are an obvious concern with production and export both hampered by the outbreak of the pandemic constituting a further area where disruptions have started and are seen as worsening as in the short term.

A number of Eurasian countries have restricted food exports, and Brazil has indicated that it will follow suit. Within the European Economic Union screening guidelines for investments in health, medical research, biotechnology and essential infrastructure have been issued. Italy has recently enacted reviews on food security, health, and financial infrastructure requiring investment screening during the pandemic whilst France and Italy will review purchases of greater than 10 per cent of shares by foreign entities. Australia has imposed export licensing requirements and export restrictions on medical ventilators and personal protective equipment as well as imposing strict lockdown measures in the state of Victoria.

With the rise globally of nationalism, the availability of liberal funding and recovery assistance to developing economies and soft loans will be severely impacted going forward.

Globally, the second wave of infections has commenced and travel restrictions have not been lifted within estimated timelines.

Reactions of governments to the ongoing pandemic infections have been patchy.

The lack of clarity in the United Kingdom to the mandatory wearing of masks in public and the patchy state imposed response to this issue in the United States whilst

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS AND CONTRIBUTORS

attempting to open up economic activity despite high infection rates in the United States show the lack of cohesion, or concerted political will, in these countries. Simultaneously the question of Covid-19 fatigue is becoming apparent and is openly debated.

The duration of the Covid-19 virus and its impact on the world is an unknown, as is the ultimate impact on economies and individual nations. Also unknown is the level of impact that the virus will have on work structures, international travel, traditional economic and defence partners and a myriad of long established norms. It is apparent that the traditional office environment and work structures are unlikely to return to pre-lockdown norms, and also that events and work travel are unlikely to see any form of short term uptake.

In summary, it is apparent that South Africa is in for the long haul on restriction and lockdown will continue for the foreseeable future. However, we are certainly not in isolation on this and share the travails of other countries, albeit under a stricter and more enforced regime.

PETER BAGSHAWE holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the former University of Rhodesia and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.

July 2020

ADVERTISER

PAGE

EMAIL

WEBSITE

iFacts

5

info@ifacts.co.za

www.ifacts.co.za

Global Tech

9

info@globaltechnology.co.za

www.globaltechnology.co.za

Security Association of South Africa

IBC

admin@sasecurity.co.za

www.sasecurity.co.za

Security Dog & Dog Handler Training Centre

12

secdogs@mweb.co.za

www.secdogs.com

Script Holdings

1

info@scriptholdings.com

www.scriptholdings.com

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

31

DIRECTORY

SECURITY ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA (SASA) ADMINISTRATION Suite 4, Blake Bester Building, 18 Mimosa Street (cnr CR Swart Road), Wilro Park, Roodepoort Suite 147, Postnet X 2, Helderkruin 1733 National Administrator: Tony Botes t: 0861 100 680 | e: tony@sasecurity.co.za c: 083 272 1373 | f: 0866 709 209 Membership, accounts & enquiries: Sharrin Naidoo t: 0861 100 680 | e: admin@sasecurity.co.za c: 083 650 4981

SASA OFFICE BEARERS

REGIONAL OFFICE BEARERS

National President: Chris Laubscher c: 082 441 4092 e: laubscherc@proteacoin.co.za

Gauteng: Gary Tintinger c: 084 429 4245 e: gary.tintinger@cwexcellerate.com

National Chairperson: Marchél Coetzee c: 084 440 0087 | e: marchelcoetzee@omegasol.com

KwaZulu Natal: Clint Phipps c: 082 498 4749 e: clint.phipps@cwexcellerate.com

National Deputy Chairperson: Yagan Nair c: 082 561 3529 e: yagannair@national.co.za

Western Cape: Koos van Rooyen c: 082 891 2351 | e: koos@wolfgroup.co.za

SECURITY AND RELATED ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) Eco Park, Centurion t: +27 (0)12 003 0500/1 | Independent hotline: 0800 220 918 | e: info@psira. co.za | Director: Manabela Chauke | Chairperson: T Bopela | Vice chairperson: Z Holtzman | Council members: Advocate A Wiid | Commissioner A Dramat APPISA (Association for Professional Private Investigators SA) Bertie Meyer Crescent, Minnebron, Brakpan | e: info@appelcryn.co.za | www.appelcryn. co.za | c: +27 (0)73 371 7854 / +27 (0)72 367 8207 | Chairperson: Ken Appelcryn ASIS International Johannesburg Chapter No. 155. Box 99742, Garsfontein East 0060 | t: +27 (0)11 652 2569 | www.asis155jhb.webs. com | President/chairperson: Johan Hurter | Secretary: Chris Cray ASIS International (Chapter 203: Cape Town – South African Security Professionals) President/chairperson: Yann A Mouret, CPP Secretary: Eva Nolle t: +27 (0)21 785 7093 f: +27 (0)21 785 5089 | e: info@aepn.co.za | www.asis203.org.za BAC (Business Against Crime) Box 784061, Sandton 2146 | t: +27 (0)11 883 0717 | f: +27 (0)11 883 1679 | e: info@bac.org.za CAMPROSA (Campus Protection Society of Southern Africa) President: Des Ayob | e: 27149706@nwu.ac.za Executive Secretary: Derek Huebsch | e: huebsch. derek@gmail.com | www.camprosa.co.za CISA (Cape Insurance Surveyors Association) Shahid Sonday t: +27 (0)21 402 8196 | f: +27 (0)21 419 1844 | e: shahid.sonday@saeagle.co.za | Mike Genard t: +27 (0)21 557 8414 | e: mikeg@yebo.co.za DRA (Disaster Recovery Association of Southern Africa) Box 405, Saxonwold 2132 | Chairperson: Grahame Wright | t: +27 (0)11 486 0677 | f: (011) 646 5587 | Secretary/treasurer: Charles Lourens t: +27 (0)11 639 2346 | f: +27 (0)11 834 6881 EFCMA (Electric Fencing and Components Manufacturers Association) Box 411164, Craighall 2024 | t: +27 (0)11 326 4157 | f: +27 (0)11 493 6835 | Chairperson: Cliff Cawood c: +27 (0)83 744 2159 | Deputy chairperson: John Mostert c: +27 (0)82 444 9759 | Secretary: Andre Botha c: +27 (0)83 680 8574 ESDA (Electronic Security Distributors Association) Box 17103, Benoni West 1503 | t: (011) 845 4870 | f: +27 (0)11 845 4850 | Chairperson: Leonie Mangold | Vice chairperson: David Shapiro | www.esda.org.za ESIA (Electronic Security Industry Alliance) Box 62436, Marshalltown 2107 | t: +27 (0)11 498 7468 | f: 086 570 8837 | c: 082 773 9308 | e: info@esia. co.za | www.esia.co.za FDIA (Fire Detection Installers Association) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020, Edenvale, 1610 | t: +27 (0)72 580 7318 | f: 086 518 4376 | e: fdia@fdia. co.za | www.fdia.co.za | President/chairperson: Clive Foord | Secretary: Jolene van der Westhuizen

FFETA The Fire Fighting Equipment Traders Association) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020, Edenvale 1610 | Chairperson: Belinda van der Merwe Administration manager: Rosemary Cowan | t: +27 (0)11 455 3157 | e: rosemary@saqccfire.co.za | www.ffeta.co.za FPASA (Fire Protection Association of Southern Africa) Box 15467, Impala Park 1472 | t: +27 (0)11 397 1618 | f: +27 (0)11 397 1160 | e: library@fpasa.co.za | www.fpasa.co.za | General manager: David Poxon GFA (Gate & Fence Association) Box 1338, Johannesburg 2000 | t: +27 (0)11 298 9400 | f: +27 (0)11 838 1522 | Administrator: Theresa Botha HSA (Helderberg Security Association) Box 12857, N1 City Parow 7463 | t: +27 (0)21 511 5109 | f: +27 (0)21 511 5277 | e: info@command.co.za | www.command.co.za | Chairperson: Stephen van Diggele IFE (Institution of Fire Engineers (SA) Treasurer: Andrew Greig | President: Mike Webber | Administrator: Jennifer Maritz | PO Box 1033, Houghton 2041 | t: +27 (0)11 788 4329 | f: +27 (0)11 880 6286 | e: adminstaff@ife.org.za | www.ife.org.za ISA (Insurance Surveyors Association) Box 405, Saxonwold 2132 | Chairperson: Graham Wright | t: +27 (0)11 486 0677 | Vice chairperson: Alan Ventress | Secretary: Alex dos Santos LASA (Locksmiths Association of South Africa) Box 4007, Randburg 2125 | t: +27 (0)11 782 1404 | f: +27 (0)11 782 3699 | e: lasa@global.co.za | www.lasa.co.za | President/chairperson: Alan Jurrius | Secretary: Dora Ryan NaFETI (National Firearms Education and Training Institute) Box 181067, Dalbridge 4014 | Chairperson: MS Mitten | Vice chairperson: Ken Rightford | t: +27 (0)33 345 1669 | c: +27 (0)84 659 1142 NaFTA (National Firearms Training Association of SA) Box 8723, Edenglen 1613 | National chairperson: Peter Bagshawe | t: +27 (0)11 979 1200 | f: +27 (0)11 979 1816 | e: nafta@lantic.net POLSA (Policing Association of Southern Africa) t: +27 (0)12 429 6003 | f: +27 (0)12 429 6609 | Chairperson: Anusha Govender c: +27 (0)82 655 8759 PSSPF (Private Security Sector Provident Fund) Jackson Simon c: +27 (0)72 356 6358 | e: jackson@ psspfund.co.za | www.psspfund.co.za SAESI (Southern African Emergency Services Institute) Box 613, Krugersdorp 1740 | t: +27 (0)11 660 5672 | f: +27 (0)11 660 1887 | President: DN Naidoo | Secretary: SG Moolman | e:info@saesi.com SAIA (South African Insurance Association) Box 30619, Braamfontein 2017 | Chief executive officer: Viviene Pearson | Chairperson:

Lizé Lambrechts t: +27 (0)11 726 5381 | f: +27 (0)11 726 5351 | e: info@saia.co.za SAIDSA (South African Intruder Detection Services Association) | Association House, PO Box 17103, Benoni West 1503 | t: +27 (0)11 845 4870 f: +27 (0)11 845 4850 | e: saidsa@mweb.co.za www.saidsa.co.za | Chairperson: Johan Booysen Secretary: Cheryl Ogle SAIS (South African Institute of Security) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020, Edenvale, 1610 Chairperson: Dave Dodge | Administration manager: John Baker | t: +27 (0)63 782 7642 | e: info@instituteofsecurity.co.za | www.instituteofsecurity.co.za SAN (Security Association of Namibia) Box 1926, Windhoek, Namibia | Administrator: André van Zyl | t: +264 81 304 5623 | e: adminsan@iway.na SANSEA (South African National Security Employers’ Association) Box 62436, Marshalltown 2107 | Administrators: SIA t: +27 (0)11 498 7468 | f: 086 570 8837 | e: galen@sansea.co.za SAPFED (Southern African Polygraph Federation) President: Flip Vorster | c: +27 (0)82 455 1459 | e: info@sapfed.org | Secretary: Anrich Gouws | e: admin@sapfed.org | www.sapfed.org SAQCC FIRE (South African Qualification Certification Committee) Postnet Suite 86, Private Bag X10020, Edenvale 1610 | t: +27 (0)11 455 3157 | www.saqccfire. co.za Executive Committee: Chairperson: Duncan Boyes Vice chairperson: Tom Dreyer 1475 Committee: Chairperson: Lizl Davel Vice chairperson: John Caird D&GS Committee: Chairperson: Nichola Allan; Vice chairperson: Clive Foord General Manager: Rosemary Cowan | e: rosemary@saqccfire.co.za – Address, phone and website all remain as is.

SARPA (South African Revenue Protection Association) Box 868, Ferndale 2160 | t: +27 (0)11 789 1384 | f: +27 (0)11 789 1385 | President: Naas du Preez | Secretariat: Mr J. Venter, Van der Walt & Co SIA (Security Industry Alliance) Box 62436, Marshalltown 2107 | t: +27 (0)11 498 7468 | Chief executive officer: Steve Conradie | www.securityalliance.co.za SKZNSA (Southern KwaZulu-Natal Security Association) t: +27 (0)39 315 7448 | f: +27 (0)39 315 7324 | Chairperson: Anton Verster c: +27 (0)82 371 0820 VESA (The Motor Vehicle Security Association of South Africa) Box 1468, Halfway House 1685 | t: (011) 315 3588/3655 | f: +27 (0)11 315 3617 | General manager: Adri Smit VIPPASA (VIP Protection Association of SA) Box 41669, Craighall 2024 | t: +27 (0)82 749 0063 | f: 086 625 1192 | e: info@vippasa.co.za | www.vippasa.co.za | Enquiries: Chris Rootman c: +27 (0)82 749 0063 | e: vippasa@protectour.co.za

* Every attempt has been made to keep this information up to date. If you would like to amend your organisation’s details, please email jackie @contactpub.co.za 32

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA JULY 2020

securityfocusafrica.com

DRIVING COMPLIANCE in South Africa’s Private Security Industry

With a five decade legacy, SASA is the greatest advocate of industry compliance, serving as resource for its members, an educational platform for consumers of security services, and an essential link between the private security industry and government. The Security Association of South Africa (SASA) is nationally recognised by the Government, South African Police Service and all Municipalities as having members with a proven track record within the industry and a Code of Ethics by which members must abide.

SASA Gold Membership promotes compliance not only to the industry role-players, but to the end-users of security services as well. Join SASA today and find out more about how we can fight the scourge of non-compliance, promoting SASA Gold Membership as an essential requirement for all security service providers, ensuring industry excellence for the private security industry.

For more information, contact the SASA Administrator on admin@sasecurity.co.za Postal Address: Suite 147, Postnet X2 Helderkruin, 1733. Tel: 0861 100 680 Fax: 086 670 9209

www.sasecurity.co.za

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