Security Focus Africa October 2021 Vol 39 No 10

www.securityfocusafrica.com | Vol 39 No 10 OCTOBER 2021 The official industry journal for professional risk practitioners: security, safety, health, environment and quality assurance

Child victims & Alternative Dispute Resolution

SPECIAL FEATURE

Campus & school security

Social media, cybersecurity and A.I.

Personality profile Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Update from SASA | CRIME, INVESTMENT AND ELECTIONS

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Security Focus Africa: Serving the South African security industry for 41 years

CONTENTS www.securityfocusafrica.com The official industry journal for

14

| Vol 39 No 10 OCTOBER 2021

professional risk practitioners:

Child victims & Alternative Dispute Resolution

VOL 39 NO 10 OCTOBER 2021

nt and quality assurance

security, safety, health, environme

SPECIAL FEATURE

Campus & school security

Social media, cybersecurity and A.I.

Personality profile Archbishop Desmond Tutu

STM ENT AND Update from SASA | CRIM E, INVE

COVER STORY SCHOOL AND CAMPUS SECURITY 14 School and campus security: the challenges and solutions in

ELECTION S

2021.

8 Update from SASA 2

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2021

securityfocusafrica.com

Official Journal of the Security Association of South Africa

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

Vol 39 No 10

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

EDITOR: Ingrid Olivier

REGULARS

ingrid@securityfocusafrica.com

EDITOR’S COMMENT 6 Of the power of music, legacies (good and bad) and protecting our children.

ASSOCIATION NEWS 8 Update from SASA. NEWS IN BRIEF 10 News snippets from around the world.

INDUSTRY OPINION 13 Digitally driven solutions are

essential to bolster SA’s financial sector.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 18 Artificial intelligence is critical

enabler of the energy transition, study finds.

WELLBEING 20 South Africans increasingly

changing attitudes of social media in favour of balanced wellness.

PERSONALITY PROFILE 22 In conversation with…

Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

SPECIAL FEATURE 24 Child victims and Alternative Dispute Resolution.

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INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES 26 South Africa’s mixed messages on procurement corruption.

CYBER SECURITY 28 Managing the hybrid

workplace — what CISOs need to know.

30 Allianz: Companies need to strengthen cyber controls to counter ransomware pandemic.

32 An effective Cyber Recovery strategy is key to recovery from ransomware attacks.

33 Manufacturing and production companies hit by ransomware are the least likely to pay the ransom, Sophos survey shows.

INDUSTRY OPINION 34 Do you have a backup plan for your backup when load shedding hits?

WHITE PAPER 35 Fotech releases data-driven white paper on smart city monitoring technology

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

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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.

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

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

Security Focus Africa is a member of

35 CONTRIBUTORS AND ADVERTISERS INDEX THE LAST WORD 36 Crime, investment and elections.

38 DIRECTORY securityfocusafrica.com

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EDITOR’S COMMENT

Of the power of music, legacies (good and bad) and protecting our children It’s early Sunday morning and someone, somewhere in our complex, is singing Johnny Clegg’s ‘Scatterlings of Africa’: “And we are the scatterlings of Africa Both you and I We are on the road to Phelamanga Beneath a copper sky And we are the scatterlings of Africa On a journey to the stars Far below, we leave forever Dreams of what we were.”

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eleased by one of South Africa’s many music icons in 1982, its lyrics tell the story of the hungry, the searching, and those trying to make a better country. Poignant and catchy, it’s a tribute to the ‘White Zulu’, whose legacy is a unique combination of musical talent and an example of an unflagging commitment to social justice.

As timeless and appealing as Scatterlings, in my opinion, is the ‘Pata Pata’ song by Miriam ‘Mama Africa’ Makeba, a late 1950s release that “still captures a subversive joy and a sense of indefatigable human spirit”. Named after a dance, Miriam Makeba, singer, songwriter, UN Goodwill Ambassador and civil rights activist, paints a lyrical picture of “everybody starting to move down Johannesburg way when the Pata Pata starts to play”.

Of our living legends, Archbishop Desmond Tutu (our personality profile in this issue, see page 22), is one of many great examples. Now 90 years old, he and his wife inspired the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, launched in 2013 and supported by three pillars: The Knowledge Legacy, Showcasing Leadership, and Courageous Conversations.

South Africa is a land of legacies, born

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of countless numbers of people who have made a difference to the lives of others.

They include the musicians, the writers, the activists, the marginalised, the doers, the poor – all part of a rich tapestry that serves to inspire. Many have found international fame, others will be remembered only in the stories passed down by their families, and many names will be forgotten but each, in their own ways, were and are ‘Starfish Throwers’.

Widely quoted, the original ‘Starfish’ story was written by Loren Eisley and published in 1969 in the Unexpected Universe.

The more popular version speaks of an adult, who, while walking along the beach, sees a child continuously bending, picking things up, and then throwing them gently back into the sea. Curious, the grownup goes up to the youngster and asks: “What are you doing?”

“I’m throwing starfish back into the ocean – the tide is out, and they will die if they’re left on the beach,” the child replies.

“But there are thousands of miles of beach and thousands of starfish,” the adult counters. “What difference will it make?”

Picking up another starfish and throwing it into the waves, the child answers: “It made a difference for this one.”

Which brings me to my next point: that of negative legacies. As impactful and far-reaching as the good ones, the bad ones leave suffering and destruction in their wake. The murderers, the paedophiles, the racists and the bullies: they, too, will create legacies, many of which will outlast their own lives. One can only hope that justice will be meted out to them, and their victims will be able to find healing and closure. I think especially of those who have abused children, be they parents, relatives, teachers, carers or criminals.

In this issue, our feature article delves into school and campus security.

According to Passmark, South Africa has more than 25,000 schools; some wealthy, others desperately under-resourced. With recent media headlines announcing the

suspension of two sports coaches, the shooting of a teacher in full view of scholars, the rape of a 6 year old in the bathroom of her school, and ‘systemic gaps’ that allow teachers accused of or found guilty of crimes against children, we, as parents and community members, have to be more vigilant than ever. To this end, the National Parent Teacher Association has a list of tips to prevent or identify criminality and violence in schools.

These include keeping the lines of communication open with children and teens, being involved in their schoolwork, friends, and activities, and asking ‘openended questions such as “tell me more” and “what do you think?” Warning signs and changes may range from ‘subtle to dramatic’: withdrawing from friends, declining grades, suddenly quitting sports or clubs, problems with sleeping and eating, and complaining about headaches, stomach aches and other physical ailments.

Our hope lies in many of the more than 60 million people who call South Africa home, in its courts, and in even the smallest acts of kindness. In her book Optimized Self Journal Diary Notebook for Beautiful Women, Shannon L. Alder entreats people to: “Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you,” she says.

So, even if you are only able to provide a sandwich to a hungry person or a smile (with your eyes in our mask-wearing world), it will be of value.

Ingrid Olivier, Editor ingridolivier@idotwrite.co.za

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

SASA UPDATE

Update from SASA It has been yet another extremely interesting month for the private security sector!

From the desk of Tony Botes, SASA National Administrator.

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ere’s a summary of what’s been happening:

PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) 1. Amended Act The Government Gazette (45295 of 8 October) is a bulky document of 52 pages, containing only the amendments to the PSIRA Act, and must be read in conjunction with the ‘old’ legislation, which has also been updated periodically.

The changes are far too many to discuss in this article, but the dreaded ‘foreign ownership’ provision, which has been gathering dust on the desk of a number of presidents for many years, is now in force. It specifically stipulates that every security service provider (company) must now be 51 percent South African-owned and controlled.

The Minister of Police, however, has the power to vary this percentage as he sees fit, which could be both positive or negative, depending on the decrease or increase that might result from such variation.

2. Research under the topic ‘The role of the NBCPSS in the Private Security Industry’ We have noted, with serious concern, that PSIRA is busy with research amongst security companies and security officers under the topic ‘The role of the NBCPSS on the Private Security Industry’. For some unknown reason, it seems as though PSIRA is under the impression that either they should ‘control’ the NBCPSS (National Bargaining Council for the Private

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Security Sector) or that the Bargaining Council is a challenge to their statutory authority.

The basic facts are that PSIRA, which reports to the Minister of Police, is the primary and only regulator of the private security industry in the country, but only insofar as the registration of security service providers and security officers, and the enforcement of the PSIRA Act, Regulations and the Code of Conduct.

PSIRA may issue fines against any company or individual, but it has no powers of restitution. It can take action against those that breach their legislation and issue fines against the relevant company and its directors, when it has been established that the monies have gone into their own coffers, but it does not have the powers to force companies to reimburse employees for underpayments or other breaches of the Main Agreement.

On the other hand, the NBCPSS reports to the Minister of Employment and Labour via the Registrar of Labour Relations (a totally different government department), which was legally established in terms of the Labour Relations Act (LRA).

The Bargaining Council is truly democracy at work, equally represented by organised employers (registered employers’ organisations) and organised labour (registered trade unions), who: • have a protocol agreement which sets out the relationship between the two groups, as well as the periodic negotiations in respect of remuneration and conditions and benefits of employment, • conduct negotiations in a peaceful

manner, • handle all compliance complaints and disputes relating to the Main and Levies Agreements, • handle all labour relations complaints (unfair labour practices, unfair dismissals, etc), • adjudicate non-compliance matters and, following due process, issue compliance orders (which have the same standing as a High Court Order) for underpaid or outstanding monies due to employees, which – if not settled – are delivered to the relevant Sherriff of the High Court to execute as a warrant of attachment — all of these also including, if relevant, costs and interest PSIRA does not have a mandate to get involved in these Bargaining Council matters and should rather be working with the Bargaining Council to eliminate the non-compliance, gross exploitation, and blatant theft so common in our industry.

SASA believes that these two bodies, working together, can make a massive difference in terms of eradicating the fly-by-night elements in our industry and we are totally committed to assisting in this process.

3. Uniforms The recent promulgation on the prohibition of security uniform colours that, in any way, could be deemed to resemble any uniforms used by the SAPS (South African Police Service), SANDF (South African National Defence Force), Correctional Services, Metropolitan Police, or any other law enforcement agency that might be established in the future, is of serious concern.

Similarly, all types of camouflage are now also prohibited, with the only exception being those engaged in anti-poaching duties.

Furthermore, all uniforms must clearly display ‘Private Security’ on both the front and back, which is also a challenge, especially in situations where security officers are required to dress in suits and ties — how will this be possible or practical?

While it is a reality that some service providers do, in fact, have uniforms that are in genuine conflict with those of the SAPS and other bodies, the industry – as a whole – now has to source alternative ‘permitted’ uniform colours. Keeping in mind that the 180-day window has now passed, the financial and logistical challenges of this regulation have

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

extremely serious implications for our industry, which could very well result in the demise of companies unable to afford the changeover. While the legislation does provide for security companies to first contact the information officers of the relevant law enforcement entities to obtain their permission, and then to apply, via PSIRA, for an exemption, the concern is that any lack of efficiency at government departments will probably result in massive delays.

However, the good (or slightly better) news is that PSIRA will receive all applications for exemption (which must be accompanied by colour photographs or sketches of the current or proposed uniforms). PSIRA will then collate the above and, together with their recommendations, submit them to the relevant entity. PSIRA has also, at a recent meeting at their offices, verbally confirmed that, once an exemption application has been submitted and receipt acknowledged, a ‘stay of prosecution’ will apply, pending the final outcome of the application.

NBCPSS (National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector) 1. Compliance and disputes The NBCPSS (National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector) has now been accredited by the CCMA (Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration) to handle labour relations disputes, in addition to prosecuting companies that exploit their employees by not adhering to the conditions (including minimum rates of remuneration, hours of work, statutory benefits and conditions of employment) of the Main and Levies Agreements.

This means that the NBCPSS will now have to – sooner than later – roll out a structure to handle these matters nationally. While it will be a challenge, it will also reduce the CCMA’s workload by more than 20 percent. The prosecution process, which includes restitution orders against transgressing companies, has been highly successful so far, and we wish them well for the future.

SASA has committed to do everything in its power and legal limitations to identify and report companies which are criminally exploiting their employees, both out of greed or/and to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

Competition is always a good thing, as it keeps service providers on their toes,

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but it is totally unacceptable when those criminal (and I don’t hesitate to use that adjective) companies wilfully exploit their security officers by making use of disguised employment relationships, fail to pay statutory minimum levels of remuneration, make employees work excessive hours, and fail to participate in the NBCPSS, statutory provident fund and/ or medical scheme.

A number of companies are actually deducting the provident fund and medical scheme contributions and then pocketing the money instead of paying it to the relevant service providers. This is blatant theft, and these companies must be eliminated from the industry.

Unfortunately, some of them have ‘friends in high places’ and, despite formal complaints from SASA, have still not faced the might of the law, which also raises questions as to how high the level of corruption in our industry has grown.

2. Legal challenge A large group of companies has challenged the Minister of Employment and Labour on the establishment of the Bargaining Council, which they claimed was not representative of the entire private security industry. The facts of the matter are that this group, which was unable to be registered as an employers’ organisation for whatever reason, tried to join the NBCPSS as part of the ‘organised employers’. It was unable to do so since it was not a registered employers’ organisation, which is a specific condition of the Labour Relations Act (LRA). This matter was recently finalised in the Senior Court of Appeal, where their application was dismissed.

It must be made very clear that the current employer organisations, of which there are now three, would welcome any employers’ organisation to join the Board of the NBCPSS, subject to them being legally registered and having sufficient representivity to qualify for a seat.

At no stage did either the Council or any of the parties to the Council, object to their registration, lobby against some or in any way influence the Registrar of Labour Relations not to register the organisation.

We, in fact, want the NBCPSS to be as inclusive as possible.

SASA Annual General Meeting (AGM) We are planning our 2021 non-elective AGM for the afternoon of Thursday, 18 November 2021, physically in Gauteng

and with the option of attending virtually via Teams. It is critical that we have as many participants as possible (the quorum is 40 Gold Members), and we need to make some important decisions, so please diarise it now. The notice of meeting will be distributed shortly, and you are kindly requested to respond to it without delay.

If you cannot join – either in person or virtually – please consider appointing any one of the attendees – or any one of the current Exco – as your proxy, which will hopefully enable us to reach the quorum figure.

That’s all for now colleagues! Best wishes from all of us at SASA and keep safe!

Membership benefits We are working on expanding membership benefits, which will be communicated to all members once finalised. Currently, these include: • 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 the University of South Africa (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.

• A central administration office.

• Free digital subscription to Security Focus Africa magazine, 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.

For more information about what SASA does and how it can help you and your company, or to report any wrongdoings or concerns, please contact Tony Botes, SASA National Administrator, at: Tel: 0861 100 680 /

083 650 4981 Cell: 083 272 1373 Email: info@sasecurity.co.za / tony@sasecurity.co.za Website: www.sasecurity.co.za

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2021

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

News snippets from around the world Government to introduce a Social Employment Fund

Schoolmates pray for safe return of Polokwane brothers kidnapped at gunpoint

“You are in our prayers.” This is the message shared by the Curro Heuwelkruin Independent School, as the search continues for the Moti brothers – Zia, 15, Alaan, 13, Zayyad, 11, and Zidan, 6 – who were hijacked and kidnapped in Limpopo last Wednesday.

Police have launched a massive manhunt, including activating the air wing, for a group of suspects involved in the forceful removal of the four schoolchildren from a vehicle that was transporting them to school at about 7am, said Brig Motlafela Mojapelo. “The children were forcefully removed from their scholar transport by a group of about seven suspects armed with rifles,” he said. https://www.sowetanlive.co.za

Vehicle thefts at car washes on the rise According to King Price Insurance, vehicle theft from car washes is a growing trend – a claim substantiated by the Sandton SAPS (South African Police Service).

Sandton police station captain Bheki Xulu told the Sandton Chronicle that in September, the station received multiple

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reports at various locations from motorists whose vehicles were stolen at a car wash. “This specific criminal activity usually occurs between 09:00 and 17:00,” said Xulu. “It has happened more than once at different wash sites and there are no specific car models targeted. If you are situated around Morningside and Sandown, be vigilant.” https://topauto.co.za

UK says fatal stabbing of MP is a terrorist incident

This will be part of the second phase of its efforts to create job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of unemployed South Africans through the Presidential Employment Stimulus programme. It was announced last Monday by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his weekly letter to the nation. The fund is aimed at supporting work for the good of society led by community organisations in sectors such as urban agriculture, public art, informal settlement upgrading and community safety. The Presidential Employment Stimulus was established last year to create as many job opportunities in the shortest time. According to Ramaphosa, the Presidential Employment Stimulus package has benefitted more than half a million citizens in its first phase. It has done this by using new and innovative ways of recruitment, using technology and facilitating cooperation amongst the eleven national departments that have implemented the programme. He says it has brought young people into the labour force in unprecedented numbers and this second phase which will provide almost R1 billion in funding young people recruited into a revitalised National Youth Service to receive training in digital skills and entrepreneurship. https://www.sabcnews.com

The fatal stabbing of British MP David Amess was a terrorist incident, police said Saturday, as they investigated the second killing of a UK politician while meeting voters, since 2016. The Metropolitan Police said its preliminary findings had revealed “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism”. Amess, a 69-yearold pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker, was stabbed to death inside a church on Friday while holding a fortnightly consultation with his constituents in the small town of Leigh-on-Sea, in Essex, east of London. Police arrested a 25-year-old man at the scene, on suspicion of murder, and recovered a knife. https://ewn.co.za

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NEWS IN BRIEF Biden admin to build intelligence-gathering cell to track groups of migrants headed north Planning is underway at the US Department of Homeland Security to build an intelligence-gathering cell that would more closely monitor and better predict the movements of groups of migrants to the U.S., such as the nearly 30,000 Haitians who arrived in Texas last month, according to a copy of the plans obtained

by NBC News. The new cell, to be operational by the end of the month, would supply the agency with ‘indications and warnings’ of possible migrant surges by collecting intelligence from DHS personnel in Central and South America, seek to establish aerial surveillance of trucks and migrant camps massing on borders and increase communication with the U.S. intelligence community and law enforcement agencies in other countries, according to the planning document. https://www.nbcnews.com

Mitchells Plain shooting reflects high number of guns in the area — CPF A woman was killed and seven other people, among them children, were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a birthday party in the Mandalay area last week. Three suspects are expected in court this week in connection with a deadly mass shooting in Mitchells Plain. A Mitchells Plain community leader said that the mass shootings in his area reflected the high number of firearms that were in circulation. It’s the third mass shooting the suburb has seen in less than eight months.

The crime-riddled suburb is no stranger to rampant gunfire. The local community policing forum’s Byron de Villiers said that the number of firearms that were filtering through neighbourhoods was staggering. https://ewn.co.za

Investigating officer revelling in victory after killer cop Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu’s guilty verdict Sgt Keshi Benneth Mabunda and prosecutor Riana Williams received praise from Judge Ramarumo Monama for the watertight case they produced. The police officer who got the ball rolling on ending serial killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu’s murder spree admitted on Friday there were times when he thought he wouldn’t nab her. “I started working on this case in 2015. There would be a time when I

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would leave the file for two or three months, but then something would stir in me, saying, ‘Let me do something on this case’,” said Sgt Keshi Benneth Mabunda.

On Friday, his hard work paid off and he beamed with pride after Ndlovu was found guilty of killing six of her loved ones, including family members and her lover Maurice Mabasa. The six were killed between 2012 and 2018, apparently for funeral and life insurance cover Ndlovu had taken out on them. https://www.sowetanlive.co.za

Nigerian mafia leaders arrested after Hawks swoop in Cape Town

Alleged leaders of a large transnational Nigerian syndicate, called the Black Axe, were arrested in early morning raids in Cape Town last Tuesday. TimesLIVE understands that six leaders of the Black Axe organised crime group’s Cape Town chapter were arrested in a coordinated operation involving the Hawks and US law-enforcement authorities. A seventh member of the group, who is not part of the leadership of the organisation, was also arrested. It is believed an eighth person affiliated to the Black Axe organisation was also arrested in connection with a separate, but related, case. The founder of the Black Axe “Cape Town Zone” was among those arrested, TimesLIVE sources said. The group is believed to be behind hundreds of thousands of ‘romance scams’. These were allegedly perpetrated by members of the group who used dating sites to meet elderly men and women from around the world who were either widowed or divorced, then scam them

out of their money. The Sunday Times previously reported on SA victims of the group, some of whom were fleeced out of their life’s savings and even their entire pensions. https://www.timeslive.co.za

Lawyers defending war vets arrested for hostage drama oppose extension Fifty-two suspects have appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates Court sitting at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility.

Lawyers representing more than fifty liberation struggle veterans facing charges relating to the hostage situation involving ministers in Pretoria last week have vehemently opposed an extension for the State to conclude its verification of the profiles and addresses of the accused. https://ewn.co.za

North Korea fires ballistic missile into sea, South Korea says It would be the latest weapons test by the country, which has pressed ahead with military development in the face of international sanctions. By Reuters.

North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile off its east coast last Tuesday, officials in South Korea and Japan said, as Seoul opens a major arms fair, spy chiefs meet to discuss the nuclear standoff, and South Korea prepares for a space launch.

The North Korean launch would be the latest weapons test by the country, which has pressed ahead with military development in the face of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and missile programs. One ballistic missile was launched from the

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2021

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NEWS IN BRIEF

vicinity of Sinpo, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, where North Korea keeps submarines as well as equipment for test firing submarine-launched ballistic missiles. North Korea has also launched other types of missiles from that area. “Our military is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining a readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States, to prepare for possible additional launches,” JCS said in a statement. https://www.nbcnews.com

Nine people arrested after cellphone robbery and drug busts Nine people have been arrested after a recent cellphone business robbery and a drug bust in the Western Cape. The Maitland flying squad arrested eight suspects shortly after a business robbery in Kraaifontein last Thursday, said police spokesperson Col André Traut. Acting on information after the suspects robbed a business of cellular telephones, a property was searched where an unlicensed firearm, ammunition, an imitation firearm and 239 suspected stolen cellphones were confiscated. https://www.sowetanlive.co.za

Police union ‘shocked’ Zuma has 22 full-time bodyguards Radio 702, in an interview with the SA Police Union (Sapu), heard that a reported 22 full-time VIP bodyguards protecting President Jacob Zuma may be overly excessive. Reports have counted nearly two dozen men guarding Zuma at any given moment, with some of the men dressed like him (of late) and apparently made to look like him. Former

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leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was also well known for surrounding himself with a large group of lookalikes, making it harder for any assassin to kill him. The Midday Report spoke to Mpho Kwinika, the president of Sapu, who agreed that the president should be protected, but it would simply cost too much and evidently probably be unnecessary to have such a large squad, since no ‘tangible threats to his safety … warrant such a large VIP security team’. “We were also very shocked to learn, not only about his own guard has increased, but his budget – the budget of that unit has increased as well,” he said on radio. https://www.citizen.co.za

Copper and mining equipment worth millions found as police take hard line on stealing A joint operation led to the arrests of 25 people in Witbank, Mpumalanga, after stolen copper and mining equipment was found. The operation was carried out last Friday by members of the Witbank police and the Witbank Community Policing Forum. It targeted areas in Witbank, including Klarinet and Coronation Park.

Suspects aged between 20 and 31 were apprehended on several charges including possession of suspected stolen property, possession of drugs, selling liquor without a licence and contravention of the immigration acts.

According to police, the intense operation culminated in the closure of an illegal scrap metal shop where suspected stolen copper wire was confiscated.

Mining drills worth millions of rand were also seized. https://www.timeslive.co.za

Arrests in UK as fears grow of nightclub needle attacks Police in Nottinghamshire County in central England said they had made two arrests in an ongoing investigation into “spiking” incidents. Police in England said last Friday they had arrested three men, after several days of increasing alarm at reports that revellers had been injected with needles at nightclubs. Young women and men, mostly students, have said they believe they were injected with drug-filled syringes at clubs and bars. Police have said there had been around 140 confirmed reports of drink spiking in September and October, and 24 reports of injection.

Senior officer Jason Harwin of coordinating body the National Police Chiefs’ Council said the reports were “very concerning” and the council was “working at pace” to “understand the scale of offending”. https://www.thesouthafrican.com

Police arrest five suspects in Kensington guest house before planned armed robbery Gauteng police arrested five suspects and recovered six unlicensed firearms at a Kensington guest house last Friday, before the suspects carried out an allegedly planned armed robbery. Police said the five suspects were arrested with six unlicensed firearms after they were tracked to the guest house. Police believe that the five suspects were planning a robbery. Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele said the suspects were arrested by members of the Germiston Flying Squad and Spring Public Order Policing units. https://www.iol.co.za/news

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INDUSTRY OPINION

Digitally driven solutions are essential to bolster SA’s financial sector

Recent research released by Accenture and the World Economic forum (WEF), estimates that the adoption of digital technologies within the financial services industry can unlock R1.2 trillion in value for the South African financial services industry, its customers and society between now and 2026.

By Greg Chen, CEO at Mobiz.

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fundamental technological solution that is vital for the industry to take advantage of in South Africa is the SMS. This is according to Greg Chen, CEO at Mobiz, who says that text messages are still a widely used and beneficial way for banks and other financial institutions to communicate with customers. “This is because customers do not need to have data or be connected to Wi-Fi to receive an SMS, which means that these types of communications can be received at anytime, anywhere.”

The importance of SMS in the financial sector was also thrust into the spotlight during Covid-19. Not only was the pandemic a catalyst to many traditional banks going digital, as well as the introduction of new digital banks in the market, but the use of paper and physical services decreased in response to South Africa’s national lockdown to mitigate the spread of the virus.

With this in mind, Chen outlines how SMS and mobile marketing platforms that take SMS beyond simple text, may boost the financial services industry in the country: • Sharing statements: Sharing statements via SMS means that customers are able to manage their banking conveniently with all their information stored digitally and without having to spend their own data. Digital vs printed statements also allow banks to be able to save on paper, printing

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and postage fees.

• Loyalty programmes: As a result of Covid-19, the trend of loyalty programmes has also increased as cash-strapped consumers look for ways to stretch their income. For example, FNB’s eBucks reported that since the start of lockdown until January 2021, 7.4-million registered eBucks users spent more than R740m on essentials such as fuel, groceries, airtime and data as well as other day-to-day necessities.

SMS is a great way for rewards, deals and vouchers to be shared with customers as well as other communications around loyalty programmes.

• Marketing opportunities: Text messages may be used to tell potential new customers about a bank’s services as well as communicate tailored deals and offers to existing customers. By using SMSes to send tailored communications to customers, banks will be able to improve customer service in a digital world by remaining personalised and offering solutions to customers’ needs.

• Crisis communications: With the increase of digital services comes the risk of cybercrime and fraud. This is reflected in the most recent SABRIC Annual Crime Stats report which revealed that digital banking fraud incidents increased by 20 percent year-on-year. As such, if a bank

experiences a data-breach or notes scams taking place, they can use SMS to communicate these issues to customers as well as provide them with advice on how to protect themselves.

Chen highlights that there are various types of fraud that have become apparent as a result of the adoption of digital services and one of these is smishing.

“Similar to phishing, when an email requests the recipient to click on a link, whereby they are asked to enter sensitive information, smishing is done via SMS. This is to obtain personal information such as passwords, ID numbers and bank card details.”

Financial institutions must ensure that their messages are trusted and encrypted, says Chen. “Any links used should be de-anonymised and not hidden behind generic shortened URLs. Businesses must use link shortening services that verify links with the sender (i.e., yourbank. mo.biz).”

“More and more, consumers are demanding that financial services operate more like top technology brands — and the pressure is on to meet these heightened expectations. Ultimately, with increased operations taking place digitally, it is vital for digital banks to ensure that they are effectively and safely communicating with customers to improve trust and uptake of online services — easily managed through a trusted SMS,” he concludes.

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School and campus security: the challenges and solutions in 2021 “Far from being a haven for learning and community, school can be a place of bullying, sexual harassment, corporal punishment, verbal abuse and other forms of violence.” — UNICEF

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orldwide, school and campus security systems are under increasing pressure to identify and prevent wide-ranging criminality that includes shootings, stabbings, sexual predation, robbery, kidnapping, rape, bullying, arson and cybercrime, while at the same time trying to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to UNICEF: • Half of the world’s students aged 13-15 (about 150 million) report experiencing peer-to-peer violence in and around school.

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• Slightly more than one in three students between the ages of 13 and 15 experience bullying, and about the same proportion are involved in physical fights.

• Around 720 million school-aged children live in countries where they are not fully protected by law from corporal punishment at school.

• Between 2005 and 2020, the United Nations (UN) verified more than 13,900 incidents of attacks, including direct attacks or attacks where there has not been adequate distinction between civilian and military objectives, on educational and medical facilities and

protected persons, including pupils and hospitalised children, and health and school personnel.

South African educational facilities, from primary schools to colleges and universities, are facing the same challenges, exacerbated in many instances by limited budgets and legacy systems.

According to The Conversation, one in five children are victims of sexual abuse in South Africa, and while statistics are difficult to come by and probably “seriously under-reported”, it estimates that 22.2 percent of the country’s school children have been victims of violence.

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In 2019, the ‘deeply concerned’ The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) launched the ‘I Am A School Fan’ campaign against school violence, which was given a major boost on 30 August this year, following its partnering with Old Mutual, Brand South Africa and UNICEF. Mugwena Maluleka, General Secretary of SADTU, says the focal point is to address the prevalence of violence – which exists on many levels – within schools.

The ‘I Am a School Fan’ campaign highlights various forms of violence, including violence between teachers, teachers committing violence against learners, learner-on-learner violence, and learner violence towards teachers in the immediate school environment; and violence committed in schools by community members in the broader environment. Added to this is that South Africa is one of the very few countries where communities destroy schools when protesting external issues such as service delivery,” SADTU says.

“All of these issues are classified as violence in schools. In 2019, we sat for our ninth congress, where members agreed that they want us to fight back against violence and mobilise all sectors of society with a positive message. It needed a name that would also contribute to that positive message, hence the birth of ‘I Am a School Fan’,” says Maluleka. “We want to work on what we understand South Africa’s psyche to be. South Africans are sports fanatics and sport has often been a great unifier. We want to harness this and use it as a message that supports education with the same passion that one would support their favourite team”.

He adds: “Covid has made us more mobilised as communities. The launch is well timed as this is the time when communities are banding together,

“…many educational institutions adopted a position of continuing studies despite a lack of technical support, claiming that computers have only recently become part of the educational process, and that staff are perfectly capable of teaching pupils without them.”

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following the upheaval of lockdown.

We need each other more than ever. We need to instil mechanisms where there is recourse. For example, if a teacher administers corporal punishment, it needs to be reported and dealt with. An awareness must also be created of steps to take when these issues arrive. It’s all very well to hear the message, but then what? Initially, the main purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness of what each stakeholder should and shouldn’t do.

We are communicating the message that, ‘as a stakeholder, you should not do this’ etcetera. And ‘as a stakeholder, you MUST do this’ etcetera. We are embarking on a social media campaign to reach education workers, which will offer support and recourse for everyone, not just SADTU members.”

Bullying in all its forms School violence and bullying – including cyberbullying – is so widespread that UNESCO Member States have declared the first Thursday of November as the ‘International Day against Violence and Bullying at School Including Cyberbullying’.

“This year we will mark the International Day on Thursday 4 November 2021 under the theme ‘Tackling cyberbullying and other forms of online violence involving children and young people’, UNESCO says. “As countries are responding to Covid-19 at varying stages, the lives and education of children and young people across the

world have increasingly moved online.

For example, compared to the prior year, childrens’ screen time had doubled in the USA by May 2020, and while online access presents opportunities for connection and learning, it is also increasingly putting children and young people at the risk of online violence.”

Though global data is limited, it points out, ‘evidence shows that cyberbullying has been on the rise in various regions during the pandemic. Although online violence is not limited to school premises, the education system has an important role to play in addressing online safety, digital citizenship, and technology use.

Formal education can and should play a key role in providing children and young people with the knowledge and skills to identify online violence and protect themselves from its different forms, whether perpetrated by peers or adults.’

Cybersecurity tips for schools and campuses Bethwel Opil, Enterprise Sales Manager, Kaspersky in Africa, says that the first half of 2020 saw cyberattacks against educational resources grow by at least 350 percent when compared to the corresponding period of 2019. “And while distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks were the most significant, phishing pages and emails exploiting popular online learning platforms also gained significant momentum.”

He adds: “Kaspersky research found that the most targeted entities in

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2019 were educational organisations, accounting for approximately 61 percent of all attacks. And even though some colleges had to cancel classes, many educational institutions adopted a position of continuing studies despite a lack of technical support, claiming that computers have only recently become part of the educational process, and that staff are perfectly capable of teaching pupils without them.”

Fast forward to today, with the Covid-19 pandemic, he continues, and the situation has become even more dire. “During the hard lockdown months (and even immediately following them), many schools, universities, and other institutions of learning embraced digital tools to keep classes going. However, this has also made them fair game for increasingly sophisticated attackers looking to exploit systems that may not be as secure as the more traditional organisations.”

Now, more than ever, he urges, schools and campuses need to implement and adhere to best practices in order to safeguard their young charges.

Opil’s best practices include: • Learning about the tools they are using “Whether it is a video conferencing tool or messaging app, educators and students must understand how best to use them, especially in a classroom environment.”

• Understanding the rules “This works at any business or institution. Users must know what services are prohibited, as they might cause a security compromise.”

• Being password sensitive “Setting a unique password for each service might sound like a chore, but it is essential, especially if an often-used password is compromised. Fortunately, there are many high-quality password managers available to help keep track, such as Kaspersky Password Manager.”

• Spotting potential phishing attacks “Learners and educators alike would do well to know how to identify a phishing attack. Phishing sites and emails often contain errors, misaligned layouts, and broken links.

• Securing all devices “Every connected device must have reliable cybersecurity protection installed. Anti-ransomware and anti-phishing solutions can help protect systems against even the most sophisticated attacks.”

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Ettiene van der Watt.

Universities today, Smart Cities tomorrow “Not only are public-private partnerships necessary for a Smart City, but universities may also turn into a key factor for the development of innovative projects and improvement in the quality of life,” says Ettiene van der Watt, Regional Director — Middle East & Africa at Axis. “Universities can bring great benefits to the entire process, as proving grounds for Smart Cities innovation and as places where students may offer their own ideas, and work on them to contribute to making cities smarter.”

This synergy between city institutions, corporate players and academic entities has the potential to provide opportunities within a smart city system, he avers.

“Around the world there are a lot of best practices to take as an example of successful public-private partnerships.

For instance, the University of Adelaide’s Australian Smart Cities Consortium develops projects in cooperation with experts from universities, local governments, and companies in order to improve the quality of life for its citizens.

The Amsterdam Smart City, a project led by citizens, companies and institutions collaborating to provide solutions to improve and solve everyday issues, focusing on main topics such as energy management, digital transformation, and mobility, is another excellent example, as is the Bologna Smart City project of the municipality, the university and the Aster consortium working together to create a context capable of facing future challenges in crucial sectors for the

Morne Grobler. community, like safe neighbourhoods, sustainable mobility, cultural heritage, health, and education.”

Protecting students and staff in an open city campus King’s College London (KCL), based in the centre of London, needed to upgrade its security system to keep all areas secure and mitigate the threat of terrorism, a concern for the entity, which has five campuses and various student residences in the city.

“KCL was using a variety of access control products to manage security across multiple campuses,” says Morne Grobler, Gallagher Group Operations Officer in Africa. “Its key requirement was a standardised access control system that could operate college-wide and be scaled to include new builds.”

To this end, Gallagher added an access control component to the College’s existing system, which included staff and student databases, and sources for cardholder information. The system provides daily updates on joiners, movers, and leavers, allows for the creation of ID cards for new students, provides access to designated areas for students and staff and allows for the control of lighting.

“When there are alerts, the university’s security services can now consult a single system and react quickly,” says Mr Grobler. Fewer system failures, better decision-making between estates and libraries, and easier card management — all key requirements for campuses the world over.

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notified, further unburdening reception staff. Guests can show a QR code or secure digital pass on their phone at reception or self-register on a kiosk. Combining cloud-based visitor systems with kiosks also enriches the visitor journey. Whether free-standing or desk-mounted, these easy-to-use devices speed up check-in and free up staff. Contact-free operation ensures hygienic usage for greater physical protection. And being completely customisable, they may be configured to display practical information like maps or marketing content, turning them into a useful communications tool.”

DB Databac Connect LOOP card.

Visitor management “Universities face a unique set of challenges when it comes to visitor management,” says Charles Balcomb, CEO of Databac. “Designed to be easily accessible and welcoming, campuses are open to the public, with multiple points of entry. They often contain a number of different buildings. What’s more, they have to deal with thousands of visitors a year.

Besides individual guests, many visitors arrive in large groups for events such as open days, business conferences and tours in general. Adding to the complexity, some universities make their facilities available for corporate events and most have short-term contractors on their payroll.”

It’s not surprising that visitor control at many universities has not progressed beyond visitor books at reception, he adds. “While access control systems are used for non-public areas, these are rarely flexible enough to handle the requirements for short or short-term visits. The lack of legacy systems has an upside, however. Universities are able to embrace new solutions from scratch, as advances in mobile technology mean that their requirements may now be neatly addressed.”

First and foremost, among these criteria, is security. “If visitors are to be allowed into non-public areas, credentials must work with existing access control readers or turnstiles.”

Also critical is the speed of registration, he continues. “When dealing with large numbers of visitors, check-in must be seamless, to avoid queues and prevent people from blocking entry points.

The discrepancy in visitor numbers – anywhere from one to hundreds – means

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any system must be scalable.”

Embracing the cloud Cloud-based systems can be combined with standard office systems and mobile technology to create intuitive solutions that are secure, flexible, and easy to use, says Balcomb. Citing the recent adoption of such systems at the Universities of Derby and Staffordshire in the UK, he says that they allow staff to make appointments from anywhere, without any integration issues. “Invites may be sent, and credentials issued, using familiar programs like Microsoft Office 365,” he explains, adding: “Multiple registrations for events are easily handled by importing text or CSV files, complete with personal details, parking requirements, car number plates and other relevant data.”

The systems also allow for all preliminary security and health and safety checks to be carried out before arrival to speed up the onboarding process.

Mobile and physical credentials Included in the credentials of cloud-based visitor systems are digital visitor passes, which may be stored on mobile phones, for the whole visit or until a visitor pass is collected on site, either as a printed pass, self-expiring visitor label or access card, says Balcomb.

If rewritable cards are used, visitor cards are able to be printed, erased, and reprinted up to 500 times, personalisable with visitor and other information, he notes, and – depending on the system used – the cards may contain the corresponding reading technology to allow controlled access to appropriate areas.

“On arrival, hosts are automatically

Data analytics The inclusion of a data analytics component is ideal for multi-tenanted campuses, says Balcomb. Not only does it store visitor details safely in the cloud, but it also provides a dashboard overview of visitor numbers, peak visitor flows, and in emergencies, it provides an instant view of who is in the building, with no dependence on on-site servers or physical visitor logs.

Conclusion “Every child has the right to go to school, free from fear,” says UNICEF. “When schools provide quality, inclusive and safe education, children are able to learn, build friendships and gain the critical skills they need to navigate social situations. In the best circumstances, school puts children on the path to a promising future.”

Contributors: UNICEF https://www.unicef.org The Conversation https://theconversation.com/africa SADTU http://www.sadtu.org.za/ UNESCO https://en.unesco.org Kaspersky www.kaspersky.co.za Axis https://www.axis.com Databac www.databac.com Gallagher https://security.gallagher.com/

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ARTIFICIAL COMPLIANCY INTELLIGENCE

Artificial intelligence is critical enabler of the energy transition, study finds • Artificial intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to accelerate and support the global energy transition • It can act as an intelligent layer across many applications to identify patterns, improve system performance, and predict outcomes of complex situations • However, some leading energy and technology experts say there are several key barriers preventing AI from being adopted rapidly or at global scale • New report highlights the technology’s potential to support the energy transition and establishes a set of principles for the energy industry to deploy AI in a safe, fair, and trustworthy way From https://weforum.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6308fe51b420dc9ff3834abc8&id=bba634dcdc&e=3b45597252.

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he World Economic Forum has published a new study on how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to accelerate a more equitable energy transition and build trust for the technology throughout the industry.

As the impacts of climate change become more visible worldwide, governments and industry face the urgent challenge of transitioning to a low-carbon global energy system.

Digital technologies – particularly AI – are key enablers for this transition and have the potential to deliver the energy sector’s climate goals more rapidly and at lower cost.

Written in collaboration with

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BloombergNEF and Deutsche EnergieAgentur (dena) – the German Energy Agency, Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Accelerate the Energy Transition reviews the state of play of AI adoption in the energy sector, identifies high-priority applications of AI in the energy transition, and offers a road map and practical recommendations for the energy and AI industries to maximize AI’s benefits.

The report finds that AI has the potential to create substantial value for the global energy transition. Based on BNEF’s net-zero scenario modelling, every 1 percent of additional efficiency in demand creates $1.3 trillion in value between 2020 and

2050 due to reduced investment needs.

AI could achieve this by enabling greater energy efficiency and flexing demand.

“AI is already making its mark on many parts of society and the economy. In energy, we are only seeing the beginning of what AI can do to speed up the transition to the low-emissions, ultraefficient and interconnected energy systems we need tomorrow. This report shows the potential and what it will take to unlock it – guided by principles that span how to govern, design and enable responsible use of AI in energy.

Governments and companies can collectively create a real tipping point in using AI for a faster energy transition,”

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ARTIFICIAL COMPLIANCY INTELLIGENCE

said Roberto Bocca, Head of Energy, World Economic Forum.

“As dena, we have been focusing on digital technologies for years. Especially with our ‘Future Energy Lab’ we are boosting artificial intelligence projects. AI is an essential technology for the energy transition since it will provide the glue to connect the different sectors (power, heat, mobility and industry) and serve as digital technology to effectively monitor systems and processes. To efficiently control the energy system of the future, which will be very volatile due to renewable energies, such agent-based control will play an overarching role,” said Andreas Kuhlmann, Chief Executive Officer, dena.

High priority applications for how AI can accelerate the transition to low-carbon energy future include: 1. Identifying patterns and insights in data to increase efficiency and savings: According to BNEF’s net-zero scenarios, fully decarbonising the global energy system will require between $92 trillion and $173 trillion of investments in energy infrastructure between 2020 and 2050. Even single-digit percentage gains in flexibility, efficiency, or capacity in clean energy and low-carbon infrastructure systems can therefore lead to trillions of dollars in value and savings.

2. Coordinating power systems with growing shares of renewable energy: As electricity supplies more sectors and applications, the power

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sector is becoming the core pillar of the global energy supply. Ramping up renewable energy deployment to decarbonise the globally expanding power sector will mean more power is supplied by intermittent sources (such as solar and wind), creating a need for better forecasting, greater coordination, and more flexible consumption to ensure that power grids can be operated safely and reliably.

3. Managing complex, decentralized energy systems at scale: The transition to low-carbon energy systems is driving the rapid growth of distributed power generation, distributed storage, and advanced demand response capabilities, which will need to be orchestrated and integrated into much more networked, transactional power grids.

Navigating these opportunities presents huge strategic and operational challenges for energy-intensive sectors and energy systems themselves, just as they are undergoing once-in-a-lifetime digital transformations. AI can act as an intelligent layer across many applications and has the ability to identify patterns and insights in data, ‘learn’ lessons accurately and improve system performance over time, and predict and model possible outcomes for complex, multivariate situations.

Recent efforts to deploy AI in the energy sector have proven promising but innovation and adoption remain limited.

AI holds far greater potential to accelerate

the global energy transition but it will only be realised if there is greater AI innovation, adoption and collaboration across the industry. To address this, the white paper establishes a set of principles to help industry govern and scale AI technology in a rapid, safe and fair manner.

“One of the key findings from our workshops was that whilst we could identify many tangible opportunities for AI in the energy transition, there was a real need for a set of common guiding principles to make these opportunities scalable. These principles should ideally create a framework that enables multiple stakeholder groups to work together effectively, on a pre-defined set of activities from governance, to design, to enabling infrastructure. They will enable us to move past the many ‘proofs of concept’ projects towards successful large-scale implementation of solutions,” said Jon Moore, Chief Executive Officer, BloombergNEF. The nine principles cited in the report aim to build industry trust in AI technologies so that they can play a greater role in the energy transition. As AI tools are increasingly adopted across energy and energy-intensive sectors, companies and policy makers must play an active role in governing and shaping the use of AI in the energy sector, establishing best practices for designing AI systems in a responsible way, and creating an enabling environment to unlock the full potential of AI technologies.

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SPECIAL FEATURE WELLBEING

South Africans increasingly changing attitudes of social media in favour of balanced wellness Kaspersky launches meditation course to help promote digital wellbeing.

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ccording to a new Kaspersky study, 78 percent of people surveyed for South Africa are changing their attitude towards social media, due to its potential negative impact on mental health. As achieving a digital balance becomes a priority for more people, Kaspersky has partnered with Neil Tranter, a mindfulness teacher, to develop a dedicated meditation course: ‘Overcoming digital stress and smartphone addiction’ that provides users with the right knowledge and tools to navigate their digital lives more mindfully.

Finding the right balance between the positive and negative effects of technology and social media continues to be a problem for many people. In fact, 39 percent of local respondents don’t feel in control and are unaware of their social media limits, and 30 percent experience negative emotions, which can lead to increased levels of stress and anxiety.

Kaspersky believes digital wellbeing should be on everybody’s radar. In the spirit of this, the company has partnered with Neil Tranter, who has over 15 years of meditation practice and is trained in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), to launch a course that includes a wealth of techniques to help users reevaluate their relationship with technology so that they can enjoy the benefits and find a better balance.

“As we come out of the global pandemic, our human world has become permanently and inextricably linked with technology. And it’s taking its toll on our wellbeing. Constantly exposed to

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emails, social media updates, AI (artificial intelligence) generated news feeds and smart phone notifications, our minds are becoming ever-more fragmented and exhausted. Now is the time to take the power back. Join us for this course on overcoming digital stress and smartphone addiction. Learn about the psychological techniques that are used to distract us and develop mindfulness skills to take back control of your attention and make healthier choices about how you spend your time,” says Tranter.

Kaspersky research shows that people are already taking proactive steps to develop healthier digital habits, with 45 percent of local respondents saying they limit or reduce their time spent on social media.

Another important trend that is growing is the use of meditation apps. According to Insight Timer, free meditation app for a community of 19 million, in March 2020, app downloads increased by 100 percent worldwide, and by the end of the year meditation minutes had increased over 30 percent from the year before to six billion.

The meditation course ‘Overcoming digital stress and smartphone addiction’ is aimed at helping people develop a more nourishing relationship with technology, learn practical approaches to working with technology cravings and smartphone separation anxiety, and offers advice on how to fill pauses in your day with mindfulness rather than constantly checking devices.

The course explains how our use of social media is habit forming, explores the neuroscience of FOMO (fear of missing out) and explains how comparing yourself

to others on social media can trigger the ‘inner critic’, as well as providing selfcompassion techniques to help deal with such feelings.

The course also includes a special bonus lesson dedicated to the challenges of remote working, aimed at helping people develop healthy work habits and a better work-life balance. The session was developed by Kaspersky human resources professionals and Neil Tranter.

“As technology becomes integrated into every aspect of our lives, it is important to better understand how people interact with it and the way it influences their overall wellbeing. With this goal in mind, we reached out to Neil Tranter, who is a software engineer and mindfulness teacher with first-hand experience working in the technology industry. He understands perfectly how technology influences our mental health. The meditation course we’re launching in partnership with Neil, explains how we can leverage our efforts to achieve better digital balance. The special session on remote work will help people reflect on the way they work, identify unhealthy patterns that are preventing them from achieving the right work life balance and change their daily routines. This course will be a valuable addition to the Cyber Spa platform that we launched earlier this year, to help both our employees and external audiences relax and take breaks during their busy days,” says Marina Alekseeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Kaspersky.

The meditation course ‘Overcoming digital stress and smartphone addiction’ is available for free at Kaspersky’s Cyber Spa platform where users can enjoy it at their own pace, revisiting lessons they find most helpful.

Kaspersky Digital Wellbeing Hub At Kaspersky, we believe that technology and innovation should improve our lives and strengthen our mental welfare – not harm it. We bring users peace of mind by protecting them with our solutions and services, and to assist them further, we have created the Kaspersky Digital Wellbeing Hub to help them develop positive digital habits and live their best digital life. At the website, users can find resources that will help them stay protected from doxing and tips on how to share personal information wisely online, as well as how to set up social media account, keep their privacy safe, and reduce digital stress. Learn more at www.kaspersky. com/blog/digitalwellbeing/

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INDUSTRY FOCUS

New UNISA security journal is inviting submissions from SA’s security industry

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he journal, managed by Unisa Press at UNISA (University of South Africa), will be publishing peer-reviewed articles and papers that report on and analyse the latest research and innovation in the field of security studies.

Seeking to address broader societal issues of importance as well as the law, safety and security of citizens and criminal justice-related topics, researchers and other commentators are

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invited to participate by submitting scientific articles, editorials, book reviews, and other relevant pieces.

Articles, which will be double blind peer-reviewed should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words (maximum) in length.

Authors are required to first register at https://www.upjournals.co.za/index.php/sajs, where they may then submit their articles.

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PERSONALITY PROFILE COMPLIANCY

He has never wavered from his commitment to building ‘trust, compassion and peace, not only in South Africa, but globally’

Archbishop Desmond Tutu Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Emeritus, founding Chair of The Elders, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, social justice champion, anti-apartheid activist, father and husband, Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu has just celebrated yet another milestone in an incredible life: his 90th birthday.

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escribed as one of the most joyful people on the planet in ‘The Book of Joy’ by Douglas Adams Abrams, the Arch, as he is fondly known, was born in Klerksdorp in South Africa’s North-West Province in 1931.

His life and works are meticulously recorded on the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation website as follows:

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Tutu attended Western High School near Sophiatown, during which time he contracted TB (tuberculosis). Studying by candlelight during the apartheid era, he matriculated in 1950 and was then accepted at the Witwatersrand Medical School. Without the necessary finances, however, he decided to pursue a career in teaching at the Bantu Normal College near Pretoria, effectively following in his

father’s footsteps.

Once qualified, Tutu secured a teaching post at Madipane High. The year was 1954, the same year in which the Bantu Education Act went into effect, according to Britannica.com, which notes that the act ‘governed the education of Black South African – called Bantu by the then-country’s government – children’ and ‘was part of the government’s system of apartheid, which sanctioned racial segregation and discrimination against non-white people.’

While studying for his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of South Africa (UNISA), Tutu met Robert Managliso Sobukwe, the first president of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). In 1955, he married Nomalizo Leah Shenxane, and started teaching at Munsieville High School, where his father was still the headmaster. Three years later, however, Tutu resigned in protest against a ‘corrupted educational system’.

From 1958 to 1962, his career path expanded to joining the priesthood. After enrolling at St Peter’s Theological College in Rosettenville, and achieving two distinctions, he was awarded a licensee in Theology, became a deacon at St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg and took up his first curacy at St Albans Church in Benoni.

By the time he was ordained as a priest in 1961, he and Leah were parents to three children. After being awarded a bursary to study at King’s College in the UK and a scholarship by the World Council of Churches (WCC), Tutu and his family relocated to London where he went on to complete his Honour’s and Master’s degrees in 1966.

The ensuing years, once back in South Africa, saw him rise from lecturer to Anglican Chaplain to Dean, during which time he added his voice to the antiapartheid movement.

He spent time as a lecturer at the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, before returning to the UK, where he was appointed Associate Director of Africa of the Theological Education Fund in London.

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In 1975, Tutu and his family returned to South Africa. He became the first Black Anglican Dean of Johannesburg and the Rector of St Mary’s Cathedral Parish, also in Johannesburg — positions that allowed him to pursue his anti-apartheid stance.

A year later, on 16 June 1976, an uprising began in Soweto and spread around the country, in response to the Afrikaans language being enforced in schools. The Soweto Uprising ‘profoundly changed the sociopolitical landscape in South Africa’, according to SAHistory, with the number of people killed by police estimated to be anywhere from 176 to 700. In response, Tutu threw his weight behind the Soweto Parents Crisis Committee, which was established in the aftermath of the killings.

On 11 July 1976, Tutu was consecrated as a Bishop of Lesotho and then on 1 March 1978 took up the post of General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC). His continued criticism against apartheid led to his passport being withdrawn. Eighteen months later, he and Leah were issued with limited travel documents that allowed them to travel to the USA. While in America in 1984, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his untiring championing of the anti-apartheid movement — the second Black South African to be listed as a Nobel Laureate after Albert Luthuli.

Back home again, after serving as Bishop of Johannesburg for 18 months, he took up the position of Archbishop of Cape Town in September 1986 — the first black person to lead the Anglican Church of the Province of Southern Africa.

In 1988, Bishop Tutu was appointed as the Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape.

Then, in 1990, a year after his election to the position of State President of South Africa, FW De Klerk unbanned the ANC and other political parties, and announced his intention to release Nelson Mandela from prison.

On 19 April 1993, Chris Hani, leader of the South African Communist Party, was murdered by right-wingers. At his funeral, Tutu urged mourners to chant with him: “We will be free! All of us! Black and white together!”

Nelson Mandela subsequently went on to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president on 27 April 1994, the first elections in which Tutu had ever voted. Following the elections, the Truth and Reconciliation

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Commission (TRC) was established, and Tutu accepted President Mandela’s request to chair it. He retired from the Church in 1996 to focus solely on the TRC — he was later named Archbishop Emeritus and awarded The Order for Meritorious Service (Gold) for his outstanding service to the country.

Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, Tutu underwent successful treatment in America, all the while continuing his work with the TRC. He subsequently became patron of the South African Prostate Cancer Foundation, wrote a book titled: No Future Without Forgiveness and helped form The Elders, an independent group of global leaders working together for peace, justice and human rights. His unflagging commitment to promoting peace throughout the world was formally recognised by US President Barack Obama in 2009, who bestowed on him the country’s highest civilian honour: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In May 2013, the Archbishop announced that he would no longer vote for the ANC, saying that while the party was ‘very good at leading us in the struggle to be free from oppression’, it had done a ‘poor job in countering inequality, violence, and corruption in South Africa.’ He also denounced the memorials held for Mandela after the President’s death in December 2013, saying they had given too much prominence to the ANC, that Afrikaners had been marginalised from them and that he believed Mandela would have been appalled by this.

Also in 2013, the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation was established, its mission to use Desmond and Leah Tutu’s ‘rich archival heritage to promote learning, leadership and dialogue through research and development, archival digitisation, museum design and curation and programmes and events.’

To carry forward the work of the Arch, his foundation has launched the 90@90 campaign, to raise R90 million by 6 October 2022. People may support this by going to https://tutu.org.za/getinvolved and donating amounts such as R90, R900 or R9000.

Outspoken as ever, the 90-year-old continues to criticise the South African government over the loss of its moral compass and publicly condemns immoral behaviour throughout the world. He has also never wavered from his commitment to building ‘trust, compassion and peace, not only in South Africa, but globally’.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Child victims and Alternative Dispute Resolution Confidentiality is one of the basic principles of mediation, meaning that information disclosed during the mediation process may not be used as evidence for or against any of the participants. But there are exceptions to this rule.

By Laurie Greyvenstein/Social Justice Foundation.

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specially in cases where divorce and family disputes submit to mediation, mediators must be observant for allegations of child abuse. Children and the elderly are classified as vulnerable groups in South Africa. The South African Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005 defines a child as a person under the age of 18 years. According to the latest population estimates, 38 percent of the country’s population is legally defined as children. Crimes committed against children are seen as an aggravating factor when it comes to sentence. The principle of ‘the best interest of the child’ is well established in our law. Courts and law enforcement agencies will not easily divert away from

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this principle unless exceptional circumstances exist. Cases involving any form of child abuse are not appropriate for Alternative Dispute Resolution, including mediation. In such cases, there is a legal duty to suspend or terminate mediation and to report such abuse to the relevant authorities.

An estimated 500,000 cases of crimes against children are reported annually.

These statistics are estimated to be at least nine times lower than the actual number.

Children are subjected to a full spectrum of abuse, including verbal, physical, emotional and sexual abuse. In mediation of cases where abuse of children is alleged, the confidentiality aspect must be addressed differently. In terms of the

Magistrate’s Court Rules, a mediator must inform the parties that all discussions and disclosures, whether oral or written, made during the mediation session are confidential and inadmissible as evidence in any court, save for those that are included in a settlement agreement or are otherwise discoverable in terms of the rules of court or ordered by a court.

The legislative framework for the reporting of crimes against children 1. International Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 19 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child compels signatory states, of which

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South Africa is one, to ‘take all appropriate social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation including sexual abuse’.

Article 19(2) of the Convention makes it clear that measures used to protect children need to be protective and preventive and should encompass the identification, reporting, referral, investigation and treatment of child abuse.

Article 16 of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child echoes the obligations set out in the UN Convention. The Charter obligates the African Union (AU) and its signatories to establish special monitoring units and to provide the necessary support for the abused child and his/her caretakers.

2. South African legislation Section 28(1)(d) of the South African Constitution explicitly addresses the rights of children and affords them specific protection. ‘Every child has the right to be protected from maltreatment, neglect, abuse and/or degradation’.

Section 110 of the Children’s Act No. 38 of 2005, specifically deals with the protection of children and resonates with the UN Convention and the AU Charter on the protection of children’s rights.

Mandatory reporting of child abuse in South Africa Section 110 of the Children’s Amendment Act compels certain professional sectors to report any child abuse, neglect or maltreatment that is suspected – on reasonable grounds – to a designated child protection organisation, the provincial department of social development or a police official. If the reporting is done in good faith and substantiated to the relevant authorities, the professionals responsible will not be held liable to civil claims as a result of their reporting.

The Department of Social Development must assess and further manage the situation in the best interests of the child.

Section 54 of the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act compels ‘[a] person’ who knows or who has a ‘reasonable belief or suspicion’ of any form of sexual abuse against a child or mentally challenged individual to report

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it to a police official. If such reporting is done in good faith, the person reporting cannot be held liable in criminal or civil proceedings.

Who must report?

Section 110 of the Children’s Amendment Act mandates ‘Any correctional official, dentist, homeopath, immigration official, labour inspector, legal practitioner, medical practitioner, midwife, minister of religion, nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist, religious leader, social service professional, social worker, speech therapist, teacher, traditional health practitioner, traditional leader or member of staff or volunteer worker at a partial care facility, drop-in centre or child and youth care centre’ to report when they suspect that a child has been abused ‘in a manner causing physical injury, sexually abused or deliberately neglected’.

Ordinary citizens are given the discretion to report abuse but are not compelled to do so in terms of Section 110. Mediators are not mentioned here. Many family mediators are social service professionals or lawyers, but what about those who are none of these categories? The Sexual Offences Act compels all citizens who are aware of the sexual exploitation of children to report the offence to the police.

Who must they report to?

Section 110(1) of the Children’s Amendment Act stipulates that suspected child abuse must be reported to child protection organisations, the provincial department of social development or the police.

When must the reporting be done?

Section 110 of the Children’s Amendment Act implies that reporting of the suspicion of abuse must be done as soon as the suspicion is formed on reasonable grounds.

The reporting of a sexual offence must be done ‘immediately’ according to section 54(1)(a) of the Sexual Offences Act. ‘Immediately’ can be interpreted as on becoming aware of the sexual abuse or when there is a reasonable suspicion of abuse of a sexual nature.

The ‘good faith’ principle Both acts state that the reporting must be done in ‘good faith’. The ‘good faith’ principle is an internationally recognised

common-law duty to act honestly, openly and with conscientious impartiality. The person reporting must report his/her belief of wrongdoing without any malicious/ spiteful intent.

The ‘good faith’ standard is measured objectively against standards of decency and fairness set by the community and not against the individual’s subjective beliefs of impartiality.

What constitutes reasonable grounds for suspicion/reasonable belief of suspicion?

South African courts have interpreted the phrases ‘reasonable grounds for suspicion/ reasonable belief of suspicion’ in several judgments relating to the Criminal Procedure Act. It refers to the reason one believes a certain set of facts, whereas ‘facts’ refers to information obtained from one’s senses.

The courts, however, apply a measure of objectivity to ascertain whether the grounds for believing a set of facts are reasonable. In terms of the Sexual Offences Act, reporting can also be based on the ‘disclosure’ of the victim.

Liability Reporting, when supported by a set of facts and done without any malicious intent, will not give rise to any claims of liability. The person reporting will not be held liable for damages under these conditions, even if it is ascertained that there is no abuse or neglect of any kind.

Accountability Professionals, and particularly healthcare professionals, may be held accountable for not reporting abuse of children under the conditions described above. According to the Health Professions Act No. 56 of 1974, the HPCSA may order a fine or a suspension or remove a member’s name from the register in the case of a guilty finding. In terms of section 54(b) of the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Act, failure to report sexual abuse or exploitation of children and mentally handicapped persons is deemed an offence and is punishable with a fine or imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both, if the person is found guilty.

Contact details Cellphone: 084 507 4354

084 513 6464

064 800 3975 Website: www.socialjustice.co.za info@socialjustice.co.za E-mail:

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COMPLIANCY ISS

South Africa’s mixed messages on procurement corruption Despite new revelations of mega-public sector corruption, delays in adopting the Public Procurement Bill persist.

By Richard Chelin, who works for the INSTITUTE FOR SECURITY STUDIES (ISS). Article was first published by ISS TODAY, https://issafrica.org/iss-today/south-africas-mixed-messages-on-procurement-corruption

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outh Africa desperately needs laws to stop procurement corruption. Recent revelations by Daily Maverick/Scorpio of the R150 million Digital Vibes scandal involving contracts related to the government’s fight against COVID-19 underscore this.

On 1 September, South Africa’s Special Investigating Unit (SIU) told Parliament that government expenditure related to COVID-19 from April 2020 to June 2021 totalled R138.8 billion, of which R14.8 billion was being investigated for procurement irregularities. This did not include the Digital Vibes saga. And that

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hefty sum reported by the SIU is just the tip of South Africa’s procurement corruption iceberg.

So when the Public Procurement Bill was tabled in Parliament in February 2020, it was received with optimism.

While it is a long overdue step, the bill’s year-and-a-half delay doesn’t inspire confidence that those responsible for procurement are in a hurry to see it passed.

The first major procurement scandal in democratic South Africa was the 1999 Arms Deal that saw R30 billion of defence equipment purchased. Since then, a litany of graft cases has cost the

economy many billions in taxpayers’ money. Testifying at the Zondo Commission, National Treasury’s acting chief procurement officer Willie Mathebula noted that in 2017 more than 50% of the annual R800 billion procurement budget was lost due to intentional abuse of the system.

The bill’s year-anda-half delay doesn’t inspire confidence that government is in a hurry to see it passed securityfocusafrica.com

COMPLIANCY ISS

ensure accountability.

Although South Africa’s bill is in line with UNCAC and includes some elements of transparency, it is vague on the accessibility of procurement information and public involvement. Article 9 (d) refers broadly to a new post of public procurement regulator, which will ‘develop and implement measures to ensure transparency in the procurement process and promote public involvement in the procurement policies of institutions.’

In 2017, 50% of the R800 billion procurement budget was lost due to intentional abuse of the system

When it was tabled, many government and civil society stakeholders pointed out several problems with the new Public Procurement Bill. These no doubt account for the ongoing delays in finalising the draft.

Article 9 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) emphasises that to prevent corruption, procurement systems should be based on transparency, competition and objective criteria. Laws should be passed in line with the convention.

Transparency is the most important element as it enables integrity throughout the process. Open tendering and information on procedures for evaluation, award, review or bid challenges are vital. Accountability must underline all decisions taken in procurement.

UNCAC highlights the importance of free, accurate and accessible information.

This may not be possible when national security is at stake, as in the case of defence procurement. Governments should nonetheless distribute information timeously on each step and enable civil society and especially the media to

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Civil society submissions on the draft highlighted concerns that must be resolved before its adoption. These include addressing several confidentiality clauses and updating terminological loopholes that officials could exploit. The lack of provisions for dealing with transgressions and providing the capacity to set up a regulatory framework are also problems.

Since the 30 June 2020 deadline for public comments, the bill has undergone several reviews and discussions in Parliament. Many concerns raised by members echoed those of civil society organisations. And while legislation cannot reasonably be expected to cover all challenges presented, the comments must be considered before signing the bill into law.

When passed, the new legislation alone cannot be expected to solve South Africa’s procurement challenges. The country already has numerous policies and laws on procurement in municipalities and provinces, and National Treasury regulations – yet billions of rand are still lost. Without a functional criminal justice system or a culture of government officials holding their colleagues to account, the problem will persist.

A key reason is the failure to follow procurement systems. The SIU suggests that certain ‘influential’ provincial government officials don’t trust national government’s procurement processes.

They’re seen as creating unfair monopolies in the public sector that

exclude local and provincial black empowerment companies and small businesses. It seems more likely that these officials want to control the process for personal and political reasons rather than to ensure ‘fair’ opportunities.

The bill is in line with UNCAC but is vague on the accessibility of information and public involvement Another reason is the failure of government departments and law enforcement to adequately investigate irregularities and prosecute cases where evidence of criminality exists. As the SIU further notes: ‘Some staff in the State institutions appear to have been held responsible for the irregularities relating to the PPE procurement instead of Senior Management or Executive Authorities.’

Laws and procedures can only stop corruption if they’re adhered to or when the failure to do so leads to consequences for those responsible. This raises the critical question of how to create a culture of ethics, integrity and accountability in the public service.

Sending a message to errant senior managers or government ministers either through prosecution or dismissal, as dictated by public sector legislation, is critical.

The SIU says departments routinely ignore its recommendations to take disciplinary action against officials implicated in financial irregularities. And very few who are disciplined are dismissed. One option may be to make it an offence if a department doesn’t act on SIU recommendations without good cause.

Regarding ethics and integrity, public officials need to understand the policies and laws governing their work. This would help prevent them from being made scapegoats or bypassing procurement processes based on directives from their superiors.

The Public Procurement Bill is a long overdue step in the right direction. But government and civil society’s concerns – notably the need for transparency and the lack of capacity to establish key features mentioned in the bill – may mean that South Africans have to wait even longer to see it enacted.

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CYBER SECURITY

Managing the hybrid workplace — what CISOs need to know The impact of Covid-19 has rippled through the way we work, socialise, learn and shop forever. On a global scale, a growing number of organisations are embracing remote work as part of a hybrid working arrangement. South Africa is no stranger to this worldwide trend and the restrictions imposed by the pandemic reinforce the certainty that flexibility remains as important today as a year ago.

By Jonathan Fischbein, CISO, Check Point Software Technologies.

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hat needs to change however, is the approach to cybersecurity. If the beginning was rushed and CISOs (chief information security officers) found themselves having to implement policies on the go, now, more than 12 months on, there is a real need to level up as cybercriminals continue to take advantage of this global shift to exploit organisations and enterprises of all sizes.

The last six months have seen

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organisations in South Africa being attacked on average 1,537 times a week — almost double the attacks per organisation globally. This is according to the latest Threat Intelligence Report

by Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. a leading provider of cybersecurity solutions globally. As a result, local companies are becoming prime targets for cybercriminals. For IT and security professionals, this shift from identifying and protecting against vulnerabilities for on-premises equipment has evolved to

dealing with key threat actors such as employees accessing internal assets from personal devices and remote locations.

One of the key challenges facing organisations in a hybrid work environment is the intensity of cyberattacks rather than the exposure to new vulnerabilities. In fact, Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. revealed in its 2021 Remote and Hybrid Work Security Report that the top breach and attack vectors since Covid-19 are data infiltration and leakage (55%), phishing

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CYBER SECURITY

emails (51%) and account takeover (44%), following the shift to remote work. In South Africa, 80% of malicious files have been delivered by email since the start of this year, with 65% of organisations reporting information disclosure as a top vulnerability exploit.

Further to this, IT and security professionals identified scalability (46%), privacy (42%) and supporting BYOD (40%) as the top administration challenges with remote access. As a result, we are witnessing an increase in ransomware, supply chain attacks and zero data attacks. Take for example, the Sunburst attack, believed to be one of the most sophisticated and severe attacks ever seen in the wild, followed by the ‘Hafnium’ (aka Microsoft Exchange server) attack. Locally, credit reporting agency, Experian, disclosed a data breach of personal information affecting 24 million customers last year.

These vulnerabilities cause IT and security professionals – who are faced with the relentless discovery of new exploits – to constantly race to patch and fix the cyber incidents. However, patching external-facing systems is not enough in this new normal. There is now a need for IT and security leaders to protect the ‘soft’ areas such as employees and assets from vulnerabilities, which means securing all endpoints. Allowing cyber criminals the opportunity to take advantage of a weak point can result in serious repercussions. The obligation IT professionals have to secure and protect businesses and assets from cyberattacks may be a huge responsibility but there are solutions to protect the network and

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infrastructure even with their hands full.

It’s becoming clear that the hybrid workplace is here to stay, so how can IT and security professionals protect their businesses against cyberattacks and potential threats?

• Reinforce education and awareness across the company With remote work, there are increased risks to security management.

However, IT professionals at the frontline of protecting organisations from cyber threats and attacks should be working together with security leaders to reinforce education and awareness across all company levels.

Regular communication with simple, concise policies and setting up controls to prevent threats is essential to ensuring employees are compliant while generating user awareness.

• Ensure proper security policies and infrastructure Cybercriminals are fully aware of the timeframe industries can take to identify and remediate; it could take days, weeks, and even months to patch vulnerabilities if organisations don’t have the proper security policies and infrastructure.

Almost half of organisations (48%) consider application protection against cyberattacks and zero-day threats important, therefore ensuring that there are proper security policies and infrastructure in place may alleviate challenges in securing the hybrid work environment.

• Adopt Secure Access Security Edge (SASE) Solutions With the hybrid workplace taking front

and centre stage across many organisations, the important lesson for IT professionals and SOC teams is to leverage unified solutions that will provide valuable protection on multiple fronts.

The responsibility to detect, assess and monitor security threats coupled with several different solutions is never an efficient way to secure business and IT networks. For this reason, Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions aim to bridge the security, management and performance gaps caused by the digitally dispersed workforce.

Most IT professionals (94%) are familiar with the SASE framework, but adoption is slow, with 9% already implementing it and 21% planning to do so. Check Point Harmony Connect has redefined SASE by making it easy to access corporate applications, SaaS and the internet for any user or branch from any device without compromising security. This will ensure businesses are protected against the most advanced cyberattacks from anywhere at any time.

The benefits of SASE adoption mean simpler, more efficient management of potential threats and consistent policies with fast access from anywhere at any given time. This security strategy is in-road to providing that additional layer of protection for your organisation.

The bottom line is that the hybrid workplace will become a part of our everyday life and – as IT professionals and security leaders – it makes sense to consolidate all of your security solutions to ensure that each possible endpoint is secured.

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CYBER SECURITY

Allianz: Companies need to strengthen cyber controls to counter ransomware pandemic AGCS report highlights cyber-risk trends driving the surge in ransomware incidents, such as double and triple extortion and supply chain attacks.

Business interruption and recovery are the main causes of financial loss for companies.

Many attacks could be prevented if companies strengthen their cybersecurity and controls – often with simple measures.

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uring the Covid-19 crisis another outbreak has happened in cyberspace: a digital pandemic driven by ransomware. Malware attacks that encrypt company data and systems and demand a ransom payment for release are surging globally. The increasing frequency and severity of ransomware incidents is driven by several factors: the growing number of different attack patterns such as ‘double’ and ‘triple’

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extortion campaigns; a criminal business model around ‘ransomware as a service’ and cryptocurrencies; the recent skyrocketing of ransom demands; and the rise of supply chain attacks.

In a new report, cyber insurer Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) analyses the latest risk developments around ransomware and outlines how companies can strengthen their defenses with good cyber hygiene and IT security practices.

“The number of ransomware attacks may even increase before the situation gets better,” says Scott Sayce, Global Head of Cyber at AGCS. “Not all attacks are targeted. Criminals also adopt a scattergun approach to exploit those businesses that aren’t addressing or understanding the vulnerabilities they may have. As insurers we must continue to work with our clients to help businesses understand the need to strengthen their controls. At the same

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time, in today’s rapidly evolving cyber insurance market, providing emergency response services, as well as financial compensation, is now the standard.”

Cyber intrusion activity globally jumped 125 percent in the first half of 2021 compared to the previous year, according to Accenture, with ransomware and extortion operations one of the major contributors behind this increase.

According to the FBI, there was a 62 percent increase in ransomware incidents in the US in the same period that followed an increase of 20 percent for the full year 2020. These cyber risks trends are mirrored in AGCS’ own claims experience. AGCS was involved in over a thousand cyber claims overall in 2020, up from around 80 in 2016; the number of ransomware claims (90) rose by 50 percent compared to 2019 (60). In general, losses resulting from external cyber incidents such as ransomware or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks account for most of the value of all cyber claims analyzed by AGCS over the past six years.

Increasing reliance on digitalisation, the surge in remote working during Covid-19, and IT budget constraints are just some of the reasons why IT vulnerabilities have intensified, offering countless access points for criminals to exploit. The wider adoption of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, which enable anonymous payments, is another key factor in the rise of ransomware incidents.

Five areas of focus In the report, AGCS identifies five trends in the ransomware space, although these are constantly evolving and can quickly change in the ‘cat and mouse’ race between cyber criminals and companies: • The development of ‘ransomware as a service’ has made it easier for criminals to carry out attacks. Run like a commercial business, hacker groups such as REvil and Darkside sell or rent their hacking tools to others. They also provide a range of support services. As a result, many more malicious threat actors are operating.

• From

single to double to triple extortion… ‘Double extortion’ tactics are on the rise. Criminals combine the initial encryption of data or systems, or increasingly even their back-ups, with a secondary form of extortion, such as the threat to release sensitive or personal data. In such a scenario, affected

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companies have to manage the possibility of both a major business interruption and a data breach event, which can significantly increase the final cost of the incident. ‘Triple extortion’ incidents can combine DDoS attacks, file encryption and data theft – and don’t just target one company, but potentially also its customers and business partners.

A notable case was a psychotherapy clinic in Finland – a ransom was demanded from the hospital. At the same time, smaller sums were also demanded from patients in return for not disclosing their personal information.

• Supply chain attacks the next big thing: There are two main types – those that target software/IT services providers and use them to spread the malware (for example, the Kaseya or Solarwinds attacks). Or those that target physical supply chains or critical infrastructure, such as the one which impacted Colonial Pipeline. Service providers are likely to become prime targets as they often supply hundreds or thousands of businesses with software solutions and therefore offer criminals the chance of a higher payout.

• Ransom dynamics: Ransom demands have rocketed over the past 18 months.

According to Palo Alto Networks, the average extortion demand in the US was $5.3mn in the first half of 2021, a 518 percent increase on the 2020 average; the highest demand was $50mn, up from $30mn the previous year. The average amount paid to hackers is around 10 times lower than the average demand, but this general upward trend is alarming.

• To pay or not to pay: Ransom payment is a controversial topic. Law enforcement agencies typically advise against paying extortion demands to not further incentivise attacks. Even when a company decides to pay a ransom, the damage may have already been done. Restoring systems and enabling the recovery of the business is a huge undertaking, even when a company has the decryption key.

Business interruption and recovery costs main drivers of losses Business interruption and restoration costs are the biggest drivers behind cyber losses such as ransomware attacks, according to AGCS claims analysis.

They account for over 50 percent of the

value of close to 3,000 insurance industry cyber claims worth around €750mn ($885mn) it has been involved in over six years.

The average total cost of recovery and downtime – on average 23 days – from a ransomware attack more than doubled over the past year, increasing from $761,106 to $1.85mn in 2021.

The surge in ransomware attacks in recent years has triggered a major shift in the cyber insurance market. Cyber insurance rates have been rising, according to broker Marsh, while capacity has tightened. Underwriters are placing increasing scrutiny on the cyber security controls employed by companies.

“Three out of four companies do not meet AGCS’ requirements for cyber security,” explains Marek Stanislawski, Global Cyber Underwriting Lead at AGCS. “Companies need to invest in cyber security. Losses can be avoided if organizations follow best practices. A house with an open door is much more likely to be burgled than a locked house.”

Checklist with IT security best practices AGCS has published a checklist with recommendations for effective cyber risk management. “In around 80 percent of ransomware incidents, losses could have been avoided if the organisations had followed best practices. Regular patching, multi-factor authentication, as well as information security and awareness training and incident response planning are essential to avoiding ransomware attacks and also constitute good cyber hygiene,” says Rishi Baviskar, Global Cyber Experts Leader at AGCS Risk Consulting.

“If companies adhere to best practice recommendations, there is a good chance that they will not become ransomware victims. Numerous security gaps can be closed, often with simple measures.”

In the event of an attack, cyber insurance coverage has evolved to provide emergency incident response services that typically include access to a professional crisis manager, IT forensic support and legal advisory. Further offerings include IT security training for employees and assistance with the development of a cyber crisis management plan.

For more information please visit http://www.agcs.allianz.com/ and follow us on Twitter @AGCS_Insurance and LinkedIn.

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An effective Cyber Recovery strategy is key to recovery from ransomware attacks South Africa is an attractive target for cybercriminals for a number of reasons, and the last few years have seen a sharp rise in highprofile ransomware attacks. One of the key motivations driving this volume of attacks is the fact that data is a de facto currency and an extremely valuable commodity on the black market.

By Lourens Sanders, Solution Architect at Infinidat.

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hile backup is a critical component of data protection, when this backup is also encrypted by malicious software, companies are often left with few options other than to pay the ransom. Therefore, an effective Cyber Recovery strategy, which enables businesses to get back up and running without having to give in to criminal demands, is the key.

Ransomware on the rise The rapid adoption of digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has left vulnerabilities in security. In the wake of the pandemic, it has been a challenge to roll out cutting-edge technology, while also addressing the specific aspects of security that should be done in conjunction.

As a result, this has made local businesses appealing targets for strategic attacks. According to Kaspersky, South Africa ranks third in the world for the highest number of users experiencing targeted ransomware attacks. There was a 767% increase in targeted ransomware from 2019 to 2020, while general ransomware attacks decreased by 29%.

Held to ransom Another concerning trend highlighted by Kaspersky is that 42% of ransomware victims in South Africa paid a ransom in the hope of getting their data back,

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because they do not have the appropriate systems in place to recover on their own.

While almost half of victims surrender to paying the ransom, less than half get their data back, which perpetuates the cybercrime cycle.

Backup solutions have been the mainstay of data protection for many years, but they are no longer sufficient.

Standard backups do not provide a high level of granularity and can also take some time to recover. They are also a onedimensional approach to data protection.

If that data is corrupted, infected or otherwise compromised, businesses are left stranded. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting backup solutions, so although data backups remain essential, they are of no use in a targeted ransomware attack because the backups themselves are also encrypted and held to ransom.

Holistic, strategic When a data loss event occurs, for whatever reason, the goal is to restore a business to an operational state, where key applications and services are made available as quickly as possible. Without a holistic strategy, which addresses security gaps and allows businesses to recover their data, mitigating the risk of a ransomware attack is all but impossible.

A comprehensive Cyber Recovery strategy is necessary to allow for numerous options for recovery from

multiple copies of your data, including snapshots, clones, replicas, or actual backups. This not only addresses the need for enhanced granularity when backing up and recovering, it also protects key applications and services. This enables recovery in the shortest time frame possible, with multiple recovery points to choose from. Furthermore, a thoroughly implemented strategy ultimately ensures your data protection environment will not be compromised by ransomware.

Restoration is the key The ability to restore data in the case of loss, damage or compromise, especially from a cybersecurity-related incident, is essential to business continuity.

Ransomware fees and downtime could end up sinking a business, whereas with an effective restoration and recovery strategy, the impact is minimised because there is always a validated, uncompromised copy of data available.

Today, more than ever, it is critical to adopt best practices around data protection strategy, incorporate processes that validate backups and test restores, and ensure proactive monitoring and alerting to detect anomalies. Purposebuilt data protection technologies offer the ability not only to protect production data, but keep those copies safe and reliable for recovery — a critical requirement in a world where cybercrime is on the rise.

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Manufacturing and production companies hit by ransomware are the least likely to pay the ransom, Sophos survey shows Just 19% paid attackers to have files decrypted in 2020, compared to a global average of 32%.

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ophos, a global leader in nextgeneration cybersecurity, has published a new sectoral survey report, The State of Ransomware in Manufacturing and Production 2021, that reveals companies in this sector were the least likely (at 19%) to submit to a ransom demand to have encrypted files restored and the most likely (at 68%) to be able to restore data from backups. The practice of backing up data could be a reason why this sector was also the most affected by extortion-based ransomware attacks, a pressure technique where attackers don’t encrypt files, but rather threaten to leak stolen information online if a ransom demand isn’t paid. The survey studied the extent and impact of ransomware attacks during 2020.

The ransomware findings for the manufacturing and production sector include: • 36% of the businesses surveyed were hit by ransomware in 2020 • 9% of ransomware victims were hit with extortion-based ransomware attacks, compared to a global average of 7% • The average ransomware recovery cost was $1.52 million, less than the global average of $1.85 million “The sector’s high ability to restore data from backups enables many companies to refuse attacker demands for payment in the case of traditional, encryption-

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based ransomware attacks,” said Chester Wisniewski, principal research scientist at Sophos. “However, it also means that adversaries are forced to find other approaches to make money from victims, such as stealing data and threatening to leak company information if their financial demands aren’t met. Backups are vital, but they cannot protect against this risk, so manufacturing and production businesses should not rely on them as an anti-extortion defense. Organisations need to extend their anti-ransomware defenses by combining technology with humanled threat hunting to neutralise today’s advanced human-led cyberattacks.”

The findings also show that manufacturing and production companies worry more than any other sector about being attacked with ransomware in the future. Sixty percent of respondents said this is because attacks are so sophisticated, they have become harder to stop. Forty-six percent believe that since ransomware is so prevalent, it is inevitable they’ll get hit by the cybercrime.

In the light of the survey findings, Sophos experts recommend the following best practices for all organisations across all sectors: • Assume the organisation will be hit.

Ransomware remains highly prevalent.

No sector, country, or organisation size is immune from the risk. It’s better to be

prepared and not be hit than the other way round.

• Make frequent backups. Routine backups are the number one method organisations used to get their data back after an attack. Even if organisations pay the ransom, attackers rarely return all of the data, so backups are essential either way. Aim for an approach that involves at least three different copies, using at least two different backup systems, and with at least one copy stored offline and preferably offsite.

• Deploy layered protection. In the face of the considerable increase in extortionbased attacks, it is more important than ever to keep the adversaries out of the network in the first place. Use layered protection to block attackers at as many points as possible across an entire estate.

• Combine human experts and anti-ransomware technology. The key to stopping ransomware is defense in depth that combines dedicated antiransomware technology and human-led threat hunting. Technology provides scale and automation, while human experts are best able to detect the telltale tactics, techniques and procedures that indicate when a skilled attacker is attempting to break in. To bolster in-house skills, enlist the support of a specialist cybersecurity company. Security Operations Centres (SOCs) are now realistic options for organisations of all sizes.

• Don’t pay the ransom, if this is an option. Independent of any ethical considerations, paying the ransom is an ineffective way to get data back. Sophos research shows that after a ransom is paid adversaries will restore, on average, only two-thirds of the encrypted files.

• Have a malware recovery plan and continuously test and update it. The best way to stop a cyberattack from turning into a full breach is to prepare in advance. Organisations that fall victim to an attack often realise they could have avoided a lot of cost, pain and disruption, if they had an incident response plan in place.

The State of Ransomware in Manufacturing and Productions 2021 report is available on Sophos.com.

The State of Ransomware in Manufacturing and Production 2021 survey polled 5,400 people working in a leadership role in IT, including 438 in manufacturing and production companies, in 30 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

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INDUSTRY OPINION

Do you have a backup plan for your backup when load shedding hits?

Load shedding is a reality of life in South Africa and having some sort of backup power plan in place is essential — especially now since Work From Home (WFH) and hybrid working have become increasingly mainstream.

By Raeford Liebenberg, Manager at Silvermoon, a Galix company.

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side from keeping equipment such as computers and connectivity running, it is critical to consider the data. Backups that run to a local server or some form of network attached storage, usually fail during load shedding if they are not part of the power redundancy plan. In addition, frequent power outages may damage storage and cause it to fail, and with it goes the data backups. A backup strategy for your backup is arguably even more important than making sure your internet runs during load shedding.

Power failures = equipment failures Power cuts obviously mean that any equipment that runs off electricity will not work. This includes desktops and fibre routers, as well servers and other IT equipment, so having power redundancy for these items is vital. Making sure that battery-powered equipment is charged is also a solid plan. However, this is not the only thing to consider.

When power is unstable, it causes something called a brownout, where equipment still runs, but the supply is inconsistent, which can damage electronics over time. In addition, when

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power suddenly cuts out, and when it suddenly switches back on, these surges can wreak havoc. Aside from backup power, having equipment like an Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) in place is essential to minimise the risk of this kind of damage.

Don’t forget about the data Protecting equipment is all well and good, and it is absolutely vital. The trouble is, when we know load shedding is scheduled, the first thing we think is ‘are my laptop and phone charged’ and not ‘is my data still protected’ and ‘have I backed up my computer’. Redundancy is critical from a power point of view, but even more so from a data point of view, and all businesses need to have a proper strategy around their backups.

One of the unforeseen consequences of load shedding is system crashes. As mentioned, brownouts can damage and degrade equipment, and can cause hard drives to fail. Having no less than two data backups, preferably three, and at least one of those in the cloud, is crucial. This is especially important when it comes to critical data, because data access is essential in a remote working, digital world.

Best practices, best strategy An even better practice is to have rotating backups on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, allowing you to recover at daily intervals for the past 14 days, weekly intervals for four weeks, and monthly intervals for the past 12 months. While many smaller businesses have not needed this level of backup in the past, the new environment we find ourselves in has changed requirements dramatically.

Load shedding is here to stay, but we need to remember that it is not only about making sure equipment has power. The impact on data is often not considered, and it can be catastrophic should something go wrong. Devices can be replaced, but once data is gone for good, it is gone. The right IT partner is essential in designing an appropriate backup strategy to ensure you do not fall foul of load shedding — either from a power or a data perspective.

Editorial contacts: Silvermoon, a Galix company Raeford Liebenberg Tel: 011 472 7157

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WHITE PAPER

Fotech releases data-driven white paper on smart city monitoring technology Fotech, a bp launchpad company and global leader in Digital Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology, has published a white paper on smart city monitoring with a strong focus on the importance of data.

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he white paper comes at a time when established cities worldwide are incorporating smart technology in their pandemic recovery strategies and new smart cities are being built across multiple countries. The white paper addresses the importance of best practice data management for urban planners, smart city designers and developers, and those responsible for the day-to-day running of vital infrastructure.

Stuart Large, Product Line Director at Fotech Solutions, said that data presents many challenges for the smart city transition, particularly as it is forecast that 68 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050[1].

“The importance of data cannot be

reliability, safety and mobility for new smart cities as well as legacy cities undergoing smart upgrades. The solutions can be easily incorporated into existing networks or included when a smart city project is in its early stages.

“The ability of DAS technology to provide cost-effective monitoring with real-time data availability, ease of analysis and excellent data protection compliance means it will have an ever-increasing role to play in smart city development,” Large explains.

To read more about the white paper, please visit www.fotech.com/ smartcitywhitepaper.

For more information visit www.fotech.com

overlooked — everyone involved in smart city development should understand what needs to be monitored, what data is required, how best to measure it and, crucially, how to use it effectively and responsibly,” Large says.

“It is a wide-ranging report,” he adds.

“We have covered the elements of smart cities that need sensing above and below ground, the important considerations that must be made when introducing sensing technology, and the role that fibre optic solutions can play, especially in regard to data-gathering and analysis for fast, competent decision-making.”

The paper outlines how innovative DAS technology provides an all-encompassing solution to provide excellent connectivity,

INDEX

Contributors and advertisers index ENTITY

PAGE WEBSITE

Allianz 30 http://www.agcs.allianz.com/ Check Point Software Technologies

28

https://www.checkpoint.com

Fotech 35 www.fotech.com GSS Group

7

www.gssgroup.co.za

Infinidat 32 www.infinidat.com Institute for Security Studies

26

https://issafrica.org

Southern African Journal of Security

21

www.upjournals.co.za/index.php/sajs

Kasperky 20 www.kaspersky.com PSiRA 4 info@psira.co.za SASA 8 www.sasecurity.co.za Silvermoon 34 www.silver-moon.co.za/ Social Justice Foundation

25

www.socialjustice.co.za

www.sophos.com Sophos 33

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2021

35

THE LAST NEWS WORD

CRIME, INVESTMENT AND ELECTIONS Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana recently urged foreign investors not to be deterred by isolated incidents of criminality, and gave the assurance that improving South Africa’s safety and security situation was one of the Government’s top priorities.

By Peter Bagshawe

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iven that this was after the period of what has variously been described as unrest or insurrection between 9 and 18 July 2021, the focus of the Government must be squarely on the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security as well as the National Joint Operational and Security clusters. The performance of the South African Police Service during this period, the lack of forewarning and information from state intelligence organs and the role of the private security industry in its services to clients and communities are all factors

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2021

that require investigation and, with the exception of the last, rectification and remediation. The reassurance given by Minister Godongwana may, however, ring somewhat hollow following Liberation Struggle War Veterans holding the Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, Minister of Defence Thandi Modise, Deputy Minister of Defence Thabang Makwetla and delegates from the Presidency hostage for three hours in the St George’s Hotel in Irene, Pretoria during the evening of 14 October 2021.

A further concern is the request by the Minister appears to border on asking for

condonation of criminality within South Africa.

At the time that Minister Godongwana made his remark that foreign investment should not be deterred by violence, Bloomberg added a notation to their report on this that 5,760 murders were recorded in South Africa for the period 1 June to 31 August 2021. Over the period of 92 days, this gives an average of 62 murders recorded per day by the South African Police Service. An outsider would, in all likelihood, look at the available statistics to review the position in South Africa with regard to murder and the

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THE LAST NEWS WORD

rate of murders. In this regard, the last data published by the South African Police Service and Stats South Africa was presented to Parliament on 20 August 2021, covering the period 1 April to 30 June 2021 (First Quarter 2021 within their financial year) which shows a 66,2% increase in murders when compared to the First Quarter 2020. This increase is immediately eye-catching, as are the quarter-on-quarter increases for Contact Crimes at 60,6% and Contact Related Crimes at 43,3%. As is often the case with raw statistics, the data needs to be reviewed and contextualised.

As pointed out by Minister of Police Bheki Cele, 2020 figures coincided with the start of the Level 5 hard Covid lockdown in South Africa, with minimal opportunity for interaction (with the heavy-handed reaction of the South African Police Service and South African National Defence Force in their initial enforcement role) and the strictures on the sale of alcohol leading to the loweri ng of First Quarter 2020 figures. If First Quarter 2021 is compared to First Quarter 2019, which Minister Cele referred to as a normal period, the increase in the murder rate increased by 6,7%, which is unacceptable. Simple mathematics indicates that the number of murders, based off the 5,760 murders in the First Quarter, will give some 23,000 murders in the 2021-2022 financial year, according to the South African Police Service. Again, unacceptable.

At the time of writing, the 2021 local election voting, scheduled for 1 November 2021, is some seven days away. On 25 October, Minister of Police Cele announced – in his capacity as a member of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster – that the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal had been identified as provinces with high risk areas for political violence prior to and during the election process, with the other five provinces having ‘pockets’ of problems. Law enforcement members would be deployed at all voting stations in line with the identified risk profiles, with no detail made available of the number of members deployed — the Minister merely advising that adequate numbers would be provided. Prior to this, Cele had noted that some 300 polling stations had, nationally, been identified as high risk localities. Minister of Defence Thandi Modise, who was present at the same briefing, advised that the National Joint

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However, reports of shootings and murders in October 2021 do evidence the existence of a progression of increased violence in the lead up to elections.

Operational and Security cluster was working in conjunction with the Security cluster with Minister Modise further warning that criminality would not be tolerated by the authorities. More ominous was the reference by Minister Cele to the need to counter political violence. In this regard, he referred directly to the murder of ANC Councillor Tshepo Motsaung in Mabopane. Taken in isolation, this murder would not be indicative of a trend. However, reports of shootings and murders in October 2021 do evidence the existence of a progression of increased violence in the lead up to elections.

A review of reports for instances of murder in the October 2021 timeframe relating to political affiliations paints a sombre picture with James Khumalo, the Economic Freedom Fighters deputy chairperson in Olievenhoutbosch and Ward 20 councillor candidate in Msunduzi, Thulani Shangase, were both shot dead. Turning to African National Congress members actively involved in the election and political processes who were killed in the same timeframe in shootings that have a political link, these include Tshepo Motsaung (Mabopane), Siyabonga Mkhize (Cato Crest) and Smanga Zulu (KwaMakhutha). In eThekwini, Ncami Shange, Beatrice Dlamini, and Philisiwe Jili were, whilst on their way to an ANC election rally, shot dead outside a school in eNanda. Former eThekwini Mayor, Zandile Gumede, recently stated that internecine violence within political parties had escalated to the point where bodyguards were necessary, this supports the view given above. Historically, the local government elections in 2011 and 2016 were run in a relatively peaceful atmosphere in most of South Africa, although the KwaZulu-Natal polls were marred by the killing of leaders and candidates with some 33 political murders reported in the run up to the 2016 elections. A further causative factor in the politically linked violence is also

seen to be that holding political office affords the opportunity for a salary, benefits, possible access to tenders and side benefits. The exercise of the right to vote and hold diverse or alternative political views should not be life threatening nor should physical violence be permitted relative to the exercise of a fundamental right.

South Africa has – as a nation – apparently become inured to criminality, violence and murder over a protracted period. It may be argued that there is a State role in the acceptance of violence and examples of this include the number of members of the South African Police Service under investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate for serious crimes and the heavy-handed approach of the South African Defence Force when deployed during the initial hard Covid-19 lockdown. However, the problem is far wider and includes, at a minimum, gang activity, unemployment, expectations of a lack of consequences due to inadequate investigations as well as societal norms.

There is recognition of these exposures — however, the lack of stability at upper management within the South African Police Service continues to exacerbate challenges within the enforcement of law and order.

Given the more established societal norms in place in the majority of countries where investment is likely to come from the attraction of investing capital in South Africa is likely to be reviewed closely prior to a decision being made. Whilst I can understand, to an extent, the reasoning behind the request made by Minister of Finance Godongwana, it will take hard and focused marketing of the country to achieve his desired result.

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.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2021

37

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

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

National Chairperson: Franz Verhufen c: 082 377 0651 | e: fverhufen@thorburn.co.za

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

National Deputy Chairperson: Louis Mkhethoni c: 082 553 7370 e: louis.mkhethoni@securitas-rsa.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, Jhb 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 SAFDA (South African Fire Development Association) | 45 Oxford Road, Forest Town, Jhb | e: info@safda.net | t: 083 402 4002 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 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 38

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA OCTOBER 2021

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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

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