Saps Cannot Fight Cybercrime On Its Own

South Africa is not immune to this growing scourge, and an estimated R2.2-billion to R4-billion was lost to the economy due to cybercrime in 2024.

According to Jayson O'Reilly, MD of CYBER1 Solutions , the scale and sophistication of cybercrime presents big challenges for the South African Police Service SAPS, with underfunding, skills shortages and a lack of the right technologies crippling its ability to go toe to toe with cybercriminals. However, O'Reilly said, the SAPS cannot be left to fight the growing scourge of cybercrime alone.

"The scale of cybercrime is always going to be a challenge," O'Reilly said in an interview with TechCentral. "Where there is collaboration with outside organisations such as Europol and the FBI is also where there is most impact. Everybody looks to the SAPS, but they don't create the cybersecurity strategies and polices."

According to O'Reilly, collaboration with the private sector, experts and international bodies is key to bolstering local law enforcement's ability to fight cybercrime.

The lack of adequate funding for such an entity is a concern, especially considering how constrained the national fiscus already is. Last month, finance minister Enoch Godongwana's budget presentation to parliament was postponed to 12 March after parties in the government of national unity failed to reach consensus on a VAT hike proposal by the ANC.