Security Focus Africa September 2020 Vol 38 No 9 by Contact Publications

www.securityfocusafrica.com | Vol 38 No 9 September 2020 The official industry journal for professional risk practitioners: security, safety, health, environment and quality assurance

Tech takes on

mining security

AI is here The â&#x20AC;&#x153;newâ&#x20AC;? normal

Industry emerges after

LOCKDOWN

- r e m ot e ly

SINE

N FO R

securityfocusafrica.com Security Focus Africa has been marketing suppliers to buyers in Africa since 1980, and is the official industry journal of the Security Association of South Africa. Our readers form the core of Southern Africa’s buyers and decision-makers in the security products and services industry. Our print and digital platforms have a highly-focused readership of people at the very heart of the security industry. Our news is distributed via print, website, digital magazine, and social media. Our annual Security Focus Africa Buyers Guide is searchable in print and via our online directory, with over 760 businesses and branches throughout Africa. Need to find a service or supplier? We will help you find exactly what you need.

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

CONTENTS

VOL 38 NO 9 SEPTEMBER 2020

MAIN FEATURE:

MINING SECURITY:

Security Focus quarter page October 2020.pdf 1 2020/10/08 14:24:39

CAN CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY CURB THE SOUTH AFRICAN MINING SECTOR’S $1 BILLION ILLEGAL ANNUAL OUTFLOW AND OTHER CHALLENGES?

South Africa’s mining sector, which contributed an estimated R360.9 billion to the country’s GDP (gross domestic product) last year, is increasingly embracing technology to deal with the many challenges that it faces, not least of all being criminality.

Launch

of new campaign against Covid violence

The Commonwealth Secretariat and NO MORE Foundation launch a campaign against domestic and sexual violence across 54 countries.

DELIVERING PEACE OF MIND FOR ALL INDUSTRIES Nemtek is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of innovative electric fencing products used by many governments, local authorities and industries to protect their utilities, correctional facilities and defence infrastructures.

Mining sites, solar farms, oil refineries and steel industries often need to be protected from intruders, both from a safety and a security point of view. We deliver peace of mind with our range of fencing solutions, modular designed energizers to enable multiple fence zones, and our monitoring technology which allows for advanced warning of any fence breach or tampering. Contact our Head Office for more information on 011 462 8283 or websales@nemtek.co.za 2 SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020 www.nemtek.com

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Official Journal of the Security Association of South Africa

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

Vol 38 No 9

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

EDITOR: Ingrid Olivier ingrid@securityfocusafrica.com

REGULARS EDITOR’S COMMENT 4 Of the #JerusalemaChallenge, President Ramaphosa’s open letter on corruption and the murder of one of SA’s top anti-gang cops.

PRODUCT NEWS 17 IFSEC GLOBAL & Texecom

present The Intruder Alarm Report 2020.

COMPANY NEWS 19 First SearchInform Solution was Implemented in South Africa in Partnership With Tech Global.

ASSOCIATION NEWS 5 The latest on the National

Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (“NBCPSS”) Main Agreement vs Sectoral Determination 6.

MINING NEWS 20 It’s time to make morality matter.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 8 Surprising obstacles prevent

PERSONALITY PROFILE 24 Femicide book exposes

NEWS IN BRIEF 10 News snippets from around

ON THE MARKET 26 Viking Electronics Brings More

cybersecurity implementation.

the world.

NEWS 13 Kaspersky experts have recently detected a growing interest among phishers and scammers in the popular game console PlayStation. 32 The impact of Amendment of Section 11 of the Regulations Governing the State Capture Inquiry.

INDUSTRY OPINION 14 Using a multi-channel approach to improve the employee experience for remote workforces. 15 Covid-19 – elevating the importance of change. securityfocusafrica.com

uncomfortable truths.

Power with the New PA-250 Paging Amplifier. 26 Secutraq platform. 27 Add surveillance value with SecuVue. 28 LD Africa partners with Milesight. 28 T-Systems South Africa Launches Cyber Security Academy.

SECURITY IN ACTION 29 Reconsider before you cancel

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Vincent Goode vincent@contactpub.co.za

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

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

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

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: Editorial contributions are welcome. For details please email editorial@securityfocusafrica.co.za.

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

Security Focus Africa is a member of

your vehicle tracking service.

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE 30 Business gets savvy with “livelier” AI.

32 DIRECTORY

www.securityfocusafrica.com 3

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Why music matters Of the #JerusalemaChallenge, President Ramaphosa’s open letter on corruption and the murder of one of SA’s top anti-gang cops.

any years ago, ahead of a lecture titled “Why music matters”1 by Professor Leon Bernstein, then SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations Kofi Annan said to those gathered that “In a world of diversity where often values clash, music leaps across language barriers and unites people of quite different cultural backgrounds. And so, through music, all peoples can come together to make the world a more harmonious place.” The year was 2004, the place New York, USA. Nobody could have imagined the world as it is today, but for all its current troubles, there are some things that have the power to transcend hatred and fear. One of these is music. I’m not sure where I was hiding when the song “Jerusalema” first hit the radio waves late last year but by the time I heard it a few weeks ago, it had become a global phenomenon and I became another of its millions of fans. The toe-tapping, gospel-influenced charttopping “house” song by two South Africans namely DJ, record producer Master KG (Kgaogelo Moagi) and vocalist Nomcebo (Zikode) was well-received when it debuted online but the magic really happened after it went viral in June this year on the back of the #JerusalemaChallenge and a remix version by Nigerian-born Burna Boy. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to it in his Heritage Day speech on 24 September, saying: “We are the nation that is taking the world by storm with the #JerusalemaChallenge, as young and old in France, the UK, Jamaica, Angola and even … Palestinian and East Jerusalem are getting in on the craze.” And Michael le Cordier, in his opinion piece in the Daily Maverick on 28 September2 compared it to a “feel-good virus” that has spread from “school grounds in the Western Cape to office blocks in Limpopo, from the informal settlements of Durban to the streets of Kimberley, from the classrooms of Angola to the beaches of Miami to the soccer fields of Portugal.” Well done to all those South Africans who are making a difference with their songs, acts of kindness, courage and

generosity. You make me proud of our shared heritage. That doesn’t take away from the ugly side of South Africa, however, which continues to dominate headlines with unrelenting reports of the most heinous crimes. Our beloved country is desperate for the high-level, hard-line intervention that President Ramaphosa recently promised in an open letter to the ruling ANC. His focus was on corruption and he didn’t pull his punches when he said that “while the ANC may not stand alone in the dock, …it does stand as Accused No. 1.” This, he continued, was a “stark reality” that needed to be confronted decisively and urgently3. The president then went on to list the actions needed to address corruption, which include: Those accused of corrupt practices having to account to the Integrity Commission immediately or face disciplinary action; Those failing to provide acceptable explanations or stepping down voluntarily while they face disciplinary, investigative or prosecutorial action being summarily suspended; Conducting lifestyle audits on ANC leaders and public representatives and ensuring that they make regular declarations of any financial interests; Strengthening the Integrity Commission and providing it with clear administrative and legal support; Ensuring transparency and accountability with regard to procurement through the use of ‘open tender’ processes and using technology and artificial intelligence as a standard practice; Making the information about those tendering for contracts public as well as the vetting processes used to verify their credentials. This will include costings per unit so that the public can ascertain whether prices are being unreasonably inflated or are within reason; Establishing an anti-corruption hotline in relation to Covid-19 and beyond; Strengthening, resourcing and fasttracking the country’s law enforcement bodies and ensuring that they are independent and multi-disciplined;

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

Promising to end Covid-19-related corruption swiftly, the president said that the Special Investigating Unit had been empowered to investigate allegations of corruption or the misuse of resources in any department, province, municipality or state institution. Further, the details of all tenders awarded under the national state of disaster would be made public going forward. “Our criminal justice agencies must do their work without fear, prejudice or favour,” he said, and if I’d been in the audience, I would have started dancing. Maybe. The same urgency and hard-line approach needs to be adopted when it comes to punishing those found guilty of murder, rape, child abuse and other despicable crimes. This includes meting out the harshest sentences to the killers of one of South Africa’s finest, anti-gang unit section commander Lt-Col Charl Kinnear, who was gunned down outside his home on Friday 18 September. According to IOL4, he was on the verge of arresting two brigadiers implicated in a gun racket that provided gangsters with fraudulent licences which they then used to buy automatic weapons. I endorse unreservedly Police Minister Bheki Cele’s sentiments that “heads must roll” for his death. And for the deaths and suffering of South Africa’s innocent victims.

Ingrid Olivier, Editor ingridolivier@idotwrite.co.za 1. Link: https://www.un.org/press/en/2004/sgsm9580. doc.htm#:~: Music both shapes and reflects society. In world of diversity, world a more harmonious place 2. Link: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/ opinionista/2020-09-28-jerusalema-a-catalyst-for-abetter-life-in-south-africa/ 3. Read the full letter here, courtesy of ewn.co.za https:// ewn.co.za/2020/08/23/read-the-full-letter-ramaphosasent-to-the-anc-on-corruption 4. Link: https://www.iol.co.za/weekend-argus/news/ murdered-top-cop-charl-kinnear-was-probing-gunracket-at-police-head-office-5a444ebb-9b71-44dc-bfe71e38a5231463 )

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

SASA UPDATE The latest on the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector (“NBCPSS”) Main Agreement vs Sectoral Determination 6 Following a spike in non-compliance issues during Covid-19, SASA warns employers and consumers of potential prosecution.

he collective agreement between Organised Employers and Organised Labour was concluded on 10 December 2019 and submitted to the Registrar of Labour Relations for approval, ministerial signature and publication immediately thereafter. This was eventually published in Government Gazette 43036 on 20 February 2020 and became effective as is required by law on the second Monday after publication, namely 2 March 2020. The Levies Agreement was published on 29 January 2020 as per Government Gazette 42975 and it was decided to delay the effective date until 1 March 2020 in order to fall in line with the Main Agreement of the NBCPSS. These two Gazettes, as well as the Protocol Agreement, can be downloaded from the SASA website at www.sasecurity.co.za under the “Governing Legislation” tab. The Main Agreement immediately cancelled Sectoral Determination 6 (SD6) and applies to all security service providers and all security officers in South Africa. It, in effect, basically contains all of the provisions of the now-defunct SD6, with a few changes. The scope of the NBCPSS has been extended to include “all employers and all employees who are engaged in the Private Security Sector”, as defined. This is a major change from SD6, which reads “every employer and employee in the private security sector that guards or protects fixed property, premises, goods, persons or employees, including monitoring and responding to alarms at premises which are guarded by persons or by electronic means, including car guards as defined …” This, in effect, means that the scope now also

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includes in-house or insourced security employment relationships. However, the following are excluded from such scope: • Managers, as defined, and • those falling within the scope of another bargaining council, such as the Cash in Transit (CIT) industry (which currently resides in the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry “NBCRFLI”) and most probably the government sector, which also has a bargaining council. Very important, as well, is the fact that the NBCPSS Main Agreement now, very clearly, also includes car guards and all others on “non-standard” employment contracts such as fixed-term contracts and disguised employment relationships. This means that in-house security employers - and there are many - now have to pay their security officers at least the minimum salary rates, allowances and benefits as set out in the Main Agreement, as well as abide by all of the conditions of employment therein. This will make it less attractive for such employers to employ their own security personnel, especially as such employers now also have to register with PSIRA (Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority). The salary tables are now, for the first time ever, determined for all three years and no longer subject to the CPI (Consumer Price Index) rates in the second and third years, which makes it easier for both security service providers and consumers to effectively budget ahead of time. In an effort to increase the take-home pay of security officers, a Premium Allowance has been introduced as from the first year, increasing in the two subsequent years. It is important to note that this allowance does not form part of

the basic or ordinary salary and, as such, will not impact on premium payments, the annual bonus or leave pay. A medical scheme or hospital-type cover will be introduced as from March 2021 and the process of selecting and appointing an outsourced service provider is already at an advanced stage. Details will be disseminated once finalised. Employers will, in the first year of operation thereof (from March 2021), contribute R100 per employee towards this scheme and R150 in the next year. All other allowances and premium payments have remained unchanged, as have the other conditions and benefits of employment. The Gazette also provides for an exemption process, which has strict procedural requirements. The Levies Agreement requires all security employers, including those insourcing, to register with the NBCPSS and provide monthly employee schedules to the Council. A total levy of R14 per employee, paid equally by the employee (via salary deduction) and the employer, shall be made to the NBCPSS monthly.

The NBCPSS can be contacted via their website at www.nbcpss.org.za. SASA offers intensive training to security service providers which includes the correct interpretation and application of the NBCPSS Main Agreement, either in an on-site meeting at their offices or via video link. For more information, please contact Tony Botes at tony@sasecurity.co.za or on 083 272 1373.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS

Launch of new campaign against Covid violence

The Commonwealth Secretariat and NO MORE Foundation launch a campaign against domestic and sexual violence across 54 countries. 9 September 2020

he Commonwealth Secretariat and NO MORE Foundation have today launched a new campaign designed to help tackle the immediate crisis of the rapid increase in domestic and sexual violence due to the impacts of Covid-19, while also providing support for governments, organisations and individuals to confront this issue through longer-term prevention strategies and support. The launch was held today, at a special virtual event attended by representatives and advocates from across the Commonwealth and representing nearly one-third of the world’s population. At the event, the partners unveiled the first pan-Commonwealth digital portal designed to support governments and civil society in identifying and implementing joint solutions while also providing individuals with concrete actions they can take to support both

the campaign and those affected by domestic violence. The new ‘Commonwealth Says NO MORE’ campaign is launched at a time when organisations across the globe have seen calls to hotlines for victims of abuse and demand for support services rise from between 25 and 300 per cent during Covid-19 lockdowns. Even before the pandemic, one in three women across the world is beaten or sexually abused within their lifetime, making it a leading cause of death in woman and girls. As part of the initiative, leaders, celebrities and individuals globally are taking the ‘Commonwealth Says NO MORE’ pledge towards ending domestic and sexual violence. Ahead of the launch, many shared video messages endorsing the effort and encouraging other people across the 54 Commonwealth countries

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

to get involved. Among them are Kiribati President Taneti Maamau, Antigua and Barbuda’s Governor-General Sir Rodney Williams, New Zealand’s former Prime Minister Helen Clark, British singer and Royal Commonwealth Society’s Ambassador Geri Horner, UN Deputy SecretaryGeneral Amina J. Mohammed, Indian actress and advocate for women’s rights Shabana Azmi, Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, Ghanaian actress Joselyn Dumas, British actor Colin Salmon and Australia actor Ryan Johnson. Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, speaking at the launch of the portal, said: “It is indisputable that while the virus will pass one day, for many women, the ever-present threat of violence will remain. “Covid has emphatically exposed just how urgently we need a cure to flatten

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Photo by Isaiah Rustad on Unsplash

NEWS

the rising curve of domestic and sexual violence. Business-as-usual is not an option. That is why we are announcing this first-of-its-kind portal, offering an impressive array of expert resources and tools to support concerted action by everyone from governments to private individuals. We must all use this opportunity to redouble our efforts to tackle and end this violence now. “We need to say, “NO MORE,” because if we don’t have peace in our homes we will never have peace in our world.” In a video message, Ameenah GuribFakim, former President of Mauritius, said: “Violence against women and girls is a pandemic that destroys lives, communities and economies. The protection of women and girls from domestic and sexual violence must be at the heart of the Covid-19 response and everything we do to create a safer, fairer and better world. We can and must do better now.” Addressing the event, NO MORE Global Executive Director Pamela Zaballa said: “We are excited to take the NO MORE message throughout the Commonwealth. The portal is an important first step in bringing governments and civil society together to end domestic and sexual violence. If we can all commit to speaking out and taking action, we will be able to see real progress in a generation.”

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Speaking in a video message to the conference, President of Kiribati, Taneti Maamau added: “Covid-19 measures imposed by governments around the world further increase the risk for women as homes are no longer the safest place. “We all have an important role to play. Let’s stop the silence on violence and make every home a safe and peaceful land for all women and girls around the globe.” Also contributing, Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said: “Initiatives such as the Commonwealth New Portal, Commonwealth Says NO MORE, and the UN-EU spotlight initiative, provide a vehicle to prevent violence, provide services to victims, and accountability for those who perpetuate abuse.” The digital portal provides easy-to-use tools and resources to help governments and community-based organisations strengthen their efforts to support victims of domestic and sexual violence and those at risk, and train communities in a culturally sensitive manner. In addition, it also provides help to those affected by violence to understand and recognise violence and gives them one-stop access to information such as local hotlines, safety plans and legal guidance – a critical service for victims in places where such support is either not available online or is disrupted by the

pandemic. Joselyn Dumas said: “For far too long, we have been so quiet about violence against women, especially around this time during Covid. A lot of women have found themselves in very vulnerable situations with no one to talk to. “Society tends to blame the woman a lot more than finding possible solutions to flatten the curve when it comes to domestic violence. So, I am proud to join the Commonwealth in saying “NO MORE” to violence against women.” The portal will also feature guidelines to help citizens intervene when they witness violence, and offers good practice guides for preventing abuse, delivering services and protecting survivors. The virtual event was an opportunity for governments and community-based organisations to learn how the portal can support their efforts towards tackling violence and ultimately achieving the UN’s sustainable development goal for gender equality. Leaders, advocates and supporters are encouraged to go to CommonwealthSaysNOMORE.org, take the pledge and join the conversation with #CommonwealthSaysNOMORE. The ‘Commonwealth Says NO MORE’ digital portal is part of the partnership, which both organisations announced late last year.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Surprising obstacles prevent cybersecurity implementation Seven circles of approval: Red tape is the main barrier for cybersecurity initiatives in industrial sector, Kaspersky found.

he recent Kaspersky report ‘State of Industrial Cybersecurity in the Era of Digitalisation’ has revealed the main barriers that inhibit or delay implementation of industrial cybersecurity projects. The most common obstacles include the inability to stop production (34%), bureaucratic steps such as a lengthy approval process (31%) and having too many decision-makers (23%). These barriers may become a critical point in light of Covid-19 because they can affect the implementation of pandemic-driven operational technology (OT) security initiatives. The cybersecurity race doesn’t slow down, and every year many incidents, including high-profile attacks, are hitting industrial control systems (ICS). The pandemic lockdown introduced its own challenges in addition to the existing threat landscape. Industrial firms have to adapt to new norms including remote work, overnight digitalisation and new hygiene requirements, as well as specific pandemicdriven threats such as a massive growth in phishing attacks. Organisations need to make sure their protection is up to date with these changes and there are no open doors for malicious actions in ICS networks. The above barriers, however, are what organisations will have to overcome when implementing cybersecurity projects. Remarkably, most of them refer to bureaucratic rather than technical obstacles – in total, almost half of organisations (46%) face red tape delays. In addition

to the most prevalent – long approval times and numerous decision-makers – these barriers include protracted supplier selection and purchasing processes, as well as interference from other departments. These barriers may become even more critical in the current postlockdown period. The survey revealed that almost half of organisations (46%) expect to see changes in their OT security priorities as a result of the pandemic. These organisations will probably need to shift their security strategy on-the-fly and quickly implement new cybersecurity practices. While it can be challenging generally, due to the specific requirements of OT, the barriers for implementation can complicate and slow down the process even more. Some organisations will need to be even more conscious as they try to overcome these difficulties with decreased OT security budgets (24%). “It’s always more difficult to invest money and resources in projects without a clear return on investment, such as with cybersecurity initiatives. And while cybersecurity for OT is still a developing area, all these management barriers are quite natural. As a vendor, it is up to us to help customers eliminate these obstacles and simplify and speed up the implementation of protection measures. Our task here is to make ROI more transparent and showcase the risks for businesses so customers can understand the benefits from the very beginning and better justify them to C-suite or the

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

board if needed,” commented Georgy Shebuldaev, Head of Growth Center at Kaspersky. In order to help industrial organisations accelerate the implementation of industrial cybersecurity projects, Kaspersky suggests the following steps: If an organisation doesn’t have enough experience and practice in complex ICS security projects, it’s better to implement solutions step by step: start with building organisational processes and adopting basic cybersecurity measures such as security gateways and endpoint protection. Then move to more complex projects such as network monitoring, intrusion prevention and SIEM. Industrial standards, such as ISO or IEC guidelines, can help to organise methods and increase the speed of project execution. Introduce a practice whereby all new OT systems are implemented with cybersecurity built-in. This should simplify further protection processes and give the OT security team the ability to test new protection tools on these parts of the infrastructure. Enable education and training for all teams including specific ICS security training for IT security and OT engineers and awareness to all employees. This will help different teams understand the risks and responsibilities of each other and increase the overall level of consciousness about cybersecurity. Choose a reliable cybersecurity solution for OT components and networks, as well as trusted partners for implementation. Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity solution includes dedicated protection for endpoints and network monitoring as well as ICS expert services and intelligence. The services enable cybersecurity assessment, incident response and obtaining the latest data about emerging threats and how to address them. The results of cybersecurity assessments may be helpful in justifying protection projects to the board. To read the full report ‘State of Industrial Cybersecurity in the Era of Digitalisation’ please visit the web page.

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SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

ASSOCIATION NEWS

News snippets from around the world Paul O’Sullivan offers R1m cash reward after Cape cop Charl Kinnear’s murder

tried to flee the fires. Meg Wilson, spokesperson for the NSPCA, called the event “mayhem” and said police had asked for backup. The protesters were later dispersed by members of the public order police unit and flying squad members. (Source: www.timeslive.co.za)

Weapons and ammunition found hidden in doctor’s quarters at Baragwanath Hospital Private Forensics Investigator Paul O’Sullivan has offered R1 million in cash for the successful prosecution of those responsible for the murder of Cape Town cop Lieutenant-Colonel Charl Kinnear, who was gunned down outside his home in Bishop Lavis last week. Kinnear was a top police detective of the Anti-Gang Unit. O’Sullivan’s not-for-profit organisation, Forensics for Justice, said they were offering R1m cash for information that would lead to the successful prosecution of Kinnear’s murder plotters. (Source: www.iol.co.za)

Horse slaughtered with pangas as racecourse labourers feud

At least one horse was alleged to have been slaughtered with pangas and others attacked as a protest allegedly over UIF non-payment raged at the Fairview racecourse in Port Elizabeth last week Thursday. According to an eye witness, police made several arrests. The witness added that a staff dispute at the CCMA was also behind the protest. People trying to rescue horses had their cars pelted with rocks, she said. Other reports from witnesses said several horses were injured, with some sustaining broken legs as they

Crime Investigation (DPCI), commonly known as the Hawks. Eastern Cape Hawks spokesperson Lwando Zenzile said in a statement that “The suspect from Kwatyutyu, in King William’s Town, allegedly recruited community members in the same area, Bisho and Zwelitsha, to supply him with identity numbers which he provided to Sassa officials and they then fraudulently created disability grants on their behalf between August 2018 and September 2019.” (Source: www.iol.co.za)

SA Covid-19 lockdown level 1: what is still illegal

Security officers on a routine patrol at Baragwanath Hospital made the discovery during a routine patrol last weekend. They found 47 bullets, three 9mm handguns, two pepper sprays, two handcuffs, one SAPS reflector vest, and a police cap. (Source: www.ewn.co.za)

Man arrested; more arrests expected in Eastern Cape fake SASSA disability grants scam

A 51-year-old man was arrested last week and more arrests are expected to follow in connection with a scheme in which the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) was allegedly defrauded of almost R1.2 million in the Eastern Cape. That’s according to the Directorate for Priority

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

A curfew remains in place, from 00:01 to 04:00 with only those with permits or attending to security or medical emergencies allowed to be on the roads. Breaking that and other rules can come with up to six months in prison. Not wearing mask: only those undertaking “vigorous” exercise are exempted. Night vigils for the dead: While funerals may now have up to 100 people in attendance (double the previous limit), there is still a total ban on night vigils. No gatherings of more than 500 people permitted barring in cinemas, theatres and casinos. The limit for outdoor religious service gatherings, concerts and political events is also 500. Indoor events: 250 people. Spectators at sports events are still banned outright, and so are night clubs and initiation schools. The purchase of alcohol from liquor stores is only permitted during the week until 17:00. This doesn’t apply to bars and restaurants which can sell alcohol on weekends and up to the curfew. (Source: www.businessinsider.co.za)

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NEWS IN BRIEF Gauteng housing corruption probe escalated

where a taxi owner and his driver were gunned down in Kensington in March 2019. (Source: www.thesouthafrican.com)

How Dishal Sooku stopped a child being kidnapped in his restaurant

The fact-finding mission into corrupt officials within the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has been handed over to the Provincial Forensic Audit Service. This comes after the provincial portfolio committee on Cogta and human settlements requested the department to look into corruption allegations linked with the allocation of government houses in Clayville Extension 45 and Extension 71 in Tembisa. (Source: www.iol.co.za)

Cops arrest several ‘most wanted’ suspects linked to taxi murders

reported missing. The community in the south of Johannesburg held a prayer service in the afternoon at the spot where the bodies of the six-year-old boy and eight-year-old girl were found. It is understood the children disappeared while walking home from a nearby salon on Friday. The matter has been escalated to provincial level. (Source: www.ewn.co.za)

Man arrested for KZN double farm murder

A martial arts expert used a choke technique to pin down a man who allegedly tried to kidnap a child from his restaurant in Johannesburg last week Thursday. Footage of the incident was widely shared on social media, making Dishal Sooku, 38, of Lenasia, famous in South Africa as well as abroad. In the footage, Naseem Slamang, the accused, climbs over the railing and runs to a table where two women and a child are seated. He grabs the 4-year-old girl by the neck and attempts to pull her out of her seat. Sooku, who is seated nearby, gets up and tries to restrain him. He manages to pin Slamang to the ground until security guards approach. Captain Kay Makhubele, a Gauteng police spokesperson, said a 24-year-old man had been arrested and charged with assault. He said the man appeared in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Phindi Mjonondwane, a Gauteng spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority, said the accused was charged with assault GBH, attempted kidnapping and common assault. (Source: www.iol.co.za)

A 29-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of a KwaZulu-Natal couple at a farm in Normandien, near Newcastle. Glen Rafferty and his wife Vida were shot dead on the front porch of their farmhouse at the end of last month. Their dog was also killed in the incident. KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker said that the suspect was arrested by the organised crime unit of Osizweni over the weekend. (Source: www.sowetanlive.co.za)

Special Tribunal halts payment of R10 million scooter tender

Orange Farm residents demand answers after two children found murdered Police may have made an important breakthrough in the struggle to curb ongoing – and currently increasing – taxi violence around the country. Three men, identified as ‘most wanted’ suspects, have been arrested on the East Rand and linked to a number of cases of taxi violence, including several murders. Among these is a case where a taxi owner and his brother were shot and killed in Protea Glen, Soweto, in July 2019, and an incident

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Orange Farm residents are demanding answers after two children were found dead in the area hours after they were

The Special Tribunal has granted an order preventing the Eastern Cape health department from paying out the more than R10 million for the controversial scooter project. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has welcomed the decision and said it would ensure that state funds are not abused. The 100 scooters, fitted with extra chairs and gazebos, were initially meant to transport patients but according to Minister of Health Zweli Mkhize, “… the Scooter Project that was launched by

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS IN BRIEF

the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDOH) does not meet the basic criteria for patient transport as an ambulance.” (Source: www.thesouthafrican.com)

Former George mayor and four others due in court over R9 million fraud case

implicated in the PPE tender scandal. (Source: www.iol.co.za)

How Covid-19 turned out to be good news for rhinos

Commercial Crimes Court. The trio appeared in connection with multiple counts of fraud, corruption, theft and defeating the administration of justice charges. They will appear in November, where, for the first time in nine years, they will face the charges with regard to the Slush Fund. (Source: www.the southafrican.com)

Amid coronavirus pandemic, Texas border agents see human smuggling on the rise

A former mayor of George in the Southern Cape will appear in court soon along with four municipal officials in connection with a R9 million fraud and corruption case. According to the Hawks, the former mayor allegedly offered work to a company on a planned project long before it was registered with the George Local Municipality. He is further accused of colluding with the municipal manager and senior employees in the municipality’s community services department and of having appointed other associated companies to complete work under the War on Waste project in 2017. About R9 million was allegedly paid between May and December 2017 and several gratifications were also paid to officials, allegedly involved, in the form of cash payments, holiday accommodation and donations for school functions. (Source: www.ewn.co.za)

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought an unexpected benefit to rhinos and other wildlife — a decrease in poaching during the first half of the year. The International Rhino Foundation, in its recently-released 2020 State of the Rhino Report outlining current conservation trends, including the effect of the global pandemic on the world’s five species of rhinoceros, that in response to the pandemic, countries around the world had closed borders and restricted international and domestic travel. With an increased military and police presence, regular checkpoints enacted, and government parks and private reserves closed to outside visitors, local poaching gangs found it risky to move people without raising suspicions. International travel restrictions closed wildlife trafficking routes to China and Vietnam, the largest black markets for rhino horn. (Source: www.timeslive.co.za)

ANC in Gauteng to release PPE tender scandal report

Secret service slush fund case transferred to Pretoria High Court

The ANC’s Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC) will release the report into the PPE tender scandal implicating Health MEC Bandile Masuku following discussions around preparations for local government elections and the provincial integrity commission’s report. Both Masuku and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Khusela Diko, have taken leave of absence after they were

The Secret Services Slush Fund case, whereby high-profile ex-crime intelligence senior personnel are involved, has been transferred to the Pretoria High Court and will be heard on Tuesday 10 November 2020. On Thursday 17 September, Former Crime Intelligence Divisional Commissioner Richard Mdluli, Crime Intelligence ex-Chief Finance Officer Solomon Lazarus and Former Supply Chain Manager Heine Barnard appeared before the Pretoria Specialised

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

The Laredo Border Sector is reporting a rise in commercial trade due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that’s not all. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are also battling an uptick in human smuggling cases. The Laredo Port of Entry has handled 40 percent of all trade with Mexico. The Border sector generated $300 billion in annual trade, the highest amount in the country. Customs and Border Protection agents also have been dealing with an increase in human smuggling cases since the coronavirus pandemic began. They said the Rio Grande has been a popular spot for illegal border crossings, including human smuggling. (Source: www.foxnews.com)

International Criminal Court officials sanctioned by US

The US has imposed sanctions on senior officials in the International Criminal Court (ICC), including chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the court of “illegitimate attempts to subject Americans to its jurisdiction”. The Hague-based ICC is currently investigating whether US forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. (Source: www.bbc.com)

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NEWS

Kaspersky registers growing interest in PlayStation 5 among cybercriminals

Kaspersky experts have recently detected a growing interest among phishers and scammers in the popular game console PlayStation, the new version of which is going to be launched in November

n the period July – September 2020, there was discovered almost 150 suspicious web resources around the world with the word ‘playstation’ in their names. So far in September alone, Kaspersky experts found more than 60 such sites. However, in reality there may be a lot more. The phishing websites were mainly offering the chance to pre-order PlayStation 5 by leaving a prepayment or personal information. On some sites it was supposedly even possible to purchase a console at a reduced price. There were also resources where the previous version of the console – PlayStation 4 – was on offer for much lower prices, with the major discounts attributed to the release of PS5. “We want to remind users that if something looks too good to be true on the Internet, then it’s most probably a scam. Sales and pre-order messages are worth checking with reliable sources. You should not follow links in suspicious emails or messages sent via messaging services or social networks. It’s also a good idea to install a security solution with upto-date databases of phishing and spam resources”, comments Tatyana Sidorina, Lead Web Content Analyst at Kaspersky.

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Kaspersky experts advise the following tips to protect against phishing threats: • Always double-check the URLs of links shared in unexpected messages or those from an unknown sender, to make sure that they are genuine and do not cover another hyperlink that leads to a malicious page or download. • If you are not sure that a website is genuine and secure, never enter your credentials or personal information. If you think that you may have entered your login and password on a fake page, immediately change your password and call your bank or other payment provider if you think your card details may have been compromised. • Always use a secure Wi-Fi connection, especially when visiting sensitive websites. Do not use public Wi-Fi without a password. If you are using an insecure connection, cybercriminals can redirect you to phishing pages without your knowledge. For added security, use VPN solutions that encrypt your traffic, such as Kaspersky Secure Connection. • Use a security solution with behaviourbased anti-phishing technologies, such as Kaspersky Security Cloud or Kaspersky Total Security, which will warn you if you are trying to visit a phishing web page.

About Kaspersky Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users worldwide are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 250,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them.

Learn more at www.kaspersky.co.za For further information please contact: Nicole Allman INK&Co. Cell: +27 83 251 2769 nicole@inkandco.co.za

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

INDUSTRY OPINION

Using a multi-channel approach to improve the employee experience for remote workforces As the Covid-19 pandemic irrevocably redefined the way we communicate and work, remote working and mobile workforces have become central to doing business in the new normal.

By Dharshan Naidoo, SADC Sales Team Lead at Infobip Africa

his means that organisations are having to develop new communication strategies and channels to create a collaborative remote working environment for employees to ensure Business Continuity (BC). However, it goes beyond merely assisting them to set up shop in their living rooms and bedrooms so they can continue to carry out their daily activities, the biggest concern has been enabling as much productivity of the mobile workforce as when they were in the office. This means that remote workers should have access to the same software applications, data and tools as when working physically in the office. Yet not everything is equal. Organisations have diverse workforces and employees who live in different areas, with access to different communication mediums.

Catering for different connectivity Some areas might have good connectivity, while some do not, and different employees may have access to distinct connectivity options such as ADSL, mobile internet or fibre. Enterprises must consider this and deploy technologies and channels that cater to these different types of connectivity. Similar to creating an enhanced Customer Experience (CX), these new strategies will ultimately facilitate a more collaborative work environment and will require the same amount of intent and individual consideration, dictating a multichannel approach. The pandemic has forced many enterprises to move away from traditional communication channels, such as email, SMS and voice, and onto digital platforms in order to provide a better CX. It is a similar journey with employee experience, where businesses must adopt digital channels into their existing workflow to allow their remote workers to engage and

collaborate more effectively. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve recently seen organisations make good use of Over The Top (OTT) channels like WhatsApp API, Facebook Messenger and Viber to provide a better CX. As these type of channels are readily available and are already used and trusted by their employees, enterprises should try and move their operations to these platforms to bridge the digital divide.

AI is the future Also, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the future and has already been embraced by companies to enhance the CX. Organisations have deployed chatbots on top of OTT channels whilst similarly, AI can be harnessed from an internal communications perspective to improve the employee experience. For example, automation can facilitate training or human resources (HR) tasks for remote workers. By incorporating a chatbot onto their internal WhatsApp chat app, companies can enable staff members to log annual and sick leave or upload sick notes through communicating with an AI-enabled chatbot.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

The vital factor for businesses and employees is being able to use what they have to the best of their ability. In the past six months, we have seen businesses learning better ways to approach different solutions, as well as unique and more innovate ways of communicating. By using readily available communication channels to engage with their remote workers, organisations do not need to reinvent the wheel, but can rather ensure better communication and collaboration with their employees, by simply providing a much more innovative way for employees to engage with the company.

Editorial Contacts: Infobip Tshidi Mosenyegi Regional Head of Marketing Email: Tshidi.Mosenyegi@infobip.com Evolution PR Peace Maluleke Email: peace@evolutionpr.co.za Tel: 011 462 0628

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INDUSTRY OPINION

Covid-19 – elevating the importance of change If there is one place where the global Covid-19 pandemic has left its most significant consequence on the business sector, it is on the ability to change. By Steve Sullivan, Executive Vice President & GM, Americas at Infinidat

ndoubtedly no one expected or estimated the extent of this crisis and its resulting uncertainties in the global and local markets. The published forecasts are mostly bleak and uncertainty is still great even though most restrictions have been lifted and borders opened in many places around the world. The threat of a second wave is an increasing possibility, particularly with South Africa moving to a lower level of restrictions. While many businesses are trying to recover from the blow of the national lockdown, it turns out that those who have learned to be flexible and were able to change, managed to survive. This ability to stay resilient has even provided some organisations with a competitive advantage over similar businesses, with technology playing a substantial role in achieving this.

The concept of “resilience” has changed beyond recognition “Resilience” is a familiar concept in IT that refers to the ability of a network or system to adapt to change and protect the business and its customers from disasters or serious disruptions. A business that has invested in the resilience of its IT infrastructure should be able to recover quickly from a disaster and revert to the point before the disaster or disruption occurred. However, when it comes to a global disaster such as the Covid-19 pandemic, this resilience is not enough. Organisations cannot get back to the same point they were at before the crisis began. They must rapidly change if they want to survive and succeed. Going back to the pre-crisis time for many of them is a death sentence. In the wake of the pandemic, businesses must reinvent themselves and accelerate digital activities. Food retail businesses, for example, had to fast-track deliveries to consumers and this required significant computing capacity to support the

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demand. Manufacturers who usually deliver their goods exclusively to stores changed their way of distribution completely during the crisis. Similarly, traditional organisations such as banks, insurance companies and health services had to quickly take on a remote approach, while marketing their services through advanced applications and online portals, all in a very secure manner. The Covid-19 crisis is so deep and widespread that it is still unknown if it has a deadline and when that deadline will occur. The name of the game is the ability to change, transform business models and prepare quickly, which requires a huge and dramatic increase in IT requirements for an unknown period of time.

How can the new resilience be provided to a business? For a business to change quickly and adapt to the changing reality post the crisis, it must have flexibility. Flexibility is expressed in two ways: • On-demand technology: Customerfocused technology providers, who saw their customers distressed and demand for increased flexibility began to offer new models of on-demand service or technology that is based on actual consumption. In the field of storage, for example, this gives organisations the ability to prepare quickly and scale capacity as needed. This way businesses can launch projects and respond quickly to market changes with innovative products without embarking on long, expensive and complex procurement campaigns. Supplying on-demand storage volumes has been a saving grace for many businesses, more so since they are struggling to meet their targets in the wake of the pandemic. Ondemand storage solutions assist in the organisation’s survival journey when they certainly cannot afford the complex implementation of expensive storage

systems or huge financial expenses with cloud storage. • Reducing the physical accessibility of manpower to the data centre: The Covid-19 crisis has raised the importance of reducing routine or special maintenance in the data centre due to social distancing. In the field of storage, it is essential to minimise the number of times a data centre is required to be physically accessed for repair operations. High redundancy of hardware, at the level of n + 2 makes it possible to deal with any malfunction, and not in an immediate emergency format. It makes it possible to collect a number of faults, postpone treatment and deal with them when possible so that the business does not lose efficiency. Peace of mind has no competition in these difficult times. Resilience must now not only allow the business to return to pre-crisis functionality but to change and reevaluate for unpredictable scenarios going forward. Business that has this level of resilience can present a significant competitive advantage, continue to be flexible and change in the face of drastic changes in the market in which they operate. It is time for technology providers to allow flexible models of consumption and increase redundancies, which will allow them to introduce innovation to the market on the one hand, but also deal with physical constraints on the other.

Editorial Contacts: Infinidat Sapna Capoor Director of Global Communications Email: scapoor@infinidat.com Evolution PR Sandri de Wet Tel: 011 462 0628 Email: sandri@evolutionpr.co.za

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

MAIN FEATURE: Mining Security

Mining security:

can cutting-edge technology curb the South African mining sector’s $1 billion illegal annual outflow and other challenges?

By Tony Botes, national administrator of the Security Association of South Africa (SASA)

first for SA: Microsoft’s Mining Core facility

A key development in this regard is the Microsoft Mining Core in Johannesburg, which was opened in September 2020 and which will be focusing on AI and cloud technologies within the mining sector. A first for South Africa, the facility will work with its partners and customers to create solutions that not only overcome

specific business challenges but also broadly enable the sector to grow and prosper, says Amr Kamel, Enterprise Director at Microsoft South Africa1. “Mining is a critical industry in South Africa, and has historically been a major contributor to the country’s GDP, tax revenue and employment: last year alone, the mining sector employed over 450 000 people, contributed R24.3 billion

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

in taxes and R360.9 billion to GDP,” he says. “The sector’s importance to the economy is undeniable – but it has faced challenges in recent years. These include declining output, weakening global cost competitiveness based on the volatility of commodity prices, regulatory uncertainty and unreliable energy supply, according to a report by the Minerals Council.” “Combined with the impact of the

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MAIN FEATURE

Covid-19 pandemic, it becomes clear that the sector needs solutions that can shift and boost it to regain its competitiveness and become a key contributor and driver of economic recovery in the wake of the pandemic. Technology holds the key to achieving those goals. Accelerated digital transformation and the introduction of solutions through emerging technologies such as AI, the Internet of Things and data analytics, have the power to help the industry adapt, reinvent and transform in a sustainable and responsible way.” “Together with our partner ecosystem, we are working to help our customers to navigate three phases – response, recovery, and reimagine – in order to maintain continuity, remain open, drive operational performance and create new business models even in the most difficult of circumstances,” says Kamel, adding: “Solutions which are conceptualised and built collaboratively, are anchored in four main areas: community services and social impact; health and safety; environment; and responsible digital transformation.” When it comes to improving health and safety in a Covid-19 mining environment, emerging technologies such as drones, cognitive services and video analytics, have a critical role to play, he avers. Aside from being able to manage health and safety protocols related to the pandemic, including social distancing and hygiene measures, he says digital solutions will also enable mines to reduce their environmental footprints, curb water usage and improve operational performance.

The world’s eyes are on Africa Global risk and intelligence consultancy S-RM2 also believes that technology has a critical role to play in South Africa’s mining sector. “For resource-rich countries, investment in the mining industry can generate employment, spur economic growth and propel technological innovation. Indeed, the prospect of attractive returns and long-term growth has caught the attention of statesponsored and private investors globally. From Western Europe and the US through to Russia and China, all eyes are on Africa. But the continent’s mining sector has also been tainted by the so-called ‘resource curse’, with abundant examples of corruption, insecurity and the inequitable distribution of profits. Which is why, at the turn of the decade, commercial operators, consumers, governments and investors are taking stock. We are entering an age

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which is moving rapidly from opacity to transparency, and from tacit acceptance to meticulous scrutiny.”

The cost of illegal mining to SA In its 2020 Mining in Africa Report, S-RM says South Africa’s illegal miners or “Zama Zamas” are costing the country $1 billion annually in terms of illegally exported gold. “This sum does not include the concealed impact and costs of increasingly violent criminal dealings in the illegal ASGM (artisanal and small-scale gold mining) sector, which include damage to private and public infrastructure and, in severe cases, loss of life,” it says. “Illegal syndicates typically operate in South Africa’s disused mines, meaning that, unlike gold panning operations elsewhere on the continent, artisanal mining in South Africa compromises large networks of underground cities where extortion, forced labour and violent turf wars are commonplace. Above-ground mass executions have also been reported in the previous mining hub of the East Rand, Gauteng Province, on several occasions. The Department of Mineral Resources estimates that there are 6 000 such illegal mines in South Africa, many located in the wealthiest Gauteng Province, and that 70 percent of Zama Zamas are undocumented migrant workers.” S-RM continues: “The system exists within the context of South Africa’s worsening crime crisis, supported by organised human, weapons and precious metals trafficking. According to the global think-tank Institute for Economics and Peace, the cost of violent crime in South Africa amounts to 13 % of GDP. On average, violent crime costs countries 8.8 % of GDP globally. Pervasive crime and ineffective and, at times, complicit police services mean that the burgeoning crisis in South Africa’s ASGM sector has largely gone unchecked. Growing underground operations, as well as competition among Zama Zamas syndicates, have meant that these groups are infiltrating industrial mining sites more frequently.”

The potential – and the risks – of the latest technology in the mining sector Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technology has the potential to address many of the criminal, economic and social challenges that have long characterised the mining sector. It also, however, comes with a whole lot of new threats including cybercrime

thanks to the interconnectivity of the Internet of Things (IoT), warns S-RM. “For years, operational technologies (OT) used by miners have been siloed and shut off from IT networks, which limited the cyber risk they were exposed to. However, as OT digitises and moves into a 4IR environment, the associated risk grows markedly. CyberX’s 2019 Global ICS & IIoT Risk Report found vulnerabilities and flaws in basic cybersecurity at industrial sites around the world: 53% of industrial sites used outdated Windows systems which will not be supported by patches if vulnerabilities are found and can therefore fall prey to more advanced cyber-attacks. Furthermore, 57% were not running antivirus software that updated signatures automatically. The consequences of an IoT device that is within a corporate network but does not have appropriate security can be disastrous. These unprotected devices may provide an entry point to infect corporate databases, potentially exposing a huge volume of private customer or employee data over a short period of time.” Another concern arising from the use of AI algorithms is that of attacks. Automated, unchecked business decisions could cause great harm to customers, businesses and brands alike, says S-RM. “If an attacker was able to manipulate an AI algorithm used by an entity to make key business decisions, they could cause havoc. And if these algorithms are black boxed (ie a company will not know what the internal workings are, just the input and output) it may not even be obvious that they have been manipulated. While many would assume this sort of attack would require a high level of sophistication, it is feasible for nontechnical individuals to use existing online tools to launch such attacks, making them a potentially much more ubiquitous threat.” That said, the risks don’t outweigh the benefits of 4IR technology, continues S-RM. “Indeed, it will likely become increasingly difficult to avoid them and remain competitive, which is why the mining sector has embraced technological leaps in recent years. But companies must remember to adequately protect themselves to ensure that they do not lose the benefits of this revolution as a result of weak cybersecurity measures. According to a 2019 survey of mining firms carried out on behalf of Inmarsat, 87% of respondents reported that their processes to combat cybersecurity threats

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MAIN FEATURE

were inadequate, while just 22% said they had invested sufficiently in new cybersecurity technologies.”

Protect, prepare and proceed Urging businesses to embrace the 4IR, S-RM stresses the importance of prioritising cyber safety at the same time. “People,” it says, “are often the weakest link in a company’s cyber defences, and training for mining employees, who may be presented with internet-connected technologies - despite never having to seriously consider cyber security before - is an essential step. Both education and investment in cybersecurity is vital if companies don’t want the opportunities presented by the 4IR to slip through their fingers.” The Brookings Institution, an independent non-profit research organization, says in its Foresight Africa 2020 report3 that the Fourth Industrial Revolution and digitization has the potential to transform “Africa into a global powerhouse”. “The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)— characterized by the fusion of the digital, biological and physical worlds, as well as the

growing utilization of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and advanced wireless technologies, among others—has ushered in a new era of economic disruption with uncertain socio-economic consequences for Africa,” say co-authors Njuguna Ndung’u, Executive Director of African Economic Research Consortium and former Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya and Landry Signé, Senior Fellow at the Africa Growth Initiative of the Brookings Institution and Chairman of the Global Network for Africa’s Prosperity.

10 key enabling technologies Further in the report, Youssef Travaly and Kevin Muvunyi of the Next Einstein Forum, list the 10 key enabling technologies required to drive Africa’s digital economy. These include cybersecurity, cloud computing, big data analytics, blockchain, the Internet of Things, 3D printing, biotechnology, robotics, energy storage, and AI. “AI in particular presents countless avenues for both the public and private sectors to optimize solutions to the most crucial

problems facing the continent today,” they maintain, adding: “The future is intelligent: By 2030, artificial intelligence (AI) will add $15.7 trillion to the global GDP, with $6.6 trillion projected to be from increased productivity and $9.1 trillion from consumption effects. Furthermore, augmentation, which allows people and AI to work together to enhance performance, “will create $2.9 trillion of business value and 6.2 billion hours of worker productivity globally.” In a world that is increasingly characterized by enhanced connectivity and where data is as pervasive as it is valuable, Africa has a unique opportunity to leverage new digital technologies to drive large-scale transformation and competitiveness. Africa cannot and should not be left behind.” 1. Link: https://news.microsoft.com/enxm/2020/09/15/using-the-power-of-technologyto-transform-and-reimagine-mining-in-southafrica/) 2. Link: https://www.s-rminform.com/) 3.Link: (https://www.brookings. edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ ForesightAfrica2020_20200110.pdf)

ALL-INCLUSIVE INTRUDER DETECTION FOR YOUR BUSINESS

COMPANY NEWS

First SearchInform Solution was implemented in South Africa in partnership with Tech Global

During the meeting with The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies of South Africa and SA companies, Tech Global initiated negotiations with Ntiyiso Consulting. The prospect was introduced to SearchInform and the latter showcased their information security solutions comprising of data leakage prevention tools, time tracking solution, database monitoring and file auditing systems.

tiyiso representatives highly appreciated the capabilities of SearchInform products and purchased licenses for the working time control program TimeInformer. Ntiyiso Consulting also shows interest in representing SearchInform in South Africa and selling the Russian vendor solutions in the region. “We have been working with local partners in South Africa since March 2018. Thanks to collaborative work with Tech Global, we managed to find not only a new client, but also a reliable partner in the region. We recognise a growing interest in Russian products in the information security sphere from both commercial organisations and the public sector. That is perfectly reasonable since there is a general trend towards digitalisation of business and public administration worldwide. Considering the abovementioned, I believe that the current deal is just the beginning of mutually beneficial cooperation between

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our companies,” said Sergey Ozhegov, CEO of SearchInform. “We appreciate the approach of Ntiyiso Consulting. Before putting forward SearchInform solution developments to the market, Ntiyiso Consulting decided to test-drive all product functionality to prove that the software solves critical business problems. This year Ntiyiso, following an overwhelming trend, was forced to restructure the work and shift its employees to remote work, while considering how to maintain the productivity of the team. The customer’s specialists have already been trained; deployment of the solution was approved by the legal team and the board of the company and an official notice by the CEO was released; TimeInformer was approved for official use,” commented Georgii Mikaberidze, CEO of Tech Global JSC.

Fact Sheet SearchInform is one of the leading risk management product developers. For

over a decade the company has been a technological trailblazer focusing on contemporary cybersecurity threats, protecting business and government institutions against data theft, harmful human behavior, compliance breaches and incomplete audits. More than 3 000 companies across all major economic domains count on SearchInform regarding efficient risk management solutions. Tech Global JSC is a Russian export promotion institution, which provides support to organisations implementing projects in the ICT sector. The key goal is to facilitate growth of the Russian ICT industry through export support and the development of the international network of B2B, B2G and G2G partnerships.

Links: http://rosinfocominvest.ru/en/ https://searchinform.com/

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

MINING NEWS

It’s time to make morality matter

In support of President Ramaphosa’s recently announced zero tolerance approach to corruption, the Minerals Council of South Africa1 has called for urgent action to be taken against “those within his government, and those businesses and other citizens who have looted public funds, including funds intended to ease the impact of Covid-19.”

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

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MINING NEWS

“It’s time to make morality matter,” says South Africa’s Mineral Council as it calls for action against corruption and gender-based violence.

ollowing the publication of the president’s open letter to ANC members on 23 August this year2, in which he expressed his concern about high-level corruption, Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter says its value will be measured according to when and how those found guilty will be punished. “Thus far we have seen limited real decisive action, let alone the kinds of prosecutions that could reassure the country that the blatant corruption we have witnessed in the last few months, and in the last decade, would lead to satisfactory outcomes,” he says. “Action cannot equate to yet another commission of inquiry; it means action on the ground.“ “The Minerals Council believes the law enforcement agencies need to be allowed to act independently and need to be capacitated to do so. The National Prosecuting Authority, South African Revenue Service, the Hawks and the various intelligence agencies should be allowed to do their work without fear or prejudice. But it is not just these agencies that need to restore their integrity, it’s all those who serve the country that need to restore the morality on which the Rainbow Nation was built 26 years ago. This applies equally to business: for corruption to occur in government, there is often a private sector counterparty that, equally, must be brought to book. Just as it will take all stakeholders – government, business, organised labour and civil society – to restore our economy, it is going to take a collective effort to ensure this is indeed a turning point in the fight against corruption and a return to an ethical society led by an ethical leadership. This time the pillaging of funds could have cost lives. In this case, corruption is not just criminal, it is a crime against South Africa’s people. South Africa and her people deserve better. It’s time to make morality matter.”

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Minerals Council of South Africa launches first-ever National Day of Women in Mining The Minerals Council has also taken giant strides to address gender-based violence and the advancement of women in the mining sector with the launch of the firstever National Day of Women in Mining on 21 August 2020. “At present, women make up 12% of the mining workforce, compared to 6% in 2008,” it says. “While regulatory, social and physical barriers have played a part in the slow progress experienced, bold and collaborative action is required to address this issue. This first National Day of Women in Mining seeks to spur the process within the Minerals Council leadership, in mining company boardrooms and within mining companies themselves, and to put the advancement of women firmly on the agenda. Every year the industry will come together in August to take stock of progress. The Minerals Council has adopted a similar approach to that being used to address safety and health, which is considered a fundamental priority every day, for women in mining. The stretch targets set and agreed by Minerals Council members are to ensure that we at least double the percentage of women in mining by 2025 and ultimately work towards 30% to 40% women representation across the industry and 50% in management over the next decade.” Neal Froneman, Minerals Council Vice President, and Women in Mining Champion, noted that this initiative was not something that was targeted only at women, but also at men at all levels of the industry. “I call on the leaders of our industry – in companies, within organised labour and within the regulator – to lead this change for the betterment of our industry and our society.”

Mr Froneman also urged all mining industry leaders and employees not to forget the very real hardships faced by women in mining and in communities every day, especially as a result of gender-based violence. He urged everyone – men and women alike – not to simply be bystanders, but to report and stop gender-based violence and harassment both at work and at home. The three pillars driving women in mining in the current context – governance, communication and action – are supported by six priority initiatives, which focus on the development of an organisational structure and dynamic communication strategy; the public celebration of women in mining Covid-19 heroes; ensuring a commitment from member companies to deliver on the seven foundational measures; the defining role of women in our Covid-19 response; and the integration of inclusion of best practices in mining modernisation.” Further: “The Women in Mining Task Team is working towards seven key foundational measures which we hope to see in place by the end of 2020 – reaffirming zero tolerance for gender-based violence through the Stop Abuse campaign; developing gender diversity and inclusion policies; providing a reporting system for gender diversity issues; initiating unconscious bias training to transform culture; deploying ongoing company-wide pulse check surveys; building an inclusive physical environment; and supplying PPE (personal protection equipment) specifically designed for women. 1. MCSA – link: https://www.mineralscouncil.org.za/ 2. Read the letter in full: https://ewn. co.za/2020/08/23/read-the-full-letter-ramaphosasent-to-the-anc-on-corruption

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

COMMITTED TO CHANGE FOR WOMEN IN MINING SUCCESS IS “Industry-wide commitment with a clear ambition, strategy and action plan towards gender equality in mining and pilot initiatives being kicked-off” Three pillars to reposition WiM in light of COVID-19

Governance

Communication

Action

Adjust WiM initiative structure, forming Leadership Forum to drive and team(s) to execute enhancement of WiM

Adapt WiM communication strategy to be more dynamic and engage on prevalent issues including women’s role in crisis

Advance gender diversity agenda by ensuring progress on fundamentals while responding to health and economic crises

Development of WiM organisational structure

Ongoing dynamic WiM communication strategy

Public celebration of women in mining COVID-19 heroes

Wo has ma div

Thi wh

Seven founda implement b

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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Commitment from companies to deliver seven foundational measures

SIX PRIORITY INITIATIVES

Defining role of women in COVID-19 response

Integration of inclusion best practices in mining modernisation

De co ch

Bu en

Su sp

HE CHALLENGE WE FACE

omen make up only 12% of the mining industry in SA. There s been very little improvement since 2008, when women ade up 6% of the industry. Mining is among the least gender verse industries in SA.

is puts the industry on the back foot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; everyone stands to gain hen women are fully represented.

ational measures to by November

eaffirm zero tolerance r GBV through Stop buse campaign

evelop gender versity and inclusion olicies

ovide reporting stem for gender versity issues

Women in Mining

WE ARE COMMITTED

TO BOLD TARGETS x2 x2

30-40% 30-40%

Percentage of women in mining at least doubles by 2025 Work towards 30 to 40% of the industry and 50% of management over the next decade

Three critical dimensions to achieve these targets

itiate unconscious as training to ansform culture

ATTRACTION

eploy ongoing ompanywide pulse heck survey

RETENTION

omen in Mini

uild inclusive physical nvironment

upply PPE for women pecifically

Increase no. of women across industry; Target women to join at junior level and then advance; Market mining as an attractive work environment

Implement and uphold gender inclusive policies, incl. for promotions; Provide training, mentorship and sponsorship for women; Improve working environment, incl. equipment, facilities and attitudes

DEVELOPMENT Define individualised development strategies and paths for women; Outline performance criteria for promotions and trainings clearly; Identify and prepare female talent pipeline for roles across seniorities

PERSONALITY XXX PROFILE

Femicide book exposes uncomfortable truths In conversation with Dr Nechama Brodie as published in the South African Jewish Report. Courtesy of the South African Jewish Report https://www.sajr.co.za/

Dr Nechama Brodie, journalist, author, fact-checker, producer, and publisher, has just brought out a new book, “Femicide in South Africa”, based on her PhD thesis. We ask her some questions:

hy do a doctorate on femicide?

It started with a fact-checking report I’d done for Africa Check (back in 2013) debunking the myth of white genocide in South Africa. A few weeks after the report was published, I did an interview with one of the Afrikaans newspapers, and I made a comment to the journalist about why false claims about white genocide were problematic, and that white women had more to fear from their intimate partners than they did a stranger in an alleyway. A few months later, the Freedom Front, Steve Hofmeyer, Sunette Bridges, and some others charged me (and Africa Check) with hate speech at the Human Rights Commission, saying that what I had said was hate speech against white men. I became interested in how the white right-wing understood femicide, and who was at risk, and assumed the media played a role in that. When I looked for data on how and what the South African media covered about femicide, I couldn’t find it. So, I decided to build it myself.

Why is femicide so high in South Africa? Our extremely high femicide rate can’t be separated from our extremely high rate of homicide and violent crime. Compounding that, we are a deeply misogynistic country with a high rate of violence against women, a country where

violence is seen as a legitimate means of achieving an end, and where women are easy and even preferred targets. The ways in which women are killed has a different profile to the ways in which men are killed. This is why it’s still important to study femicide as a unique and specific phenomenon within a broader and bigger problem.

What was the difference between what you thought you would discover, and what you actually discovered about femicide in South Africa? There is quite a lot of other research, globally – mostly from the global north – about media coverage of homicide and intimate-partner femicide. My research showed that many of these trends were consistent in South Africa, but my data also showed exactly how it played out. For example, I could show that less than 20% of actual femicides ever made it into the news. And that intimatepartner killings, which make up the majority of real femicides, only made up a third of newspaper coverage. What was interesting more than surprising was to discover that in most Afrikaans-language newspapers, more than 50% of femicide coverage was about white victims – although less than 20% of victims in the press were white. If you read only Afrikaans-language media, you might, indeed, believe a white genocide is occurring, and

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

remain unaware of the majority of other femicide victims.

What do you want to achieve through this book? So much of the femicide response in South Africa is driven by emotion, rhetoric, or bureaucracy. And none of these, in my view, effectively further the actual, practical strategies, and steps that need to be taken. I always believe that better information helps us make better decisions and helps us ask better questions. I want people to understand femicide for what it is, not what they think it is based on a hashtag, a tweet, or a headline.

Has writing this book changed the way you feel about being a woman in South Africa, or simply living here? In all honestly, probably yes. I have become a lot more cynical about personal safety in South Africa, and also about being a woman here. My research hasn’t given me any optimism about where we are at, or where we are going. At best, maybe I can say I have a more nuanced view of this violence, and I not only understand but can demonstrate that this problem long predated 1994. The foundations were cast in concrete generations ago. Blaming the African National Congress or turning it into a racial issue in order to apportion blame isn’t only bigoted, it also

securityfocusafrica.com

PERSONALITY PROFILE

fails to understand the problem correctly. That said, the state has done an equally shit job in making its people safe as the previous regime did in many respects.

What do you believe we, as citizens of South Africa, can and should be doing to curtail femicide and gender-based violence (GBV)? A large part of this is about understanding and acknowledging the deep roots of patriarchy and misogyny in society. Not just in modern South Africa, but pretty much every society for thousands of years. The Jewish community is no exception. Many communities and households still treat women as second-class (and use scripture to justify this, maybe with a placatory claim that it’s because of women’s innate holiness and other platitudes), or as possessions. How do you fix thousands of years of men being told it’s okay to literally kill your wife if you think she’s cheated on you? This is hard-baked into human society. So that’s one part of it. I still get men eyerolling and making sarcastic comments if I say I’m a feminist. When you look at media reports from the late 1970s, when they ask (rhetorically) why some men kill their wives, they talk about the terrible stress men are under, with women taking their jobs and becoming more empowered, with growing divorce rates, and so on. It’s astounding that the mere suggestion that a woman should have the same autonomy as a man is considered sufficiently mitigating if a man can’t handle it and needs to kill someone. Men also need to stop being the lookouts for other men who commit violence. If you have a friend who hits his wife or verbally abuses her and you say nothing when you observe it, you’re the lookout at the door. You are enabling this, directly, even if you’re not doing the beating yourself. Men who stay silent in the face of what’s happening, are as bad as the ones doing the crimes. Beyond that, I think that we need to support strategies that consist of smaller, reasonable, practical steps that will mitigate some of the violence. Just putting in streetlights (in poorly lit informal settlements) reduces violent crime. Or safe transport for women. Or training police officers to properly document charges of GBV, and to properly investigate these cases so

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they can be prosecuted in court. These are small steps that can be achieved. Moaning on social media that the “president must stop GBV” might be cathartic, but achieves nothing.

proper sentences to perpetrators (and also deal somehow with the terrible prison system).

How can we change the way the media addresses femicide? By not blaming the victim for her own death. We do this when we write a story that makes out that the male perpetrator was somehow provoked beyond reason (this happens in intimate-partner cases, where the press will almost joke about love triangles, and jilted lovers). We shouldn’t blame sex workers for their own murders. Or women who were drinking, or on their way home from the pub or shebeen. Nobody deserves or is asking for it. Another important thing we could do would be to follow up on court cases, convictions, and sentencing, which sometimes happens years after an incident.

What was the toughest part for you in writing this book, and how did you deal with that? It’s not possible to do this work without learning how to switch on some kind of autopilot when you read about the ways in which men kill women. I have to switch off on some level, or I wouldn’t manage. Stupid things get through that façade, like reading about a man who killed his wife for insurance money and had it faked to look like a hijacking, and who got parole last year in spite of it being against the wishes of his own children. Or parents who sat through every day of the trial of their daughter’s murderer. That gets me.

What should the government do to change this status quo?

You have written a number of extremely different books, from novels, to books on Johannesburg, to this one. What’s next for Dr Nechama Brodie?

Resource the police better. Deal with violence against women within the police force. Remove firearms from police and security officers and in fact any man accused of violence against women. Tighten up gun-control laws again. Train police officers to properly document and investigate femicides. Resource the National Prosecuting Authority so it can effectively prosecute these cases. Give

I actually don’t know! I’m working on new homicide research – not just femicide – and there are two more crime-related research books I’d like to pursue, but I need to scope out what readers are most interested in and how it ties in with my academic research. And I’m hoping for some more novels, but at the moment all of this is in my head and nothing is on paper yet.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

ON THE MARKET

Viking Electronics Brings More Power with the New PA-250 Paging Amplifier

he high-powered PA-250 combines loud ringing, voice paging, and background music into one paging amplifier for easy broadcasting. The compact design fits into a single 1U rack space and can be used with both new and previously installed paging systems. “This is our largest amplifier yet and I’m excited to bring trusted Viking quality to this large of a scale.” – Paul Speltz, Sr. Engineer, Viking Electronics The PA-250 is a 250-Watt rack mounted paging amplifier for 25V and 70V paging speakers or horns. Easily initiate a voice page using an FXS or FXO port, a 600 Ohm Paging port or a microphone with push to talk capabilities. The 600 Ohm AUX input on the PA-250

allows for flexibility when connecting to other line level audio sources and the night transfer switch input toggles loud ringing on and off. Additional inputs can be used to activate a door chime tone, provide background music, or trigger loud ringing. The PA-250 features individual level controls with LED indicators for each input, automatic peak limiting, multiple amplifier protection modes, an adjustable Automatic Level Control, and Bass and Treble controls. For more power/speakers, multiple units can be daisy chained together using the 600 Ohm output. For more information on the PA-250, visit: https://www.vikingelectronics.com/ products/pa-250/. Viking Electronics engineers and

manufactures over 500 security and communication products in the USA. Products include Emergency Phones, Entry Systems, Paging Interfaces, Mass Notification Systems, Hotline Phones, Autodialers, Enclosures and more. In addition to their extensive analog line, Viking offers a large selection of IP products that are SIP compliant. Based in Hudson, Wisconsin, Viking’s legacy of reliability and electronic innovation spans 50+ years. Viking builds products that are designed to last and they also offer many of their products with Enhanced Weather Protection. Offering free lifetime product support they also back their products with a two-year limited warranty. For more information, please visit: www.vikingelectronics.com MEDIA CONTACT Mike Busby Marketing and Sales Manager, Viking Electronics Inc. Email: m.busby@vikingelectronics.com

Secutraq platform

he SecuTraq platform is a comprehensive, integrated management platform with which you can track your workforce. You can synchronise your guard and workforce management operations in real-time. Using our technology, you will be able to collect, organise and store comprehensive data about your guard and patrol operations. The locally developed platform is designed for the unique South-African market and is being utilised by several companies in the physical security industry. The SecuTraq platform is one of the most advanced tracking and management solutions on the market today. By using the SecuTraq platform, you will also be able to access analytics in the Cloud such as: facial collection and recognition for the identification of “persons of interest”. This enables the monitoring control room to make informed decisions and dispatch reaction teams only when required.

This information effectively and efficiently improves the management and operations of the guarding service provider - improving the productivity and performance of the organisation utilising the SecuTraq platform. The following alerts are available: • Unit online • Asset arrived on site • Asset not on site • Late arrival • Geo-fence in • Geo-fence out • Roaming complete • Roaming incomplete • Login • Logout • Photo/video • No arrival • No comms • Low battery • Call me • Panic • Route not started • Route started

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

• Route started late • Route incomplete • Route completed • Waypoint missed • Waypoint late • Early abscondment With SecuTraq you can track, schedule and communicate with your workforce in real-time. The platform is Cloud based and therefore can be accessed and managed from anywhere. It can be set up in accordance with your specific business rules. For further information: Tel: 010 015 1401 Email: sales@secutel.co.za

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ON THE MARKET

Add surveillance value with SecuVue

With SecuVue from Secutel Technologies, it is possible for any business to monitor their offices, warehouses or stores remotely, from any part of the world, as long as they have an internet connection.

ith our SecuVue CVR (Cloud Video Recorder) we can turn almost any existing CCTV system into an intelligent system, with a very low-cost layout from the client.

Analytics of the SecuVue: • Facial Collection/Recognition • Watch-list management • LPR (Licence Plate Collection/ Recognition) which we tie into the South African vehicle of interest database • Intruder detection/Line crossing analytics • Heat Mapping • People Counting

Facial collection and recognition With our facial collection and recognition technology, the SecuVue brings an unprecedented number of facial recognition and biometric features into a ready-to-deploy solution. The SecuVue correctly identifies gender, emotions and estimated age.

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Watch-list management Watch-list management allows for automated notifications of when a “person of interest” is identified. Refuse entry to any “person of interest”/suspects (from your database) to shopping centres, estate buildings, warehouses etc.

created, should an intruder cross the virtual line and/or enter the detected area, an alarm will be raised. As soon as an object moves into a demarcated area, an event is flagged, which can be dealt with by your service provider using appropriate SOPs (standard operating procedures).

LPR (license plate recognition)

Heat Mapping

The SecuVue LPR is ideal for vehicle access and traffic control. It identifies each vehicle’s license plate, make, model, body type and colour. The SecuVue platform has the capability to tie in with the Metagrated API link. This in turn allows you access to the SAPS “Vehicle of Interest” database, Insurance bureau database, Enatis and traffic departments. This will help you to identify vehicles with false number plates, stolen, wanted and suspect vehicles.

Heat mapping gives you the capability to know which area (in a shopping mall, for example) has the most traffic. This in turn will help establish where and what sale items/specials could be displayed in the mall. Members of the mall can make optimal use of available sales or exhibition areas.

Intruder detection/Line crossing analytics

For more information contact Secutel Technologies: Tel: 010 015 1401 Email: sales@secutel.co.za www.secutel.co.za

A virtual line or area of detection is

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

ON THE MARKET

LD Africa partners with Milesight LD Africa, a leading distributor of physical security equipment and software, announced it is now an approved partner of Milesight’s security & surveillance solutions in South Africa.

orlia de Swardt, marketing manager at LD Africa says, “At LD Africa, we distribute world-class CCTV cameras, equipment and software. LD Africa boasts a great selection of products with extended product warranties. Our unique partnerships with security camera manufacturers and surveillance equipment suppliers enable us to sell products at competitive prices.” Established in 2011, Milesight is a high-tech company, specializing in design, development and manufacturing of best-in-class video surveillance solutions including network cameras, NVRs, software and Apps - with superior image quality, exceptional flexibility and reliability.

Over half of Milesight’s employees are R & D engineers. Therefore, Milesight can introduce innovative products and satisfy customers’ needs with customized solutions. Aiming at providing functional and affordable surveillance solutions, Milesight strives to develop stylish, quality products. Milesight is an ISO9001 authorized company and their products are certificated with CE, FCC, LVD, RoHS, UL, etc., meeting the demanding requirements of the security industry. Milesight adapts to each and every surveillance demand from the global security market and has now provided their products to over 90 countries and regions, creating a wide spectrum of complete end-to-end solutions including

retail, government, industry, education, commercial, city surveillance, etc. Corlia de Swardt says, “We are privileged to add the Milesight range to our offering and are excited to work with Milesight as our partner in South Africa. Milesight products will afford us and our local partners the opportunity to compete in the higher end of the market.” This partnership with Milesight provides new, exciting and innovative opportunities to the South African market.

Contact details Tel: 010 015 1430 Email: sales@ldafrica.com Website: www.LDAfrica.com

T-Systems South Africa Launches Cyber Security Academy

-Systems South Africa will be introducing Cyber Security programs to create a specialized Cyber Security Academy incorporated into the organisation’s existing ICT Academy, accessible to the youth from local community. The new Academy will include a variety of Internationally recognized Cyber Security qualifications and more will be added in the coming months, helping participants build cyber security awareness skills and upskill to address a widening global cyber security workforce shortage in the market. “Cybersecurity has become a top C-level priority across the globe with skills in high demand. With the addition of this focus to our ICT Academy, we are empowering participants with new skills that will make them even more employable,” explains Dineo Molefe, Managing Director at T-Systems South Africa. “Building on our relationship with various industry leaders, we are now

collaborating with them to focus on cybersecurity skills development and awareness. We see the benefits in their programs first-hand as many of the students that graduate from the ICT Academy are employed at T-Systems South Africa and we see the value in having our technicians hold these certifications. This means that the participants have excellent potential for employment with us and other ICT firms at the end of their learning period,” adds Molefe. The ICT Academy already offers learners the opportunity to study toward an NQF4 qualification in their first year, which includes technical support, CompTIA and ICDL. The second year offers an NQF5 qualification to earn their national certification in either Telecommunications Network Operations, Systems Support or Systems Development. Learners who are already part of the ICT Academy will now be able to gain

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

additional skills in infrastructure security as well as the various other cyber security skills. New learners will also be able to join the new cyber security program at a later stage. Marcus Karuppan, T-Systems ICT Academy Manager concludes that “empowered with an international certification from our ICT Academy, learners who participates in the Academy’s programmes are able to apply for both local and global jobs abroad. As all of our learners come from disadvantaged backgrounds, the addition of new Cyber Security programs is an incredible opportunity for them to gain a valuable and sort after qualification and experience. Our goal is to create a pool of employable graduates with skills in the security sector to help address a noticeable skills gap in South Africa” The new Cyber Security Academy is launching today, 30 September and 1 October 2020.

securityfocusafrica.com

SECURITY IN ACTION

Reconsider before you cancel your vehicle tracking service

It’s not always the best way to cut expenses

According to BankservAfrica’s latest Take-Home Pay Index, the number of take-home salaries in South Africa decreased by almost 35% in July compared to the same month in 2019. In addition, a high number of individuals have not been paid a salary or wage throughout the lockdown period.

his will mean that many South African households are under financial pressure and will have less money for “extras”. It is a good idea to cut down or cut out some expenses such as entertainment, takeaways and unused memberships and subscriptions. However, cutting out expenses such as insurance and financial policies, or your vehicle tracking service, could have greater financial or other consequences. There is only a 5-10% chance of recovering a vehicle without a stolen vehicle recovery service. This increases to more than 80% when the vehicle is equipped with a tracker. With crime back to pre-lockdown levels, there is a strong chance that your car could be hijacked or stolen. If things don’t work out in your favour, you could be left with paying for a car you no longer own, in addition to the inconvenience that comes with losing your car.

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However, these days vehicle tracking services can provide much more than only stolen vehicle recovery. They offer solutions which help to care for and protect you and your family. Modern vehicle tracking using GPS/GSM technology allows you to personally monitor and track the location of your vehicle via a smartphone app. This way you can proactively check in to ensure that your car and its occupants are safe. With more inclusive services, as the driver you are able to share your journey or location with a friend or family member. They are then able to follow your route and know where you are and that you are safe. Premium services offer additional benefits. These can include proactive alerts like vehicle movement notifications, notifications on standard risk events like battery disconnection, and zone management that alerts you when you are entering a crime hotspot.

Other benefits can include impact detection that immediately alerts the control centre in the event the vehicle is involved in an accident as well as the severity of the incident. With certain packages, you also receive an assist button inside the vehicle that can be activated for assistance during a roadside or medical emergency. “Today’s tracking services are an ideal solution for motorists looking to protect their vehicle and ensure their personal safety. Also, the more vehicles we track, the safer our country becomes,” says Michael du Preez, Executive: Product and Marketing at Tracker South Africa. “Rather than cancelling your vehicle tracking service during these tough times, consider other ways of saving money, such as carpooling. Otherwise, consider moving to an alternative option that will better suit your budget. Just remember, the cheapest does not always equal the best or the most suitable to your needs.”

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

Business gets savvy with “livelier” AI

The global artificial intelligence (AI) software market is forecast to grow 54% this year to reach $22.6 billion - where AI is predicted to contribute to worldwide economic growth, and where organisations are looking for ways to benefit from innovations in this field especially as they relate to enhancing data insights.

I is becoming faster and smarter. Already, researchers have created software that borrows concepts from Darwinian evolution to build AI programs that continuously improve without any human input. Of course, a distinction must be made between advanced algorithms and AI. For example, a navigation app that recommends the fastest route between two points relies on the former. There are a finite number of possible routes to follow and the math required is straightforward and predetermined.

Continuous intelligence Andreas Bartsch, Head of Service Delivery at PBT Group, says: “Within AI, there are three key trends that will contribute to its acceptance as a more effective way of deriving value from data. The first of these is continuous intelligence (CI).”

CI can be defined as combining data and analytics with transactional business processes and other realtime interactions. It leverages augmented analytics, event stream processing, optimisation, business rules management, and machine learning. “It comes down to providing companies with a more effective way of conducting data analysis at greater scale, with higher volumes, and in near real-time. Think of CI as having the ability to perform analysis on huge data volumes without requiring any human intervention. It is also unaffected by the complexity of data, instead examining it in unbiased ways and creating data stories that become integral to the analytical process,” adds Bartsch. He explains that CI effectively allows companies to make informed decisions as events occur. It integrates historical and streaming data to deliver insights

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

into not only what is happening now, but why is it happening. For instance, detecting fraudulent activity in real-time and alerting users, stopping breaches, and preventing tampering can save insurers millions of Rands.

Explainable AI The second trend is that of explainable AI (XAI). XAI is a set of tools and frameworks that help people understand and interpret predictions made by machine learning models. It addresses the challenge of machine learning algorithms that are very ‘black box’ oriented meaning there is not a human understanding of the processes happening on the inside. It is just about the results. “As can be expected, XAI is about the user experience and receiving the output of any given AI scenario or algorithm and understanding it in the

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TECHNOLOGY UPDATE

business context. It traces the AI thinking process and makes it understandable for human consumption,” says Bartsch. “The understandability and resulting trust not only provides opportunity for improvement and optimisation, but is ultimately a key success factor in achieving buy-in to the significant benefits AI can derive. An example of this can be found in healthcare. A use case was built involving precision medicine based on patients’ genetics, past medical history, and family medical history. The XAI system interpreted the data and highlighted a treatment campaign which medical professionals could view and understand how it came to its conclusions.

Responsible AI The final trend is that of responsible AI which provides a framework for bringing several practices together. These are focused on the potentially disruptive impact of AI especially when it comes to fears around workforce displacement, loss of privacy, potential biases in decision-making, and lack of control over automated systems and robots. Bartsch indicates that the need for this responsibility has been illustrated during the pandemic. “AI techniques such as machine learning, optimisation, and natural language processing are providing critical data for Governments and healthcare workers which can be discerned into intelligible insights and predictions around the spread of the Corona virus and the effectiveness of treatment campaigns. Given the life-anddeath reality of this specific example, it is imperative for AI to become more responsible.” With AI providing an effective way

to complement and augment human capabilities, it becomes important for ethical and responsible governance to be applied to AI. According to the World Economic Forum, responsible AI is the practice of designing, building, and deploying AI in a manner that empowers people and businesses, and fairly impacts customers and society. “AI is here to stay, especially given how integrated data analysis has become for effective business operations. Traditionally, the initial thinking for AI adoption has been to offset a significant portion of manual tasks and processes – including manual data analysis – to allow teams to focus on more strategic and intelligible tasks,” says Bartsch. “However, as AI becomes livelier – by becoming smarter, faster and more explainable and responsible – it is increasingly being accepted and adopted as the tool or means with which to reach and complete significantly advanced tasks, over a mere ‘replacement’ for the admin-driven and tedious ones. Companies must therefore ensure they remain cognisant of these and other trends and look at ways to integrate them so as to capitalise on these advances to drive further growth in their digital business,” concludes Bartsch.

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS AND CONTRIBUTORS

About PBT Group: PBT Group are technology agnostic data specialists offering custom-made Data and Analytics services and solutions that transform information to create valuable insights and predictions for business success. As a leading Data and Analytics and Information Specialist company, PBT Group operates in Africa, Europe and Australia, providing services and creating solutions that capitalise on data-driven insights, to make well-timed, intuitive business decisions that consistently position our clients ahead of the curve. Our worldwide expertise and regionalspecific wisdom differentiate us from our competitors. PBT Group is a data specialist that takes ownership of your challenges – transforming your data into a tangible asset that will greatly assist in streamlining your operations as well as your predictive and analytical capabilities. With over 640 data specialists, having provided services and solutions across 27 countries on 3 continents, we have a reputation for delivering above expectations. For more information, visit: www.pbtgroup.co.za

September 2020

ADVERTISER

PAGE

WEBSITE

FS-Systems

cathrine@fs-systems.co.za

www.fs-systems.co.za

IDIS Global

info@idisglobal.com

www.idisglobal.com

Institute of Security Studies

jburger@issafrica.org

www.issafrica.org

LD Africa

sales@ldafrica.com

www.ldafrica.com

MiRO

sales@miro.co.za

www.miro.co.za

Nemtek

websales@nemtek.co.za

www.nemtek.com

Security Association of South Africa

IBC

admin@sasecurity.co.za

www.sasecurity.co.za

Secutel Technologies

15, 18, 27

sales@secutel.co.za

www.secutel.co.za

securityfocusafrica.com

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

NEWS

The impact of Amendment of Section 11 of the Regulations Governing the State Capture Inquiry.

n 28 July, the terms of Section 11 of the Regulations governing the State Capture Inquiry, widely referred to as the Zondo Commission, were amended in terms of a Government Gazette signed by State President Cyril Ramaposa. Simplistically the amendment had a twofold effect. Firstly investigators and evidence leaders at the Inquiry are permitted to share information and documents gathered over the duration of the hearings with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) including the recently established Investigative Directorate (ID) unit in the National Prosecuting Authority headed by Hermione Cronje. This information would include, by way of example, bank records, cell phone records, emails and documents (including official documents) which are substantial, given the duration and painstaking procedures and processes followed by the Zondo Commission since it commenced on 21 August 2018. Secondly, the officials (principally the investigators and evidence leaders referred to above) at the Inquiry can now be co-opted and employed by the NPA, Hawks and ID once the Inquiry has completed its mandate and the required reports and findings are delivered. In effect, this provides the NPA and Hawks

with the foundation fo accelerated access to the basis of a program to commence legal action and prosecution against those implicated in wrongdoing during the process of the Inquiry. Possibly, it is best to note that any person who deposed before the Commission and incriminated himself/herself retains the right at prosecution to remain silent and their testimony before the Commission cannot be adduced as evidence of guilt. Having referred to the amendment to Section 11 it is necessary to look at the impact that this has had. One of the most publicised actions to date has been the arrest of Edwin Sodi, who together with six others (including former Free State Housing Department Head Nthimotse Mokhesi and former National Human Settlements Director-General Thabane Zulu), who have been charged with fraud and corruption in relation to the R250m Free State asbestos contract which was awarded to Sodi’s company Blackhead Consulting through an allegedly illegal unsolicited bid. Subsequently it is alleged millions of Rands were channelled to politically connected individuals and officials who were involved in the contract. The asbestos contract awarded to Blackhead Consulting was extended to include Gauteng and further corrupt activity is alleged to have occurred on the extended contract. Sodi has been

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

released on R500 000 bail and the NPA’s Assets Forfeiture Unit has frozen the assets of Sodi, Zulu and Mokhesi as well as others charged. The arrest and charging of Sodi attracted adverse comment from Economic Freedom Fighters Commander-in-Chief Julius Malema who expressed the opinion that the “Hollywood style” process was unnecessary. Equally publicised has been the arrest of Deputy National Police Commissioner for Human Resources Bonang Mgwenya for her alleged role in relating to a R200 million tender fraud for South African Police vehicle emergency warning equipment. Mgwenya has been charged with corruption, theft and money laundering and released on R20 000 bail. Charges have been brought against twelve others including former South African Police Commissioner Khomotso Phahlane in the same case. Mgwenya has since been placed on suspension by National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole. ID Head Hermione Cronje, at the time of Mgwenya being charged, pointed to this as part of the process to clean up law enforcement so that those who serve and protect society are indeed doing so. Details of corruption alleged to have involved numerous political figures was given over a protracted period before the Commission by the former Chief

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NEWS

Operations Officer of the now insolvent Bosasa company, Angelo Agrizzi. Agrizzi was previously charged with fraud, money laundering, corruption and conspiracy to commit fraud together with former Bosasa executives Patrick Gillingham, Andries van Tonder and former Correctional Services Commissioner Lina Mti, all of whom were on bail. On 13 October 2020 Agrizzi was charged together with former African National Congress Member of Parliament Vincent Smith. At the time of the alleged offences Smith was Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services and allegedly accepted corrupt inducements (on a number of occasions) to overlook the irregular disbursement of security tenders to Bosasa by the Department of Correctional Services. Smith applied for and received bail at a previous hearing. Agrizzi applied for bail at the hearing on 13 October. At the time of his appearance Agrizzi carried an oxygen cylinder and, despite proof of illness, was refused bail after evidence was presented of undeclared foreign assets and a foreign passport held by Agrizzi was submitted by the State indicating a strong possibility that Agrizzi may flee South Africa. After spending one night in jail, Agrizzi was transferred by the

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Department of Correctional Services to a State hospital and subsequently was transferred to a private hospital for specialist treatment. The amendment to Section 11 appears central to former State President Jacob Zuma resisting making further appearances before the Zondo Commission. Historically Zuma, in his official capacity, established the State Capture Inquiry via promulgation in January 2018 and appointed Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to chair the Enquiry. At the time Zuma stated that he had faith in the judiciary and their ability to execute their tasks fairly, impartiality and independently and on a number of occasions that he would cooperate with the Commission. Additionally, former president Zuma recommended Justice Zondo for the position of Deputy Chief Justice in 2017. Recently Zuma did not comply with instruction of the Commission to appear before it, citing time pressures consequent to his preparation for a criminal matter and previously due to health issues. Zuma then advised that he would not appear before the Commission unless Justice Zondo recused himself, alleging personal bias on the part of Zondo in respect of historical associations. The recusal application was unsuccessful. The evidence leader of the Commission on 9

October 2020 applied for and received a subpoena requiring that Zuma appear before the Commission on 16 November. Looking forward, the appearance of former President Zuma and the line of investigation taken by the evidence leaders will be of interest. At this stage it should be noted that the Investigative Directorate unit in the National Prosecuting Authority is effectively a cooperative involving the secondment of a number of senior Hawks investigators with their associated case dockets of high-profile investigations to the ID and falling under Hermione Cronjeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role as Head of the ID. This is in line with the establishment and role of the ID. Initially this cooperative has had success and it is anticipated that this level of response is likely to be ongoing and to escalate over time. The likelihood of the prosecution of high profile and politically connected individuals facing prosecution on corruption charges seems likely but this must be balanced against the possibility of political manoeuvring taking place as a protective measure on an individual or collective basis. The availability of evidence from the Commission hearings to the authorities, however, increases the likelihood of prosecutions being brought before the courts in the short to medium term.

SECURITY FOCUS AFRICA SEPTEMBER 2020

Security Focus Africa September 2020 Vol 38 No 9

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