Predatory Cyber Crime in South Africa: Current Risks and Realities

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the increasing risks of predatory cyber crime in South Africa, driven by the proliferation of smartphones, social networking, and broadband access. It highlights the prevalence of card cloning in the hospitality sector and the gap between the availability of legislative protections and public awareness of cyber risks.

• The risk of cyber crime in South Africa has increased significantly due to the growth of smartphone usage and the sharing of information via social networking platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Blackberry messenger. As of February 2012, South Africa had approximately 42.3 million mobile phone subscribers, with cellular phone access in households reaching 65%, far exceeding the 20% access rate for landlines.
• Regional disparities exist in mobile phone penetration across South Africa, with the highest concentration of adult access in Gauteng at 48%, followed by the Western Cape at 43%, and the lowest penetration in the Eastern Cape at 24%.
• Card cloning is a persistent form of cyber crime in South Africa, particularly targeting the hospitality sector and restaurants in the Western Cape. These crime networks often employ a concentric structure where low-paid casual workers, such as waiters, use portable scanners to harvest data from credit and debit cards under the direction of 'runners'.
• While the South African government designated cyber-security as a national security priority in 2010 and possesses a legislative framework—including the Interception and Monitoring Prohibition Act (1992), the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (1998), and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (2002)—public awareness of these risks and protections lags behind the adoption of technology.
• Technological advancements have inadvertently increased vulnerability; broadband expansion and the SEACOM cable's ten-fold increase in international bandwidth since mid-2009 have created more opportunities for data interception and fraud.

APA

Goredema, C. (n.d.). Predatory Cyber Crime in South Africa: Current Risks and Realities. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/predatory-cyber-crime-in-south-africa-current-risks-and-realities

Chicago

Goredema, Charles. Predatory Cyber Crime in South Africa: Current Risks and Realities. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/predatory-cyber-crime-in-south-africa-current-risks-and-realities.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goredema |first1=Charles |title=Predatory Cyber Crime in South Africa: Current Risks and Realities |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/iss-today/predatory-cyber-crime-in-south-africa-current-risks-and-realities |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goredemandpredatory, author = {Goredema, Charles}, title = {{Predatory Cyber Crime in South Africa: Current Risks and Realities}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/iss-today/predatory-cyber-crime-in-south-africa-current-risks-and-realities}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }