National cyber security in South Africa: A letter to the minister of cyber security

South Africa, like the rest of the world, has become ever more reliant on cyberspace to govern and conduct business, but it is also increasingly exposed to cyber related threats. In 2010, the South African government released the Draft National Cyber Security Policy Framework. This draft policy acknowledged that "South Africa does not have a coordinated approach in dealing with cyber security" and that the "aim of this Policy is to establish an environment that will ensure confidence and trust in the secure use of ICTs". In March 2012 the South African cabinet approved the Policy, but to date absolutely no progress towards the implementation there of is apparent to the public of South Africa. Meanwhile numerous other countries have published and implemented their National Cyber Security Strategies years ago. In fact, some countries, like the United Kingdom, have filed progress reports regarding the progress made in the implementation of their respective cyber security strategies. Thus, these countries are progressing towards securing cyberspace that is crucial to modern-day critical infrastructure protection, economy and society. South Africa needs to urgently act in this regard. South Africa cannot continue to drag feet in securing cyberspace in South Africa. For this reason, the objective of this position paper is to motivate the criticality of the situation and, in the conclusion of the paper, to draft a letter addressed to the South African Minister for Cyber Security (whom we know does not exist, but hope that he/she will exist in the near future) to escalate and prioritize the agenda of a National Cyber Security Strategy as a matter of urgency.