DA justice constitutional development spokeswoman Glynnis Breytenbach said that while the response from the private sector and academia has been "overwhelmingly positive", the bill's reception in government and the public sector has been "predictably less positive".
"It appears from police statistics that they have only 544 cyber-related fraud cases on their register, yet in excess of 100 000 cyberattacks on banking accounts occurred in 2024, according to Sabric. This represents a loss of around R1.8-billion loss to individuals and represents an 86 increase in such attacks from the previous year," she said in a statement.
The South African Police Service and the Information Regulator are underfunded and ill-equipped, making urgent action on the bill essential, she added. "As the cyberattacks on the country and our institutions increase daily and the costs attached thereto continue to escalate, it remains a piece of legislation that requires serious consideration."