South Africa as a Continental Cyber power – What do Some Scorecards Say?

Abstract

South Africa’s role as a continental leader, and its ability to address domestic challenges, both now and to an increasing degree in the future, will depend on its ability to optimise cyberpower. While there are several frameworks and indices designed to assess cyberpower, or aspects thereof, none of these are specifically designed to factor in the developmental imperative of African countries and the Global South. This paper forms part of a research project at the University of Johannesburg aimed at the design of an Africa-specific model for configuring and evaluating cyberpower. The African Cyberpower Triad is a three-dimensional model that elevates the developmental imperative to be on an equitable footing with offensive and defensive cyberpower. At this early stage of our research, cyberpower-related assessment indices and frameworks are being evaluated for possible use in the design of the African Cyberpower Triad. This paper derives from this appraisal and has as its central research questions: ‘What are some of the cyberpower-related instruments that can be utilised as ‘scorecards’ to measure and/or assess aspects of South African cyberpower’, and ‘what do they say about South Africa’s status as a cyberpower in the African context’? The paper identifies and applies scorecards relevant to all three dimensions of cyberpower. The scorecards indicate that, within the continental context, South Africa is a major cyberpower with significant but, in various respects, unrealised potential. Harnessing this potential will require strong political will and the decisive implementation of a well-rounded national cyber strategy that synthesises the offensive, defensive and developmental dimensions. Regarding offensive cyberpower, scorecards suggest that South Africa is a major player on the continent, but not the leading force at present. In terms of defensive cyberpower, South Africa scores well above the international average, yet it does not rank as a continental role model. However, South Africa ranks highly as a leading developmental cyberpower—though also in this instance its capacity remains far from fully realised. This paper presents a preliminary and exploratory evaluation, to be followed by a comprehensive assessment of South Africa’s status as a continental cyberpower, based on the model currently under development.