Strengthening South Africa's Cybersecurity Strategy: Insights from a Thematic Analysis
Thuli Mkhwanazi, Lynn A. Futcher · 2025
South Africa's National Cybersecurity Policy Framework (SANCPF) has been criticised for its inadequacies in addressing the evolving cybersecurity landscape. This research aims to identify critical national cybersecurity policy themes that are missing from the SANCPF, which could negatively impact the country's digitalisation efforts and increase cybersecurity risks to its National Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII). A deductive thematic analysis, guided by Baldwin's National Security Conceptual Framework, was conducted on the national cybersecurity strategies of Brazil, Estonia, Russia, and South Africa. The analysis revealed significant gaps in the SANCPF, particularly in areas such as the extent of required national cybersecurity, cost considerations, and timeframes for achieving cybersecurity objectives. The findings highlight the need for a comprehensive and adequate national cybersecurity policy framework to safeguard South Africa's digital future. Future research could focus on developing specific guidelines to address these identified gaps and improve the effectiveness of the SANCPF.