BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Acting Minister of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Phila Buthelezi says Eswatini prioritises cyber security for its citizens.
Buthelezi said this today (Thursday, October 24, 2024) during the launch of the Eswatini Workshop on Cyber Readiness. The workshop is held at Royal Villas in Ezulwini. Buthelezi said it was important for people to be vigilant against cyber-crime because such transgressions were ever changing.
According to the minister, in today’s world, the threats faced by human-kind became more sophisticated, which called for human beings to always ensure they were safe. He said fighting cyber-crime did not just mean installation of technological gadgets. But it meant educating people so that they could be able to identify cyber-crime activities when they took place.
Buthelezi said Eswatini mad done a lot in this regard, including coming up with the Eswatini National Cyber Security Strategy from 2022 to 2027. The workshop has been organised by the USA Embassy in Eswatini. During the event, cyber-crime was described as an issue that was not just technical, but was describe as an important element that was a threat to national security.
During the event, Eswatini Communications Commission (ESCCOM) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mvilawemphi Dlamini was represented by Fikile Gama, who also works for ESCCOM. In her speech, Gama said her organisation understood that technology was ever changing and evolving. She said they had a responsibility of being vigilant in educating the nation to be aware of cyber-crime and related activities.
The Eswatini Workshop on Cyber Readiness happens in a month that is described as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. During the launch of the awareness campign on October 1, 2024, ESCCOM CEO stated that each cyber-crime activity took place every after 39 minutes in the country. He further mentioned that such activities happened more often in the financial space.
