Collaborators from left: Prof E Kritzinger, R Kaliszewski, Dr K Pillay, T Jordan, A Chadwick and K Mtwazi

The Cyber Safety Awareness Community Project within the School of Computing has joined forces with the British High Commission Pretoria and Department of Communication and Digital Technologies to address cyber safety awareness within South African schools. The newly founded steering committee consists of UNISA, British High Commission Pretoria and Department of Communication and Digital Technologies. The first member of the steering committee is Prof E Kritzinger within the School of Computing at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Prof Kritzinger is the project leader for cyber safety awareness within the College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) and focuses on improving cyber safety knowledge and skills within communities and schools. The second member of the steering committee is Dr K Pillay. He is the chief director at the Department of Communication and Digital Technologies, with a vision to ensure that cyber culturalisation is at the foreground within South Africa. Khopotso Mtwazi (from the British High Commission Pretoria) is the third member of the steering committee and manager for the Digital Access Programme aimed at catalysing affordable, inclusive, safe and secure digital access for marginalised communities in South Africa. The British High Commission Pretoria, as enabled by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, is committed in supporting the South African steering committee to implement a vision to improve cyber safety awareness among all school learners.

The steering committee has the mandate to establish and grow a cyber safety culture within South African schools to ensure that all school learners have the required cyber safety knowledge and skills to protect themselves in cyber space. The steering committee will create and distribute cyber safety awareness material to South African schools (with translations in a number of South African languages).

The first meeting of the steering committee was held on 29 January 2020 with all three partners of the steering committee as well as the Head of Cyber Prosperity at the UK Foreign Commonwealth Office, directing the UK's Digital Access: Trust and Resilience programme, (T Jordan), Head of the Africa Cyber Network (British High Commission, Nairobi) and UK Foreign Commonwealth Office, Cyber Diplomacy representative, R Kaliszewski.

The School of Computing in CSET will showcase the work that has been done at UNISA and within the steering committee during the upcoming CSET Research and Innovation Week on 4 March 2020 at UNISA. To RSVP for this event, please contact Mrs. Lesego Jiyana – (011) 670 9133 / mekgwl@unisa.ac.za