Keynote Speakers
Dr David Cook – Keynote Speaker (Academia)
Edith Cowan University (ECU), Australia | President, Education Computing Association of WA | Australian Computer Society Fellow
Keynote Address Title: Securing the Future: Innovative Cryptographic and Authentication Strategies for Digital Ecosystems
Kovelin Naidoo – Keynote Speaker (Industry)
FirstRand Bank, South Africa | Cyber Risk Officer
Keynote Address Title: The Cyber Cosa Nostra
Sub-Title: The Modernization of Organized Crime Through Education, Technology, and Global Networks
Brig Gen Mpaka Samuel Senamela – Keynote Speaker (National Security)
South African National Defence Force | Brigadier General, Director of Information Warfare
Keynote Address Title: Leveraging technology and innovation for strategic safety, security, and resilience in South Africa
The programme is subject to change.
| Day 1: Wednesday, 10 December 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Session | Chairs / Notes |
| 09:00 - 15:00 | Master's and PhD Colloquium (Colloquium Program Available for Download Above) |
Dr Moses Dlamini |
| 15:00 - 17:00 | Conference Registration | Organizing Committee |
| 16:00 - 17:00 | Conference Opening Cocktail | Dr Jabu Mtsweni / Prof Modimowabarwa Kanyane |
| Day 2: Thursday, 11 December 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Session | Chairs / Notes |
| 08:00 - 16:30 | Conference Registration | Organizing Committee |
| 08:45 - 09:00 | Opening and Welcome | Prof Modimowabarwa Kanyane / Dr Jabu Mtsweni |
| 09:00 - 09:10 | International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Address: Speaker: Joice Benza, IFIP, Zimbabwe |
|
| 09:10 - 09:40 | Keynote Address (Academia): Speaker: Dr David Cook, Edith Cowan University, Australia Title: Securing the Future: Innovative Cryptographic and Authentication Strategies for Digital Ecosystems |
|
| 09:40 – 10:10 | Keynote Address (Industry): Speaker: Kovelin Naidoo, FirstRand Bank, South Africa |
|
| 10:10 - 10:25 | Question and Answers | |
| 10:25 - 10:40 | Tea Break | |
| 10:40 – 12:20 | Session A: Cybersecurity Governance, Policy, and National Strategies | Prof Lynn Futcher |
| 10:40 – 11:05 | Title: African Cyber Power: Establishing a Strategic Rationale for Offensive Cyber Power Capabilities. The Case of South Africa Presenter: Wilhelm Bernhardt |
|
| 11:05 – 11:30 | Title: Addressing Evolving Cybersecurity Threats from Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Adoption Through Improved Cybersecurity Governance Presenter: Hendrik Zwarts |
|
| 11:30 – 11:55 | Title: Digital Literacy and the challenge for NIST compliance in developing countries Presenter: Premankit Sannd |
|
| 11:55 – 12:20 | Title: Privacy by design for GDPR Compliance Assessment Presenter: Nokuthaba Siphambili |
|
| 12:20 - 13:20 | Lunch Break | |
| 13:20 - 15:25 | Session B: Security in Emerging & Advanced Technologies (AI/ML & Blockchain) | Dr Willard Munyoka |
| 13:20 – 13:45 | Title: Security Risks in Large Language Models and General Mitigation Strategies Presenter: Ruidong Zhang |
|
| 13:45 – 14:10 | Title: AI-Blockchain Synergy for Next-Generation Cybersecurity Adaptive, Ethical, and Efficient Architectures. Presenter: Godwin Mandinyenya |
|
| 14:10 – 14:35 | Title: From Regex to Transformers: A Hybrid Framework for Cyber Threat Indicator Extraction from Unstructured Text Presenter: Paul Jideani |
|
| 14:35 – 15:00 | Title: Towards facial expression analysis for enhanced threat detection in surveillance Presenter: Livhuwani Mutshafa |
|
| 15:00 – 15:25 | Title: Securing Agricultural Sustainability: Integrating Digital Twins and Blockchain for Smart Farming Presenter: Menaka Godakanda |
|
| 15:25 – 15:40 | Tea Break | |
| 15:40 – 16:40 | Industry Panel Discussion Developing Collaboration between Academia, Government, and Industry on Building Cybersecurity Skills in Southern Africa |
Panellists: Dr Jackie Pahlamohlaka, Prof Kerry-lynn Thomson,
Dr Willard Munyoka, Saba Rahimi and Doctor Mafuwafuwane Moderator: Prof Lynn Futcher |
| 19:00 – 21:00 | Conference Dinner and Awards | |
| Day 3: Friday, 12 December 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Session | Chairs / Notes |
| 08:00 - 12:00 | Conference Registration | Organizing Committee |
| 08:30 – 08:45 | Opening and Welcome | Dr Mtsweni / Prof Modimowabarwa Kanyane |
| 08:45 – 09:15 | Keynote Address (National Security) Speaker: Brig Gen Mpaka Samuel Senamela, South African National Defence Force, South Africa Title: Leveraging technology and innovation for strategic safety, security, and resilience in South Africa |
|
| 09:15 – 10:15 | Industry Panel Discussion National Cybersecurity Research, Development and Innovation Roadmap |
Panelists: Prof Noluxolo Gcaza, Dr Jabu Mtsweni, Dr Kiru Pillay, Lucas Ledwaba Moderator: Precious Lukhele |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | International collaboration and funding opportunities for innovators and researchers through the Eureka Network |
Mr Toto Matshediso (Director: Global Projects, DSTI) |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Tea Break | |
| 10:45 - 12:25 | Session C: Cybersecurity Education, Training, and Human Factors | Prof Kerry-Lynn Thomson |
| 10:45 – 11:10 | Title: Identifying Gaps in the Evaluation of Security Education, Training and Awareness (SETA) Programs: A Systematic Literature Review Presenter: Phathutshedzo Mudau |
|
| 11:10 – 11:35 | Title: Teaching Cybersecurity through Practice: Approaches and Insights Presenter: Sinovuyo Mzanywa |
|
| 11:35 – 12:00 | Title: The Influence of Cybersecurity Fatigue on Students’ Compliance with Cybersecurity Measures Presenter: Sinethemba Gomba |
|
| 12:00 – 12:25 | Title: Beyond Smoke Signals: A Conceptual Model Positioning Burnout and Quiet Quitting in Cybersecurity Professionals Presenter: Michael de Jager |
|
| 12:25 – 13:25 | Lunch Break | |
| 13:25 – 15:35 | Session D: Security Architectures, Models, and Authentication Mechanisms | Prof Joey Jansen van Vuuren / Dr Jackie Pahlamuhlaka |
| 13:25 – 13:50 | Title: Multidimensional Review of Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in E-Government Systems: The Case of South Africa Presenter: Willard Munyoka |
|
| 13:50 – 14:15 | Title: Managing Risks and Improving Cyber Resilience – Assessing Mobile Application Security using a Reference Model Presenter: Heloise Pieterse |
|
| 14:15 – 14:40 | Title: Enhancing Digital Wallet Security: A Systematic Comparison of Passwordless and Risk-Based Authentication Approaches Presenter: Nomalisa Ndhlovu |
|
| 14:40 – 15:05 | Title: Diagnosability of Attack Trees Presenter: Aliyu Tanko Ali |
|
| 15:05 – 15:35 | Conference Closure | Dr Jabu Mtsweni / Prof Modimowabarwa Kanyane |