S energy • The
S energy • The production of 500 kilotons of green hydrogen by 2030, and a long-term target of 15GW power generation based on hydrogen by 2040 • A one-megawatt small-scale electrolysis facility piloted by 2025 • The deployment of 10GW electrolysers in the Northern Cape and 1.7GW electrolysers in the Hydrogen Valley by 2030 operating facilities in Sasolburg and, together with green hydrogen, will eventually replace natural gas as a feedstock to produce sustainable chemical products. S A planned hydrogen corridor will link the Anglo American Mokopane Platinum Mine to Johannesburg and Durban and identifies nine hydrogen-related industrial, construction and transport projects that could be used to kickstart a Hydrogen Valley. Sasol is already leading the Boegoebaai Green Hydrogen Development Project in the Namakwa Special Economic Zone in the Northern Cape, which will consist of seven key facilities, including the construction of a deep-water port, the use of 30GW of wind and solar, and a battery park to power 10GW of electrolysers by 2030. The Boegoebaai project will also include the production of green ammonia linked to green hydrogen for export and for use as maritime fuel and feedstock. In the Western Cape, the Freeport Saldanha Industrial Development Zone will collaborate with Sasol on the project identification, preparation, pre-feasibility and feasibility assessments. Kaashifah Beukes, chief executive of Freeport Saldanha IDZ, points out that Saldanha Bay has a strong strategic fit with Sasol’s ambition to be a leading driver and contributor to the development of South Africa’s green hydrogen economy. “In addition, Freeport Saldanha is a strategic partner for Sasol and ArcelorMittal, adding value to their exploration of new markets by bringing together several stakeholders to drive catalytic investments in sustainable industrialisation and product streams,” she says. The area’s favourable renewables endowment, a growing local renewables industry, established world-scale industrial companies – like Amsa – and a developed, operational freeport and deep-water port are part of the reasons Saldanha makes a sensible investment location for this new market. Beukes says Saldanha Bay is ideally situated to play a critical enabling role in developing the South African hydrogen economy due to the existing value chains, including rail and port infrastructures that form the Saldanha-Northern Cape and Saldanha-Cape Town logistical corridors. Freeport Saldanha is South Africa’s first freeport, a special economic zone and customs-controlled area dedicated to the maritime, energy, logistics and engineering industries. Saldanha Bay Municipality Mayor Andre Truter says he firmly believes that energy generation is set to play a significant role in the future of the area. “Saldanha Bay welcomes these investments that will fundamentally change our economic viability and the lives of our people. Sustainable, well-paid employment for our local labour force, especially our women and youth, remains a driving force and there is no doubt that these investments will be the catalyst that will spark multiple new investments,” he says. The Vaal study will explore the use of up to 1.5-million tons a year of unavoidable industrial carbon dioxide captured from the ArcelorMittal South Africa’s Vanderbijlpark Works. The carbon dioxide will be transported to the Sasolburg and Ekandustria MODEL FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT In May 2023, the Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Pinky Kekana, led a team of monitors for an assessment of economic catalytic projects at the Freeport Saldanha Industrial Development Zone. Deputy Minister Kekana was joined by the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Bernice Swarts. The Saldanha Industrial Developmental Zone is one of the nodal points that have been identified to stimulate economic growth and development. The model that has been deployed at Saldanha Industrial Development Zone is consistent with the District Development Model (DDM), which promotes integration and collaboration between government and the private sector. During the visit, the chief executive of the Freeport Saldanha Industrial Development Zone, who is also the chairperson of the Industrial Development Zones in South Africa, Kaashifah Beukes, presented a blueprint of the planned development in the area which will create business and employment opportunities for the Saldanha community and contribute to the economic recovery of the country. The blueprint is anchored in the marine and energy sectors. The marine sector includes activities such as the marine service hub, boat building and repair, vessel decommissioning and offshore supply base. The energy sector is anchored on bulk fuel storage, manufacturing hub, service hub and integrated logistics facility. The CEO also highlighted some of the challenges that they face as they implement the blueprint which include structural SEZ legislative constraints and lack of coordination. In response, Deputy Ministers Kekana and Swarts committed to organising a summit for all relevant stakeholders to deliberate on the blueprint, identify potential risks and address the gaps and design mechanisms for mobilisation of investments, skills development and community involvement. Deputy Ministers Kekana and Swarts also stressed the need for community involvement, a better understanding of the value chain as well as strengthening the beneficiation, localisation and transformation of the oceans economy. 48 | Service magazine
digital S Cyber groups targeting government Government organisations remain the primary targets for threat actors looking to infiltrate South African IT systems. AAccording to the latest Trellix extended detection and response (XDR) threat report presented at the Trellix Cyberthreat Intelligence Briefing for South Africa, 26% of all detected threat activity was directed towards government systems. Business service providers followed closely at 16%, wholesalers’ networks at 14% and 12% on utilities’ systems, with most threat activity peaking on Mondays and Fridays. “Despite not experiencing a significant surge in detections since the first quarter, we have noticed a worrisome trend of specialised, well-equipped and highly skilled threat actors,” reveals Carlo Bolzonello, country lead at Trellix South Africa. “What’s even more alarming is their interconnection with extensive networks and potential state support, indicating a coordinated and sophisticated approach to their malicious activities.” Trellix’s data further revealed that the Lazarus Group and Daggerfly Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) Group were among the most notable threat actors that have recently ramped up targeted efforts to infiltrate critical South African systems. The Lazarus Group, historically associated with a North Korean state-sponsored APT syndicate, initially operated as a criminal group, with its earliest known attacks reported between 2009 and 2012. It has since been linked to the North Korean government by the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Lazarus deploys tools and capabilities used by broader hidden cobra operations (cyber activity by the Korean government), which include: • DDoS botnets: for denial-of-service attacks • Keyloggers: to record what users input • Remote access tools (RATs): allowing anonymous unauthorised access • Wiper malware: to erase data from the system Trellix South African threat briefing. What is even more concerning is that these adversaries are highly proficient in evasion tactics. Lazarus is notorious for executing spear-phishing campaigns aimed at accessing and stealing account credentials and financial data, as well as employing “living off the land” techniques, using fileless malware and legitimate system tools. On the other hand, the Daggerfly APT, suspected to have affiliations with China, has been exhibiting heightened activity in Africa, with a particular emphasis on targeting telecommunications organisations. This threat actor’s primary objective is information gathering leveraging the following methods: • PlugX loaders, which abuse any desktop remote software Carlo Bolzonello, Trellix SA Country Lead. • Living off the land tooling (like PowerShell, BITSAdmin and GetCredManCreds), which is heavily used for long-term campaigns that can go undetected for extended periods. “What makes some of the tools used by threat actors so destructive is their trail obfuscation capabilities,” Bolzonello says. “They employ various techniques, such as hiding backdoors and manipulating time stamps, skilfully giving the impression that their malicious artefacts date back as far as 10 years ago. This renders the analysis process exceedingly challenging for investigating teams. “What is even more concerning is that these adversaries are highly proficient in evasion tactics, leaving organisations believing they have eliminated the threats, when in reality, they may still lie concealed,” he adds. Trellix’s XDR platform provides operators with robust support to detect and mitigate even the most sophisticated attacks. Built on the native and open Trellix system architecture, XDR allows operators to seamlessly integrate with third-party data sources. The platform features the capability to analyse data from over 650 security tools, and through the Trellix Advance Research Centre, XDR provides actionable insights for a highly responsive and effective security strategy. S Service magazine | 49
