Latest news with #Cloete
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Retailers must tighten cybersecurity as omnichannel strategies expand
Educational institutions have fallen prey to social engineering and spoofing attacks, says the writer. Image: File In an age where customer experience reigns supreme, South African retailers are increasingly adopting omnichannel strategies to capture the attention and loyalty of consumers. This approach, characterised by a seamless integration of in-store, online, and mobile platforms, offers unparalleled convenience. However, as businesses strive to meet rising consumer expectations, they face a daunting challenge: the growing risks associated with cybersecurity. Cloete, an industry expert, explains that 'omnichannel strategies require extensive customer data collection across multiple touchpoints to deliver a seamless experience.' While this data collection might enrich the customer experience, it simultaneously broadens the attack surface for cybercriminals. The interconnected nature of modern retail creates numerous opportunities for malicious actors to intercept sensitive data shared in real time across various platforms. Retailers are particularly appealing targets for cybercriminals due to their access to highly valuable personal and financial information. Login credentials, payment card details, and purchase histories are just a few nuggets of gold waiting to be mined. Cybercriminals employ increasingly sophisticated tactics that exploit vulnerabilities within security systems, often seeking out weak points where access can be gained. For many retail businesses, the omnichannel model prioritises ease of access, which can inadvertently lead to a false sense of security. Cloete cautions against the notion that robust cybersecurity measures might hinder customer experiences. 'Restrictions imposed by cybersecurity,' he notes, 'may be perceived to conflict with smooth interactions. However, for most consumers, strong security builds confidence and trust.' Moreover, retailers must also contend with the vulnerabilities posed by the third-party services essential to the omnichannel experience. A notable case occurred in 2022 when pharmacy giant Dis-Chem suffered a cyberattack traceable to a third-party service provider. This breach affected the personal information of over 3.6 million South Africans, vividly illustrating how interconnected technology can become a double-edged sword. 'Payment processors, marketing integrations, and customer service tools can introduce security gaps if not properly vetted and monitored,' Cloete explains. 'A breach in any of these systems can compromise customer data, even if the retailer's own security measures are strong.' The call for retailers is clear: they must rigorously audit all suppliers and software vendors to ensure they are maintaining an adequate security posture. The stakes are high. According to the 2024 IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of a data breach for South African companies reached a staggering R41 million last year, with business disruption and post-breach response activities accounting for a significant portion of these costs.
Daily Maverick
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Swimming South Africa may have sunk its legal case against South Africa Water Polo
The decision on Swimming South Africa's attempted interdict against the newly formed South Africa Water Polo is pending after blunders blight the national federation's case. Swimming South Africa appears to have sunk its Western Cape Division of the High Court case in an attempt to interdict the newly formed South Africa Water Polo. There were several blunders in both Swimming SA's heads of argument, written and sent to the court before the court date, as well as its lawyer's defence set out before Judge Judith Cloete on Wednesday. Towards the end of proceedings, Swimming SA conceded that SA Water Polo did not need its consent to exist, practically relinquishing the original reason for its request for an interdict against the water polo body. Swimming SA also did not stipulate in its heads of argument which statutory right, which forms the basis of its case, SA Water Polo transgressed. Later, Swimming SA stated that SA Water Polo was passing itself off as the governing body for water polo. It simultaneously claimed that SA Water Polo was a body parallel to Swimming SA. Judge Cloete said the statements were contradictory. After a back-and-forth, Swimming SA submitted that only the latter was true, that SA Water Polo was a parallel body and was not passing itself off as the administrator of the sport. Sinking defence Swimming SA, in its argument, referred to Section 1 of the National Sport and Recreation Act 110 of 1998 (NSRA Act) in its defence. The NSRA defines a national federation as the national governing body for a code of sport 'recognised by the relevant controlling international … body as the only authority for the administration and control of the relative code of sport … in the Republic'. But Judge Cloete contended that SA Water Polo had never purported to be a national federation, but instead, a national body. The difference was that there could be only one national federation, but several national bodies. An organisation also first became a national body before becoming a national federation. Swimming SA attempted to argue the merits of SA Water Polo's future application for membership of World Aquatics, but the judge ruled this as irrelevant to the current court case, and something that World Aquatics would have to decide on. Judge Cloete continually asked Swimming SA's lawyers which law stated that there could be no other national body besides itself. Swimming SA eventually concurred that a separate national body was permitted to exist, 'but it won't get [SA Water Polo] anywhere'. The judge asked: given Swimming SA's acceptance of SA Water Polo as a national body, why then was Swimming SA asking for an interdict against SA Water Polo if it recognised its right to exist? The court proceedings began with Swimming SA claiming that SA Water Polo should not be allowed to exist, but after Swimming SA could not cite laws inhibiting SA Water Polo's existence, it moved on to arguing that SA Water Polo's existence came with 'consequences'. The consequences, Swimming SA said, included that members of SA Water Polo would not qualify for provincial or national representation because they would not be members of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc). Swimming SA also argued that SA Water Polo members would be unable to participate in organised water polo events such as the Olympic Games and the World Championships because it was not yet a registered member of World Aquatics. The World Aquatics Championships are set to take place in Singapore in July 2025. Swimming SA argued that SA Water Polo had disrupted the preparation for this event, in which the national men's and women's water polo teams were expected to participate. Constitutional rights Swimming SA said that SA Water Polo had interfered with Swimming SA's governance and administration of the sport by urging its water polo members to join SA Water Polo. SA Water Polo used section 18 of the South African Constitution dealing with the freedom of association in its defence. Section 18 encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline membership based on certain criteria. SA Water Polo argued that neither the NSRA Act nor Sascoc's constitution inhibited SA Water Polo from existing, which meant that Swimming SA was not entitled to an interdict. SA Water Polo's lawyers used a letter of intent, published on 19 March – which had prompted Swimming SA to seek the interdict – as the basis of its argument that the water polo body was not attempting to usurp Swimming SA, as claimed. There was no evidence, based on the letter of intent, that SA Water Polo had attempted to usurp SA Swimming, the lawyers submitted. Members When Judge Cloete requested evidence that SA Water Polo had claimed to be the administrators of water polo in the country, Swimming SA indicated that members had left its federation to join SA Water Polo. Judge Cloete said that regardless of her decision, she could not force members to rejoin Swimming SA because they were not party to the court proceedings. She said that no evidence had been provided by Swimming SA on why those members had 'jumped pool', so SA Water Polo could not be blamed.
Korea Herald
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Audi Korea unveils new A5 sedan, accelerating market comeback
Audi Korea unveiled the new A5 sedan and its performance-enhanced S5 trim at a media preview event on Thursday to reinforce its momentum to reclaim its position as a leading imported car brand in Korea. 'As I mentioned during the New Year media roundtable, 2025 will mark the year with the most new model launches for Audi,' said Steve Cloete, executive director of Audi Korea, during the event held in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. 'Today, we are excited to unveil these cars.' The sedans represent Audi's second full redesign unveiled in Korea this year, part of a plan to launch 16 new models this year — the largest number since the company's Korean debut in 2004. Built on Audi's Premium Platform Combustion, the sedans offer class-leading interior spaciousness. By adopting an upgraded mild hybrid electric vehicle powertrain — an advancement over the previous 48-volt hybrid system — the models effectively address the noise and vibration issues often associated with diesel engines, the company noted. 'Audi is evolving, perfectly balancing combustion engine excellence with electric revolution. … The development will further strengthen our brand presence here in the Korean market and serve as a foundation for the next leap forward,' Cloete said. The unveiling event also featured a test drive of the A5 and S5, demonstrating their performance under extreme driving conditions such as sudden acceleration, high-speed cornering and abrupt deceleration. 'The models are not intended to be driven like sports cars, but we wanted to showcase their capability to handle such demanding situations,' an Audi Korea official said. Once recognized as one of the top three imported car brands in Korea alongside Mercedes-Benz and BMW by 2023, Audi slipped to seventh place in sales last year, selling 9,304 units in 2024. The lack of new model launches is believed to be a key factor behind the sluggish sales, prompting the company to accelerate its efforts to reclaim its former position by maximizing new car introductions in Korea. The A5 is scheduled to launch in Korea in July, starting at 57.89 million won ($41,415).
