The South African Weather Service’s website was unavailable due to a hack of its information and communication technology (ICT) system.
The weather service said in a statement on Monday that criminals had compromised the system’s security, causing it to go down on Sunday night.
Additionally, the statement disclosed that the hacking began on Saturday.
“The first attempt, which was unsuccessful on the evening of Saturday, January 25, 2025, was followed by the second attack within two days,” according to the statement.
“Critical services like aviation and maritime have seen disruptions.”
Furthermore, the weather service’s email system and website, which are the main sources of weather-related information, are also affected.
Investigation underway
“Nonetheless, other channels have been established for the dissemination of critical information, such as weather forecasts,” it said in a statement.
“Since the attack, the South African Weather Service’s ICT service providers have been present to investigate the breach and look into short-term and long-term solutions for resuming operations after the system went down.”
For accurate weather updates in the interim, the public is advised to rely on the weather service’s social media accounts.
“The criminal act is currently being reported to the appropriate authorities by the South African Weather Service.”
