Two years after its inception, a free online cybersecurity course has become so popular that the system struggled to accommodate the 10 000 participants that were trying to log on.
It is hosted by the Southern Africa-Netherlands Cyber Security School (SANCS), which is a collaborative effort between the Embassy of the Netherlands in South Africa, the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS) and Stellenbosch University (SU).
The sign outside the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at Stellenbosch University which has helped organise the Southern Africa-Netherlands Cyber Security School (SANCS). PHOTO: Hae-Won Boesack
In 2024, there were a few hundred registrants; the second edition in 2025 had around 3 600 students. This year, their free-online cybersecurity course commenced its third edition on 2 March and is set to finish on 10 April.
The programme, with the help of industry professionals and specialists, aims to academically and professionally train students across Southern Africa in cybersecurity. Successful students can receive up to two certificates as confirmation that they have received a holistic overview of cybersecurity practices across a plethora of domains. This can add to their existing skill sets and be included on their CVs.
Thereafter, 20 students will be given a fully funded scholarship for a six-month training and work-readiness programme presented by the Cyber Security Institute (CSI).
The online Teams town hall that supports a larger capacity of individuals. This is offered by SANCS and brings in industry professionals and specialists. PHOTO: Hae-Won Boesack
Professor Kanshukan Rajaratnam, the director of the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at SU, believes that the rapid increase in registration emphasises the growing demand for accessible higher education, as well as the challenges when catering for a larger scale.
While the SANCS team was pleased with the increased interest, the surge resulted in technical challenges presented by Microsoft Teams that could not be solved by the SANCS technical team.
“As you grow at such a rapid rate, you always have some challenges. […] So, there were initial technological challenges because of the limits on the different licensing of Teams,” said Professor Rajaratnam.
The technical issues involved inaccessible sessions and faulty chat functionality. This was due to both the influx of students connecting to Microsoft Teams and specific Microsoft Teams licensing.
After the online class “Embedding Cyber Resilience into IT Audit” which was led by Jeleen Kombrink and Gijs van Zuilen, students expressed their thanks in the comment section. PHOTO: Hae-Won Boesack
Professor Rajaratnam said that SU has a high quality of education, and he believes that offering a free course with the same quality will be appealing to individuals who cannot afford to study at university.
“I joined here [Stellenbosch University] because I believe in the vision and the quality of the university. But what we thought at that time was, ‘how can we take Stellenbosch University quality to a wider audience who can’t necessarily afford it,’” said Professor Rajaratnam.
“We do not receive any funding for it. We do not charge anything for it. It is a completely voluntary team,” said Noelle Cowling, a research fellow at the School for Data Science and Computational Thinking at SU.
Katleho Tshehle graduated from Boston College with a Diploma in Systems Development. In 2024, she decided to register for the SANCS course to further her knowledge. She also got selected for the SANCS Cyber Talent Accelerator graduate programme, and now works as a cybersecurity intern at CSI.
“I didn’t necessarily think of it as something I’m getting for free. […] It’s not like doing something for free; it’s an opportunity that I was fortunate enough to be able to be a part of,” said Tshehle.
Being based in a rural part of the North West province, she would have never been able to afford to attend the lectures in person, she said. However, this online course allowed her to expand her knowledge and skills in something that she was interested in and network with people in the industry.
Currently, a fourth edition of SANCS is not yet confirmed; this is because the course is dependent on funding from the Netherlands. However, Professor Rajaratnam and Cowling are determined to continue the course in some way.
“We’d love to carry on with SANCS in some form if we can, simply because we believe it lowers barriers and fills a meaningful space,” said Cowling.
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