Cape Town · South Africa

Penetration testing, PCI DSS and POPIA security in South Africa.

From our Cape Town office, SecuriCentrix helps South African banks, insurers, fintechs, retailers and technology companies test their defences, meet POPIA and Joint Standard 2 expectations, and achieve PCI DSS compliance with an accredited QSA Company.

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South Africa

Cybersecurity expertise for South African organisations.

South African organisations face a demanding mix of regulation: POPIA security safeguards and breach notification, the FSCA and Prudential Authority's Joint Standard 2 of 2024 for financial institutions, and PCI DSS for anyone handling card data. Our Cape Town team brings the same methodology we use in Ireland and the EU to local requirements.

We combine penetration testing, continuous validation and compliance readiness, so you can show regulators, auditors and customers that controls work.

Services

Cybersecurity services for South African organisations.

Delivered from Cape Town to clients in Johannesburg, Durban and across Southern Africa.

Penetration testing in Cape Town and Johannesburg

Web, API, mobile, internal, external, cloud and wireless testing with retesting. View penetration testing.

PCI DSS QSA assessments

Readiness, Reports on Compliance, SAQ support and P2PE guidance under PCI DSS v4.0.1. PCI DSS in detail.

POPIA security compliance

Section 19 security safeguards, operator contracts, breach response and Information Regulator reporting. POPIA in detail.

Joint Standard 2 readiness

Gap assessment against JS-2 governance, controls, testing and material-incident reporting for financial institutions.

ISO 27001 implementation

ISMS design, risk assessment, internal audit and certification readiness. ISO 27001 in detail.

Continuous assurance

Autonomous pentesting, vulnerability management and managed application security through assurance subscriptions.

Regulation

The South African regulatory picture.

POPIA requires responsible parties to secure personal information and notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects of security compromises. Since 1 April 2025, compromises must be reported through the Regulator's eServices portal.

Joint Standard 2 of 2024 on cybersecurity and cyber resilience took effect on 1 June 2025. It requires financial institutions, including banks, insurers, market infrastructures, pension funds and certain financial services providers, to maintain a board-approved cybersecurity strategy, implement core controls such as MFA, regularly test controls through vulnerability assessments and penetration testing, and notify the Authorities of material cyber incidents.

POPIA	Information Regulator; security compromises reported via eServices portal since 1 April 2025
Joint Standard 2 of 2024	FSCA and Prudential Authority; effective 1 June 2025
JS-2 testing	Vulnerability assessments, penetration tests and simulation exercises
PCI DSS	v4.0.1 is the current version
Our office	V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

Industries

South African industries we support.

Banks, insurers and asset managers under Joint Standard 2
Fintechs, payment service providers and e-commerce merchants under PCI DSS
Retail and hospitality groups handling cardholder and customer data
Mining, engineering and manufacturing firms with IT and OT exposure
Healthcare and medical schemes processing special personal information
Technology and BPO companies serving international clients

FAQs

Questions from South African clients

Do you provide penetration testing in Johannesburg as well as Cape Town?

Yes. Most external, web, API and cloud testing is delivered remotely, and we travel for on-site internal and wireless testing across South Africa.

Does Joint Standard 2 require penetration testing?

Joint Standard 2 requires financial institutions to regularly test their security controls and cyber resilience capabilities, including vulnerability assessments, penetration testing and scenario exercises, proportionate to their size and complexity.

Do all POPIA security compromises need to be reported?

Yes. Where there are reasonable grounds to believe personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, the responsible party must notify the Information Regulator and, in most cases, affected data subjects as soon as reasonably possible.

Can you perform PCI DSS assessments in South Africa?

Yes. As a PCI SSC-accredited QSA Company, we perform PCI DSS readiness assessments and formal assessments for South African merchants and service providers.

Free readiness checklists

Free checklists for South African organisations.

See where you stand before you talk to us.

South Africa

Talk to us

Talk to our Cape Town team.

Tell us what you need to test, prove or prepare for, and we will recommend a practical scope.

Book a consultation in South Africa Explore assurance subscriptions

Sources

This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Last reviewed 27 October 2026.