The South African Weather Service (SAWS) website is back online after a cyberattack crippled its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure for a month. ICT specialists worked tirelessly to restore the compromised system, bringing the website back into operation on Friday.
With the restoration, the aviation sector has regained access to critical services, including international significant weather charts. However, SAWS spokesperson Oupa Segalwe stated that other essential products—such as domestic significant weather charts, atmospheric pressure charts, and airman’s reports—are still undergoing functionality tests and will be reinstated soon.
"In the meantime, the SAWS Aviation Weather Centre at OR Tambo International Airport continues to use alternative channels to provide regular aeronautical weather information and updates to the aviation community," Segalwe said.
While the main website is operational, weather forecasts remain inaccessible. Currently, users can only view severe weather warnings, which will automatically disappear once their validity expires.
SAWS’ Marine Portal and WeatherSMART app are still offline, but the public can access daily rainfall and temperature updates, as well as severe weather alerts, through social media and email services.
Additionally, the SAWS email system and internet service—both of which were deliberately shut down to prevent the spread of malicious software used in the attack—have now been fully restored.