---
title: "Watch – Are hackers holding our local government to ransom?"
description: "South African municipalities are sitting on gold mines of your personal data — ID numbers, addresses, billing details — and they are catastrophically unprepared to protect it. No skills, ancient tech and bureaucratic red tape have left our local governments wide open to ransomware gangs and phishing attacks. And the thieves? They’re already inside the house. Daily Maverick’s Lindsey Schutters explains."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "VIDEO"
author: "Lindsey Schutters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/lindsey-schutters-2/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-05-13-watch-are-hackers-holding-our-local-government-to-ransom-/"
published: "2026-05-13T22:32:09"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 35
---

# Watch – Are hackers holding our local government to ransom?

> South African municipalities are sitting on gold mines of your personal data — ID numbers, addresses, billing details — and they are catastrophically unprepared to protect it. No skills, ancient tech and bureaucratic red tape have left our local governments wide open to ransomware gangs and phishing attacks. And the thieves? They’re already inside the house. Daily Maverick’s Lindsey Schutters explains.

By Lindsey Schutters · Published 14 May 2026, 00:32 SAST

## Content

[YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zxszYKf0KI)

Reporting by: Lindsey Schutters
Filmed by: Joel Seboa
Edited by: Anda Tolibadi
Produced by: Emilie Gambade 
Creative lead by: Malibongwe Tyilo
Sub-edited by: Kevin Flynn

Support journalism that protects democracy. Become a [Maverick Insider](https://tinyurl.com/SupportDailyMaverick).[https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDNTYVp5ak5nek1nTVpWRjFJSFBnSm9ZM2JQQXxBQ3Jtc0trNXN5aW1oQkRYcE5CakpiUkRza1FvVzJ2eFBxNjZEcXpBVTdyWG9CX0dHT2VqQk92R2J1THowM1RnZjNyLW5CTi0zVk43NG1hLUJLSWZIU2lkY25paGpCcExKYTRUVmFZcFY3OEl4M1BQRlhtamRQYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2FSupportDailyMaverick&v=OhgfbQW1ZAs](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbDNTYVp5ak5nek1nTVpWRjFJSFBnSm9ZM2JQQXxBQ3Jtc0trNXN5aW1oQkRYcE5CakpiUkRza1FvVzJ2eFBxNjZEcXpBVTdyWG9CX0dHT2VqQk92R2J1THowM1RnZjNyLW5CTi0zVk43NG1hLUJLSWZIU2lkY25paGpCcExKYTRUVmFZcFY3OEl4M1BQRlhtamRQYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2FSupportDailyMaverick&v=OhgfbQW1ZAs)