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Irdeto hits Cape Town streaming pirates

March 13, 2026

By Chris Forrester

MultiChoice and its encryption subsidiary Irdeto have won a series of enforcement actions against illegal streaming operations in the Western Cape, in and around Cape Town, resulting in arrests, device seizures and multiple court convictions under South Africa’s Cybercrimes Act.

The first police raid, on February 12th, led to the arrest of a suspect linked to the sale of illegal streaming services. Two cellphones were seized for forensic examination. A second operation on March 5th resulted in another arrest, with a cellphone confiscated. That suspect appeared in court the following day.

According to local reports, investigators were able to access the second suspect’s streaming management panel, where they found 819 user accounts, 715 of which were active. All accounts have since been disabled.

In subsequent court proceedings on March 3rd, an accused was found guilty on three charges — fraud, unlawful acts in respect of software or hardware tools, and unlawful interception of data — and received a five-year suspended sentence.

Two further cases came before the court on February 12th. In both, the accused were convicted on multiple counts under the Cybercrimes Act, including cyber fraud and unlawful access. Sentences included suspended imprisonment of up to eight years, correctional supervision, house arrest and community service.

“The arrests, prosecutions and sentencing send a clear signal that cybercrime and content piracy will not be tolerated,” said Tobias Maja, senior anti-piracy manager at Irdeto.

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