South Africa

Open letter from APC and the IFLA to the EU Ambassador to South Africa concerning the Copyright Bill that currently awaits the signature of President Ramaphosa, following its approval by the South African Parliament.

The initiative is being implemented by APC in partnership with Rhizomatica and aims to develop the models, capacities and sustainability of community networks.

This is the fifth in a series of interviews that highlight the journey, struggles and achievements of women doing work in community networks. We are documenting their experiences with the intention to inspire more women to get involved in this field.

We welcome the passing of the Copyright Amendment Bill by both the National Assembly and the National Council of the Provinces and encourage the president to sign the Bill into law without delay. The Bill is a good reflection of a transformative vision for a more equal and just society.

APC, together with Media Monitoring Africa and the Right To Know campaign, are hosting internships in South Africa for work focusing on internet-related policy and governance, privacy, and communications.

With its appearance at the Committee, South Africa has recognised the essential role of access to the internet as an enabler of rights. It is critical for the government to continue to engage with civil society and other stakeholders to advance rights-based approaches to internet access.

Written submission by Zenzeleni Networks, the Association for Progressive Communications, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town and Rhizomatica on the policy directions to the authority on licensing of unassigned high-demand spectrum.

“There is so much potential in rural South Africa, and with a little bit of capacity building, a lot of things could happen around affordable internet access,” said Carlos Rey-Moreno of APC's Local Access Networks project at the end of a workshop with the Technology Innovation Agency.