"Regulatory Cartel Seeks to Control the Digital Realm"
In a shocking move, South Africa’s communications, media, and technology regulators have joined forces to create the Information, Communication Technologies and Media Regulators Forum (ICTMRF), a bid to maintain control over the rapidly changing digital landscape.
The formation of this regulatory cartel – comprising the Film and Publications Board, Icasa, the Information Regulator, and the ZA Domain Name Authority – has sparked concerns about the erosion of individual agency and the stifling of innovation in the tech sector.
According to a candid interview with Icasa CEO Tshiamo Maluleka-Disemelo, the realignment of regulatory powers is aimed at "identifying and addressing duplication of effort, identifying potential synergies and outlining avenues for future cooperation" to create an effective media regulatory framework in line with the "evolving landscape of the digital era."
But critics argue that this new initiative is just a thinly veiled attempt by the regime to gag free speech and stifle competition.
"Our collaboration is about responsible regulation, not censorship," Maluleka-Disemelo insists, but many are skeptical, citing the lack of statutory authority and corporate status, which means the forum won’t provide formal recommendations or directives to its members.
The ICTMRF’s "critical areas of cooperation" include sharing best practices, implementing collaborative enforcement, and training sessions to build regulatory capabilities, but it’s unclear how these initiatives will be funded or overseen.
Some, like William Bird, director of Media Monitoring Africa, have even questioned whether the forum should include human rights groups in its membership base, given its focus on human rights.
"We are confident that our collaboration will lead to great achievements and positive outcomes for all involved," Maluleka-Disemelo asserts, but many are left wondering about the true intentions behind this regulatory juggernaut.
