Beyond Crisis: The State of Access to Information and the Internet for Rural Dwellers in South Africa
Posted: 1 July, 2024 Filed under: Ompha Tshamano | Tags: Access to Information, access to socio-economic rights, apartheid, ATI, digital communication, digital divide, digital technology, fundamental human rights, ICT, internet, post-apartheid, real-time information, right to access information, right to information, rural communities, social media, socio-economic underdevelopment, South Africa 7 Comments
Author: Ompha Tshamano
Project Associate, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
1 Overview
South Africa has a long history of socio-economic underdevelopment, largely resulting from the sustained effects of apartheid. Despite the end of apartheid, the position of rural communities in South Africa remains precarious, with limited access to resources and infrastructure. The creation of Bantustans during apartheid further exacerbated economic disparities amongst different racial groups, leading to poverty, inequality, and unemployment. Slow technological adoption and development in South African rural areas also contribute to limited access to information and restricted opportunities. This situation has resulted in the maintenance of the status quo, with socio-economic underdevelopment and inequality continuing to be major challenges in post-apartheid South Africa. In this context, this article seeks to critically examine the state of access to information for rural dwellers in South Africa and the initiatives being taken to improve this situation.
Addressing Challenges in Information Access: Navigating State-Imposed Internet Shutdowns in Africa
Posted: 28 June, 2024 Filed under: Muhammed Bello Buhari | Tags: Access to Information, ATI, civic engagement, digital communication, digital technology, freedom of expression, fundamental human rights, ICT, information and communication technologies, information dissemination, internet, real-time information, right to access information, right to information, social media, state-imposed internet shutdowns, transparency Leave a comment
Author: Muhammed Bello Buhari
Digital rights activist
In Africa’s dynamic digital landscape, technology has emerged as a double-edged sword, promising to revolutionise access to information while simultaneously presenting unprecedented challenges, notably through state-imposed internet shutdowns. The delicate interplay between technology, information access, and the persistent disruptions, particularly the alarming rise of state-imposed internet shutdowns, has become a defining narrative in the continent’s quest for equitable information dissemination. This article focuses on exploring the many-sided relationship between technology and access to information, specifically addressing the intricate challenges posed by state-imposed internet shutdowns.
The Role of ICT in Promoting the Rule of Law in Ethiopia: The Impact of Social Media
Posted: 3 June, 2021 Filed under: Henok Kebede | Tags: accountable, anti-terrorism, civil society, communication, Ethiopia, good governance, hate speech, ICT, identifying crime suspects, Impact of Social Media, internet, law, mass atrocities, OECD, order, rule of law, tax laws, timeliness of information, transparent Leave a comment
Author: Henok Kebede
Lecturer, School of Law at Hawassa University, Ethiopia
The Role of ICT in Promoting the Rule of Law
Various scholars have defined the phrase from different perspectives, therefore, defining rule of law in a universally agreeable manner is not an easy task. The most known definition is the one provided by Aristotle: “Rule of law is an absence of rule of man”. But this definition is very general with the need for elaboration. A more elaborated, perhaps understandable, definition of rule of law is by Lord Bingham, essentially said that “…all persons and authorities within the state, whether public or private, should be bound by and entitled to the benefit of laws publicly and prospectively promulgated and publicly administered in the courts”.
AfricLaw 