Great as always sitting down with iAfrikan at DLI2026 ,<> Prof. Vukosi Marivate on Governing AI in Africa | Deep Learning Indaba 2026

Prof. Vukosi Marivate on Governing AI in Africa | Deep Learning Indaba 2026

"[It is] an honour not for me, but for the village." Prof. Vukosi Marivate, co-founder of Lelapa AI, Masakhane NLP and the Deep Learning Indaba, sits down with iAfrikan editor-in-chief Bataung…

youtube.com

🎥 "Brilliant Bruno goal seals comeback win" - Arsenal 2-1 Leeds | On the Whistle youtu.be/dzHBuFQvIrw

"Brilliant Bruno goal seals comeback win" - Arsenal 2-1 Leeds | On the Whistle

YouTube video by gunnerblog

youtu.be

SAfm ordered to apologise on air for not challenging false claims about foreign nationals. I analyse the ruling, incl the huge asymmetry underneath it all: the most disruptive media volunteer to be held to account. Platforms doing most damage have not michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/sabc-apolo...

SABC Apologised. The Platforms Never Have To

A ruling in South Africa last week shows what voluntary media accountability looks like. No such thing exists for large digital platforms.

michaelmarkovitz.substack.com

Honestly, the way this team can put you through 88 minutes of torture, then leave you feeling like this after an extraordinary contribution from Max Dowman is essentially absurd. It looked like it was gonna be a nightmare, instead it became the stuff of dreams. My heartbeat is doing techno BPM

Here’s my piece on whether SA’s Competition Commission let Meta off the hook. Designing a financial remedy for Meta is more complex than the one for Google. But this is a reason for the CompCom to choose its methodologies carefully. Its not a reason to walk away from a financial remedy altogether.

Did the Competition Commission let Meta off the hook?

South Africa's landmark market inquiry imposed financial remedies on Google but not on Meta. With publisher and platform appeals still hidden from public view, the question deserves closer scrutiny.

open.substack.com

Fact that Trump & his enablers are spinning Minneapolis shooting as self-defence, despite definitive video to the contrary of someone being murdered by ICE in cold blood, means its time to re-up this quote from Hannah Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism (1951), which describes Trump's base perfectly

Fact that Trump & his enablers are spinning Minneapolis shooting as self-defence, despite definitive video to the contrary of someone being murdered by ICE in cold blood, means its time to re-up this quote from Hannah Arendt, Origins of Totalitarianism (1951), which describes Trump's base perfectly

Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts. Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.

My last article of 2025 - Recent U.S. sanctions against European regulators & activists recast platform accountability as geopolitical aggression & “extraterritorial censorship”. What this moment demands is not performative solidarity but practical coordination to protect democratic infrastructure

Regulating platform power now seen as hostile act

US sanctions, democratic sovereignty, and the necessity of standing together

open.substack.com

My last article of 2025 - Recent U.S. sanctions against European regulators & activists recast platform accountability as geopolitical aggression & “extraterritorial censorship”. What this moment demands is not performative solidarity but practical coordination to protect democratic infrastructure

Regulating platform power now seen as hostile act

US sanctions, democratic sovereignty, and the necessity of standing together

open.substack.com

Very pleased to share my article in @techpolicypress.bsky.social, where I unpack the South African Competition Commission’s final Media & Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report – the key compromises, the progress made & deep structural challenges that persist. www.techpolicy.press/a-pragmatic-...

A Pragmatic Win, Not a Structural Fix, in South Africa’s Deal with Big Tech | TechPolicy.Press

Michael Markovitz details South Africa’s Competition Commission deal with global platforms to support the country's media.

techpolicy.press

Very pleased to share my article in @techpolicypress.bsky.social, where I unpack the South African Competition Commission’s final Media & Digital Platforms Market Inquiry report – the key compromises, the progress made & deep structural challenges that persist. www.techpolicy.press/a-pragmatic-...

A Pragmatic Win, Not a Structural Fix, in South Africa’s Deal with Big Tech | TechPolicy.Press

Michael Markovitz details South Africa’s Competition Commission deal with global platforms to support the country's media.

techpolicy.press

Reflections on our #ctrljafrica event, where African regulators, global digital platforms, civil society, media publishers, journalists, govt, content creators & ‘newsfluencers’ met. We had 121 participants from 23 countries, with 41 out 47 speakers from Africa & strong rep rom Brazil & Indonesia.

Finding our People at CTRL+J Africa

A Johannesburg gathering that confronted narratives, sovereignty, and the hard questions for journalism’s future

open.substack.com

Co-hosted by our Media Leadership Think Tank & International Fund for Public Interest Media, CTRL+J Africa convenes publishers, govts, regulators, funders & civil society to discuss who controls future of journalism. Live streaming from 9:00 AM (SAST) on 4 Sept: www.youtube.com/live/eVxDRtp...

CTRL+J Africa

YouTube video by GIBS Business School

youtube.com

We have just completed Block 1 of the inaugural Executive Programme in Media Leadership at GIBS & what an energising start it’s been! As lead faculty for the programme, huge thanks to this fantastic pan-African group for your insight, curiosity & commitment. Look forward to seeing you again!

Gibs announces first cohort of Executive Programme in Media Leadership - Gordon Institute of Business Science

The Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs) is proud to announce the first cohort of its new Executive Programme in Media Leadership, an intensive four-month initiative...

bizcommunity.com

It’s a line with deep roots and various origin stories, often regarded as a Turkish proverb. Whatever the source, the proverb speaks to a reality journalism must confront: the forces that weaken it are not always external. Sometimes, consequential decisions come from within.

When the axe came into the forest, the trees said: the handle is one of us

A reckoning with journalism’s internal compromises, and a path to resilience

open.substack.com

Excellent faculty confirmed for our EP in Media Leadership; from leading GIBS faculty in strategy, leadership, innovation & entrepreneurship to globally recognised experts in media sustainability, public interest journalism, digital transformation & emerging tech. www.gibs.co.za/programmes/e...

Excellent faculty confirmed for our EP in Media Leadership; from leading GIBS faculty in strategy, leadership, innovation & entrepreneurship to globally recognised experts in media sustainability, public interest journalism, digital transformation & emerging tech. www.gibs.co.za/programmes/e...

Just in case you’re wondering, today @techcentral.co.za published my take on Africa’s biggest media deal - @canalplusat.bsky.social’s takeover of MultiChoice - now that the deal has been recommended for approval by South Africa’s Competition Commission. techcentral.co.za/really-at-st...

What's really at stake in the Canal+, MultiChoice merger - TechCentral

What the Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice could mean for competition in South Africa’s media ecosystem.

techcentral.co.za

Opinion | Michael Markovitz @michaelmarkovitz.bsky.social on what the Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice could mean for competition in South Africa’s media ecosystem.

What's really at stake in the Canal+, MultiChoice merger - TechCentral

What the Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice could mean for competition in South Africa’s media ecosystem.

techcentral.co.za

SA has experienced how disinfo can be weaponised to damage its sovereignty, economy & credibility...The case vs Israel always triggered threats of retaliation & now the ‘white genocide’ lie is being amplified as geopolitical retribution. My piece: michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/why-defend...

Why defending information integrity should be a global priority for South Africa

M20 programme to elevate media issues on regional and international agendas

michaelmarkovitz.substack.com

SA has experienced how disinfo can be weaponised to damage its sovereignty, economy & credibility...The case vs Israel always triggered threats of retaliation & now the ‘white genocide’ lie is being amplified as geopolitical retribution. My piece: michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/why-defend...

Why defending information integrity should be a global priority for South Africa

M20 programme to elevate media issues on regional and international agendas

michaelmarkovitz.substack.com

Vile disinformation operation delivers for these white refugees from democracy, proving that with enough money, privilege can be repackaged as victimhood. Meanwhile, the Trump regime’s cruelty toward its own vulnerable citizens continues to be fully exposed. (paywall) www.news24.com/citypress/ne...

Trump orders money meant for sick and elderly be used to fund Afrikaner refugees | News24

The US government is expected to welcome the first batch of Afrikaner ‘refugees’ soon.

news24.com

Vile disinformation operation delivers for these white refugees from democracy, proving that with enough money, privilege can be repackaged as victimhood. Meanwhile, the Trump regime’s cruelty toward its own vulnerable citizens continues to be fully exposed. (paywall) www.news24.com/citypress/ne...

Trump orders money meant for sick and elderly be used to fund Afrikaner refugees | News24

The US government is expected to welcome the first batch of Afrikaner ‘refugees’ soon.

news24.com

Press freedom without sustainability is like a voice without breath. It may exist in principle but can't be exercised in practice. We're responding not just through research & advocacy - but by equipping a new generation of leaders to meet this moment. michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/on-world-p...

On World Press Freedom Day: Why Media Leadership Matters

New executive programme is a direct response to market crisis in media and journalism

michaelmarkovitz.substack.com

Press freedom without sustainability is like a voice without breath. It may exist in principle but can't be exercised in practice. We're responding not just through research & advocacy - but by equipping a new generation of leaders to meet this moment. michaelmarkovitz.substack.com/p/on-world-p...

On World Press Freedom Day: Why Media Leadership Matters

New executive programme is a direct response to market crisis in media and journalism

michaelmarkovitz.substack.com

The Jewish Chronicle is perhaps the only paper in British history where we are not allowed to know who owns it, or why. Its refusal to run an ad critical of Netanyahu makes this untenable, writes @arusbridger.bsky.social. www.prospectmagazine...

It’s time MPs investigated the Jewish Chronicle’s secret ownership

Britain’s longest-standing Jewish newspaper has refused to run an advert criticising Benjamin Netanyahu. The case raises more questions about the pape...

prospectmagazine.co.uk

Great piece by @arusbridger.bsky.social on the editorial & regulatory failure behind the Jewish Chronicle scandal in the UK. Not so in SA where the Jewish Report was 1st ever member to be expelled from SA Press Council for refusing to obey rulings in 2022. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...

A crisis at the Jewish Chronicle shows the toothlessness of the press watchdog

The country’s longest-standing Jewish newspaper ran fabricated stories that have prompted a widespread inquiry in Israel. But at home, the press regul...

prospectmagazine.co.uk

Looking forward to the virtual launch of our inaugural Executive Programme in Media Leadership at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), Joburg. 📅 Date: 15 April 2025 ⏰ Time: 12:00-13:00 SAST (GMT+2) Register for our webinar here!👉 lnkd.in/dRntcEeD www.bizcommunity.com/article/gibs...

Gibs in collaboration with Daily Maverick launches groundbreaking media executive programme

Styli Charalambous and Michael Markovitz to take part in the virtual launch to address media’s sustainability crisis...

bizcommunity.com

Here we are again. Another analogue switch off date has been suspended by a court, confirming decade long warnings from South African broadcasters and civil society groups. My quick take on the judgement and the way forward: open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...

Update: Court Blocks Analogue Switch-Off — Again

"ASO would deliver a killer punch to SABC" and cause "irreparable harm"

open.substack.com