Artificial intelligence may seem ethereal, but it relies on very concrete materials. The powerful computers and data centers running AI are built from chips, cables, and cooling systems – all made of minerals and metals mined from the Earth. For example, one analysis notes “the AI revolution runs on rocks, specifically a handful of critical…

Friday 05 June 2026 – 17:01pm — While residents across Johannesburg continue to face water shortages and supply disruptions, here in Riverlea, clean drinking water is going to waste. The community says these leaks have been left unattended for years despite numerous complaints, raising serious questions about infrastructure maintenance and water losses in a city…

To: the Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies and the Minister, Mr. Solly Malatsi. RE: National Artificial Intelligence Policy and the Need for Inclusive, Transparent Governance 25 May 2026: The Data Centres, Surveillance, Control Working Group, a loose group of activists, acknowledges the recent withdrawal of the draft AI Policy. At our recent hybrid…

Whilst the South African White Paper called, DRAFT SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) POLICY has been withdrawn and we believe its central arguments will remain and strongly recommend that participants read this as well as other relevant articles. We are thrilled to have Joan Kinyua is a Kenyan digital rights activist and the founding…

After months of advocacy and demanding transparency, the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has finally released its much-anticipated report on tailings. While the release is a win for civil society, the document itself is dense, technical, and high-stakes for the communities living near these sites. We thank the experts who helped us translate technical…

By Hassen Lorgat, 3 May 2026, IOL News The Minister of Communications, Solly Malatsi, addressed the nation as he withdrew the Draft National AI Policy on 26 April 2026: “I am sorry. It should not have happened. I am embarrassed,” and, “I am withdrawing the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy. South Africa deserves better.” A…