This submission on the Draft Paper on Digital Futures: South Africa’s Digital Readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Draft Paper) is made by Media Monitoring Africa (MMA), and endorsed by the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF), the Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa (IABSA), the Centre for Human Rights (CHR), and the Coalition on the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms (AfDec Coalition).

Together, the above mentioned organisations welcome the opportunity to provide this submission, and note the important purpose that the Draft Paper serves in ascertaining South Africa’s readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). In our view, constructive and meaningful recommendations that are appropriately implemented by relevant stakeholders have the potential to contributing positively towards overcoming the digital divide in South Africa, as well as opening up access to the unprecedented development opportunities offered by digital technologies.