We support an evidence-based understanding of the regulatory frameworks that govern digital public infrastructure.

DPI, the shared digital systems for identity, payments and data exchange, can only deliver economic and social value if the surrounding laws, regulations and policies keep pace. We work to clarify what that regulatory framework should look like so DPI can be deployed responsibly.

PROJECTS

Coordination Dashboard

The Coordination Dashboard is a secure, login-protected tool for policymakers involved in South Africa’s digital public infrastructure processes. It tracks which policy reforms are currently under way and how far each has progressed, giving everyone working on DPI a shared and up-to-date view of the reform landscape. Access is limited to authorised users.

Legislative Catalogue

The Legislative Catalogue is an interactive reference table of the legislation, regulations and policy instruments relevant to South Africa’s digital public infrastructure agenda. It is designed to support coordination and issue identification across the DPI reform process and does not provide legal advice. The downloadable Excel version contains several spreadsheets that map legislation to DPI initiatives and flag conflicts, redundancies and out-of-date provisions.

Project

LEAD

  • Dr Gray Manicom

    Researcher in Digital Transformation

    Dr Gray Manicom

    Researcher in Digital Transformation

    Dr Gray Manicom is a mathematician with a keen interest in dynamical systems, mathematical modelling, and data science. Fluent in Python and Matlab, Gray holds a PhD in Mathematics from The University of Auckland. His dissertation explored memory effects in heteroclinic networks and their application in cognitive modelling.

    He previously worked as a postdoc at the University of Auckland, using models of COVID-19 to advise government COVID-related policies. At the Policy Innovation Lab he leverages the power of data analytics and machine learning to inform government policy decisions. Gray brings quantitative skills and a passion for research with real-world impact.

Project

CONTACT

  • Dr Gray Manicom

    Researcher in Digital Transformation

    Dr Gray Manicom

    Researcher in Digital Transformation

    Dr Gray Manicom is a mathematician with a keen interest in dynamical systems, mathematical modelling, and data science. Fluent in Python and Matlab, Gray holds a PhD in Mathematics from The University of Auckland. His dissertation explored memory effects in heteroclinic networks and their application in cognitive modelling.

    He previously worked as a postdoc at the University of Auckland, using models of COVID-19 to advise government COVID-related policies. At the Policy Innovation Lab he leverages the power of data analytics and machine learning to inform government policy decisions. Gray brings quantitative skills and a passion for research with real-world impact.

News

Digital Public Infrastructure

The risk of digital dependence

The Lab is supporting the development of South Africa's digital public infrastructure data sovereignty strategy. Cuba and Russia serve as examples of what dependence on foreign digital payment systems may mean.

Get to know our team: Thando Ndita, Digital Public Infrastructure Policy Manager

Our Get to Know the Team series is now a weekly feature, and we’re excited to kick it off by spotlighting Thando Ndita, our Digital Public Infrastructure Manager. She is a human rights researcher, whose work explores digital governance, data rights and social justice, contributing to equitable and impactful digital transformation.

Gates Foundation visit to Stellenbosch highlights catalytic funding and South-South learning in action

A Gates Foundation visit to Stellenbosch highlights how catalytic funding is driving investment, advancing digital public infrastructure, and enabling AI for policymaking. The work supports South-South learning and builds scalable tools and institutional capacity across African governments.

Policy Innovation Lab joins global network for international collaboration on emerging technologies

Stellenbosch University’s Policy Innovation Lab has joined the Global Network of Internet & Society Centers ...

SU part of global team delivering landmark G20 digital agenda analysis

Stellenbosch University's Policy Innovation Lab and the TUM Think Tank have handed over a landmark report on the G20's digital agenda to South African government partners. The report traces how four consecutive Global South presidencies shaped global digital policy across digital transformation, digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

What is Digital Public Infrastructure? Supporting South Africa’s digital transformation

Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is the shared digital foundation of a modern state. By building common systems for identity, payments and secure data exchange, South Africa can deliver faster, cheaper and more inclusive services that reach everyone, especially the most vulnerable. Here’s what that means, and why it matters.

SU workshop helps shape thinking on digital public infrastructure in SA

The Policy Innovation Lab with partners TUM Think Tank and the Global Network of Internet and Society Centres hosted a hybrid workshop on regulatory sandboxes for South Africa’s Digital Public Infrastructure. Over two days, officials and experts explored enabling innovation while protecting accountability, inclusion, privacy and security.

Update to our catalogue of AI public sector use cases

Find out about the latest update to our Catalogue of AI tools used by governments worldwide.

Building a regulatory model for Digital Public Infrastructure in South Africa

In November 2025, the Policy Innovation Lab hosted a workshop that brought together the Presidency, government departments, and academic experts to reflect on how South Africa regulates Digital Public Infrastructure. Emerging from the workshop was a practice-focused regulatory model for identifying legal gaps and sequencing reform systematically.

Strengthening the LMU-SU partnership through collaboration on interdisciplinarity

The recent LMU–SU workshop on interdisciplinarity laid the foundation for translation the institutions' formal partnership into substantive collaboration. Scholars from both institutions compared approaches to interdisciplinary teaching and the role of AI, highlighting clear alignment and identifying opportunities for joint programme development and future research cooperation.

Creating a legislative catalogue for digital ID in South Africa

The Policy Innovation Lab is supporting South Africa’s digital transformation by developing an AI-assisted legislative catalogue for the country’s envisioned digital ID system. This tool maps the complex legal framework governing digital ID, helping policymakers identify gaps and conflicts to ensure the system’s development is coherent, compliant and future-ready.

Synthesising G20 messages on AI, DPI and digital transformation

Over the past four years, the G20 has developed an increasingly coherent digital governance framework through policy innovation in digital transformation, Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence. A synthesis by the Policy Innovation Lab, TUM Think Tank and Harvard’s Global Network analyses over 200 G20 documents, with final reports to be released in late 2025.

Lab Engages with Western Cape Digital Transformation Plan

The Western Cape government invited the Lab to participate in a academic consultation on their Digital Transformation Plan 2.0.

Update to our catalogue of AI public sector use cases

We outline the findings of the most recent update of our database of AI tools used in the public sector. This time our update included a number of South African tools.

High-level dialogue on Digital Public Infrastructure convened in Johannesburg

Senior government officials and industry leaders from across Africa recently convened in Johannesburg to advance Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). The dialogue, hosted by the Presidency and supported by the Lab, focused on South Africa's ambitious Digital Transformation Roadmap, continental initiatives and a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to building inclusive DPI.

Supporting the Gates Foundation’s 20-year vision through AI-enabled policymaking

Bill Gates recently outlined the Gates Foundation’s priorities for the next two decades. In South Africa, the Policy Innovation Lab, a Foundation grantee, is applying AI to strengthen policymaking. This work helps governments respond more effectively to complex challenges, ultimately supporting more people on a path to opportunity and prosperity.

Expert Reference Group

Digital Public Infrastructure

  • Prof. Geo Quinot

    Prof. Geo Quinot

    Geo Quinot is a Professor of Law at Stellenbosch University and Director of the African Procurement Law Unit (APLU). He specialises in public law and is a leading voice in the development of procurement regulation and administrative justice in South Africa and across the continent.

    He holds an LLD from Stellenbosch University and teaches widely in public law, with a growing focus on how digital technologies are transforming procurement systems and governance frameworks. Through his work with APLU, he contributes to research, capacity building, and policy reform initiatives aimed at strengthening public-sector accountability and performance.

  • Christine Strauss

    Christine Strauss

    Christine Strauss is an admitted Legal Practitioner (Attorney) and Trade Mark Practitioner (SAIIPL). After practising in intellectual property law until 2022, she transitioned to academia and is now a lecturer in the Mercantile Law Department, where she teaches Law & Technology. She holds an LLM in Law, Science and Technology from Stanford University and is currently completing her LLD at Stellenbosch University. Her research explores the intersection of law, science, and emerging technologies.

  • Zinhle Novazi

    Zinhle Novazi

    Zinhle Novazi is a Lecturer in Law and Technology and International Trade Finance in the Mercantile Law Department at Stellenbosch University. She is a qualified attorney and a doctoral candidate at the University of Groningen, where her research focuses on the regulation of automated decision-making in financial services, with particular attention to data protection, AI, and consumer protection.

    She brings professional experience from roles in tax, fiduciary services, and cybersecurity, having worked as a Tax and Fiduciary Specialist at Investec Bank, completed her articles at Tabacks and previously contributed to risk and intelligence projects at S-RM. Zinhle holds master’s degrees from Queen Mary University of London (where she was a Chevening Scholar) and the University of the Witwatersrand, along with an LLB and a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Cape Town.

    Beyond academia, she serves as a Director of Novazi Investment Holdings and the Heavy Chef Foundation NPC, supporting initiatives that broaden entrepreneurial opportunities. In recognition of her leadership, she was named one of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans in 2023.