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Phumzile Van Damme

@zilevandamme

May 24

I have this thing where once I identify a problem, I cannot stop obsessively thinking about it until I find a solution that puts my brain at ease. Now I’m accosting you with info you didn’t ask for. Soz.

I’ve settled like so: for satellite services in SA: an RFP. Hear me out.

We have one major issue in the ICT sector: anti-competitiveness. To this day, the Competition Commission is still fighting with MTN, Vodacom et al. over market dominance. Once monopolies are entrenched, they’re incredibly hard to undo.

Right now, we’re prioritising Starlink without seriously considering other providers or how to carve out space for other players & local R&D investment. This can’t become a one-company monopoly industry. We need multiple entrants, plus carving out space for SA innovation.

Read 9 tweets

Phumzile Van Damme

@zilevandamme

May 24

I get the sense that most think the policy directive alone will exempt Starlink. No. Not by a stretch. The process currently unfolding is procedurally flawed & unconstitutional. A long thread about the law, legal principles, and why it needs to be halted & corrected.🪡🧵

Core point: exempting Starlink from the BBBEE ICT Sector Code’s obligations through a Comms Dept ministerial policy directive is incorrect procedurally & constitutionally Once published, 99.9% chance it is taken on judicial review and struck down. It is already dead on arrival.

Let's start with the framework of understanding of what is happening. The Minister has indicated that a "draft policy directive" will be issued and then open for public comment. Once finalised, he will "direct ICASA to..." This is a no, no, and no in terms of the law..

Read 18 tweets

Phumzile Van Damme

@zilevandamme

May 19

Our pushback against disinfo about SA continues. Next: amplifying those who reject the narrative that being white in SA equals persecution. The perception is that all of white SA feels this way. No

A thread of voices that need to be louder than those of lies & hate. Thread 🧵🪡

Why this is important: Social media is flooded with visual cues: videos and images meant to “prove” genocide & persecution in South Africa. To counter this, we need to amplify the visuals of those within the white community. especially Afrikaners who say: this is not our truth

1. @hwasser on @democracynow

"My first response was one of incredulity and later disgust and a rejection of this notion of a white genocide or whites being persecuted. I think that view is shared by many other white South Africans and certainly the majority of other South Africans."

.

Read 9 tweets

Phumzile Van Damme

@zilevandamme

May 3

So Grok has started not publicly answering Qs about its modelling & training. Nice try. Grok meet promptcraft and info eliciting strategy. What I uncovered is how it defines “truth.” Grok has not previously articulated its epistemology this clearly in public. A thread. 🪡🧵

1. First, why did Grok suddenly stop responding to the conversation we were having about its model and architecture? I asked. The room was tense. The answers cautious. Further probing & suddenly: error messages. (😂 )

2. No matter. So I just shape-shifted and started a new conversation and what I got was more than a reply. It was an AI revealing its epistemic scaffolding.

Here’s what it said, and what that means. A summary of our conversation:

Read 15 tweets

Phumzile Van Damme

@zilevandamme

Mar 7

Starlink. Hard-headedness and a deep aversion to being strong-armed and bullied aside, I'll be rational and explore workarounds about it.

First of, Elon Musk is not without options. He is no sorry baby we all need to feel terribly sorry for. There are plenty of South African billionaires he could partner with: talk to Motsepe. Talk to Oppenheimer, talk to Rupert. Ask how they do it. Partner. Figure it out. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. International conglomerates have navigated South Africa’s regulatory landscape, ask how they did it. At the end of the day, do you want to make a profit or no? Do you want that bag or no? Adapt to the regulations of the markets you operate in, or stall, your move, grown man.

Not a single tech company would dare not meet the stringent regulatory requirements the EU has for tech companies. You don't? Here's a $10 billion fine, how's them apples? What are we? The ugly stepsister? Sorry I've started being hard-headed again, breathe. K, k, k. Hands up in defeat. We go the legislative amendment route. Have you met legislatures? That would take YEARS. Go back to 1.

I must say though, it would be kinda nice to have the kind of leverage Latin America and Canada have exercised, no? I am just saying from a strategic perspective. Shrug.

At the end of the day, this could work. It just needs will.

But the greater point is this: the government can't go above any legislative requirements, and the Constitutional Court would strike that executive action down before we can finish writing "constitutional delinquent." It is a VERY VERY slippery slope. That legislation contravened, which one next? You mos allowed it for the one? Is that power you want to give away? It is really that boring, cold and dry, I fear. There is the option to amend. Cool. But if that is the route: you're going to have to WAIT. This is the very likely scenario: Legislation drafted and tabled in Parliament (a few months) -> Committee discussions where there will likely be major resistance and (stall for another few months) -> passed with ANC + DA -> promulgated by the President (a few months) -> stalled because constitutional challenge by EFF + MK (months, years) -> Concourt says it contravenes requirement for redress -> back to Parliament (years). Repeat over and over. THAT is the reality. FIGURE it out, but ok'salayo, the government cannot go above its legislative requirements.

Just to add about a Constitutional challenge. If nothing, we are a very litigious bunch. Don't nobody like some political lawfare than a South African 😂 That would take YEARS. It has to go to a High Court. Wait for a ruling. Regardless of the outcome, either party will appeal. Go to the Supreme Court. More months waiting for a ruling. Appealed again. Go to Constitutional Court. Wait for a ruling. That will take years. We need to be realistic about this. Letting emotional reaction rule you thinking about this is a recipe for a dry and unseasoned plate of ✨disappointment✨washed down with a glass of lukewarm water on a hot day.

Read 4 tweets

Phumzile Van Damme

@zilevandamme

Nov 29, 2024

1. Why is there so much denial of the genocide in Palestine on social media, despite overwhelming evidence thereof? The answer lies not in a lack of proof, but in deeply entrenched cognitive biases that dehumanise the people of Palestine. Facts struggle against hate. A 🧵🪡

2. Facts alone cannot overcome cognitive biases, especially when they challenge deep ideologies or moral self-perceptions. Genocide denialism thrives not on ignorance but on the rejection of uncomfortable truths. Denial of the genocide in Palestine is no exception.

3. Cognitive dissonance fuels denial further. Supporting human rights while ignoring the genocide in Palestine creates discomfort. Instead of confronting complicity, many rationalise violence or cling to narratives that protect their worldview, even at the cost of truth.

Read 8 tweets

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