company secretaries, general counsel, public policy leaders and senior regulators, among others. The people helping organisations navigate what AI actually means for accountability, compliance and the frameworks still being written.
In-person attendance is limited and by invitation only.
Framing the day
Overview of the programme and housekeeping
South Africa’s evolving AI governance landscape
Governing AI in the public interest: trust, rights and competitiveness
South Africa’s AI moment: partnering for trusted adoption
A global view on making AI governance real
The choices South Africa must make to govern AI responsibly in ways that strengthen competitiveness, promote inclusivity, protect rights and build trust, drawing on public, private, regulatory, academic and technical perspectives.
Introduced by Shamiela Letsoalo – Director of corporate affairs, Naspers
Video message
Africa’s AI governance and capability-building moment (video message)
Enabling innovation, trust and competitiveness: how South Africa can shape AI governance in the public interest while remaining connected to Africa’s wider AI trajectory, including skills, digital inclusion, data readiness and African context and languages.
How AI governance becomes operational inside organisations: how boards, company secretaries and governance professionals translate AI risk and opportunity into controls, disclosure, risk governance and human accountability.
Introduced by Lynelle Bagwandeen – Group company secretary and head of global company secretariat, Prosus and Naspers
Opening video
Human-led insight, AI-supported execution: the company secretariat as a practical test case for how AI governance becomes operational, redesigning daily workstreams around blended intelligence while preserving the human judgement needed for trusted, accountable adoption.
How legal and policy teams are moving from managing AI risk to shaping responsible AI adoption: deploying AI safely, building trusted workflows, managing change and preserving human judgement.
Introduced by Lynelle Bagwandeen – Group company secretary and head of global company secretariat, Prosus and Naspers
How organisations create cultures where AI is adopted responsibly while remaining human-led.
Legal AI in practice
A practitioner’s account of deploying AI inside a group legal
function
Legal AI in practice
How AI is reshaping intellectual property, digital and
regulatory practice
Honourable Solly Malatsi is the current South African minister of communications and digital technologies. With a background as a seasoned communications specialist, he has served in various high-profile political roles ranging from parliamentary counselor to the leader of the official opposition to the national spokesperson of the Democratic Alliance. His leadership extends to his tenure as a member of parliament, where he has served in portfolios such as sports and recreation, human settlements, and communications and digital technologies.
He has also served a full term as a parliamentary whip for the for DA’s National Assembly caucus, demonstrating his leadership in managing party discipline and legislative processes. His previous roles also include a tenure as the spokesperson for the Western Cape MEC of transport and public works, as well as for the mayor of Cape Town, reflecting his versatility and ability to communicate across diverse political contexts.
He was first elected as the deputy federal chairperson of the DA in 2023 and re-elected in April 2026. His educational background includes a Bachelor of Administration from the University of Limpopo and an Honours degree in Political Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Honourable Khusela Sangoni is a seasoned South African politician, strategic communications specialist, and member of parliament representing the ANC in the National Assembly. She chairs the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies, leading legislative oversight on digital transition, platform regulation, and the digital creator economy.
With over 15 years of experience across business, public administration, and political communication, Khusela served from 2018 to 2021 as official spokesperson to President Cyril Ramaphosa, managing executive communications and national media relations. Previously, she directed the ANC's national media and marketing strategy as the party's national communications manager and headed communications for the Gauteng Provincial Government. Her career began as spokesperson for the ANC Youth League. She also serves on the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC) and the Gauteng Provincial Executive Committee (PEC).
Khusela holds a Master of Arts in Development Studies (earned with distinction), a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Business Management, and additional qualifications in Communication Theory and law. Her expertise spans strategic and crisis communications, public policy and legislative oversight, digital economy regulation, media relations, and stakeholder and government relations.
Lynelle Bagwandeen is the group company secretary and head of global company secretariat (Prosus and Naspers Limited). She joined the global technology group in August 2020. Prior to this appointment, she served as group company secretary and general counsel of Netcare Limited and was on its executive committee since 2012. She is also the information officer for Naspers Limited. She previously worked in banking and finance, holding governance and legal advisory roles at Absa and Standard Bank. She is a qualified and admitted attorney and holds an FCG, LLM, LLB (summa cum laude) and BSc from the University of Natal and University of Witwatersrand respectively. She also holds a number of postgraduate qualifications from international institutions. Her non-executive roles include acting as a director of the Hospital Association of South Africa and is the past president of the Chartered Governance Institute of Southern Africa, of which she is also a fellow.
Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa joined Naspers as South Africa CEO, in July 2019. She is an independent director of Vodacom Group. She serves on the advisory board of Stellenbosch University’s business school. Phuthi also serves on the board of the United Nation’s Global Compact Network SA. She is also a council member of the BRICS Business Council in South Africa. Before joining Naspers, she was the co-founder and executive chairperson of Sigma Capital, an investment holding company formed in 2015. She held the position of CEO at Shanduka Group, an investment holding company from 2004 to 2015.
Prior, she was the head of the Project Finance South Africa business unit at the Development Bank of Southern Africa. Early in her career, Phuthi worked in New York at Fieldstone, an international firm specialising in the financing of infrastructure assets. She later transferred to the South African office, where she served as a vice president. In 2020, Phuthi ranked number 42 in Fortune’s Most Powerful Women International list. In May 2016, Phuthi became a member of the Rutgers University Hall of Distinguished Alumni. She has been awarded several accolades such as CNBC Africa’s All Africa Business Leaders “Woman of the Year Award” in 2019 and the Forbes Woman Africa “Businesswoman of the Year” Award in 2014. In 2013, she was awarded a “Distinguished Achievement” Award by The Douglass Society, and the Africa Investors recognised her as a “Leading Africa Woman in Business of the Year” in 2012. In 2011, Rutgers University conferred on her the “Rutgers Vision of Excellence Award”.
In 2009, she was awarded the “Most Influential Woman in Government and Business” by Financial Services. The Wall Street Journal counted her among the “Top 50 women in the world to watch”. Phuthi was also selected as a Global Young Leader in 2007 by the World Economic Forum. She was awarded “Top in Project Finance, 2003” by the Association of Black Securities & Investment Professionals. Phuthi completed a BA Economics from Rutgers University, USA in 1993, and an MBA from De Montfort University in the UK in 1996. She also completed the Kennedy School of Government Executive Education programme “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” at Harvard University in 2008.
David has advised the Naspers group of companies since 1996. Before joining the group full time, he was a partner in Mallinicks Attorneys (now Webber Wentzel) and worked in London at two leading international law firms. In 2008, David was appointed Naspers and MIH Group senior counsel. In this role he led the legal teams for the group’s M&A activities in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe and Russia. David then became general counsel of the Allegro Group and was subsequently promoted to the position of general counsel: global transaction eCommerce at Naspers. In June 2015, he was appointed general counsel, Naspers group.
Monika Tomczak-Górlikowska is the global head of privacy, digital and regulatory for the Prosus group - a multinational consumer internet group with headquarters in Europe and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Monika also serves as a member of the board of directors of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Monika began her career at the legal service of the general secretariat of the Council of the EU in Brussels. She is now based in Amsterdam and previously was the senior data privacy legal counsel at Shell International Limited in London. Monika is a licensed attorney (adwokat) with over 25-years in practice. Prior to her in-house tenures she was in private practice, including at the offices of Miller, Canfield in Poland. She holds a Master of European Law degree (LLM cum laude) from the law department of the College of Europe in Brugge (Belgium). Monika has also served as co-chair of the steering committee of the forum on international privacy law and a member of the IAPP European Advisory Board. Monika is also hexalingual: she speaks English, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish and Portuguese fluently.
Shamiela Letsoalo is a director of corporate affairs at Naspers Limited, global technology investor and operator of takealot.com, Mr D, Property24, Media24 and Prosus. An expert in public affairs, communications and stakeholder engagement, she previously held leadership roles in marketing and communications across the mining industry with Exxaro, Anglo American and Glencore (2005 to 2018), and earlier at Telkom in government and community relations. She has driven engagement on digital transformation, including seminal 2024 research with MISTRA titled "Our Digital Horizon," and serves as chairperson of the Ecommerce Forum South Africa. She holds qualifications in Public Relations and Marketing from Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the University of Johannesburg, and an MBA from Wits University.
Lerato Mataboge currently serves as the AU commissioner for infrastructure and energy, a portfolio that includes advancing the AU's Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa and seamless digital connectivity across the continent. She is also a founding commissioner of the Al for Good Global Commission and is a co-chair of the Smart Africa Steering Committee. Her role places her at the centre of continental efforts to harmonise digital infrastructure and governance frameworks across 54 member states, making her essential to any conversation about a coordinated African approach to Al governance. Prior to her appointment at the AU, she served as deputy director-general at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, where she was also the founder and CEO of Trade Invest Africa. She previously served as minister (Economic) at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C. She holds a Master's degree in International Political Economy, with a focus on International Trade and Global Finance, from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom, an Honours degree in International Relations from the University of the Witwatersrand, and a Bachelor of Arts in Law and International Relations, also from the University of the Witwatersrand. She also completed executive education in Infrastructure in a Market Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Jeanette Morwane is deputy director-general: media and content at the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, having previously served as chief director: emerging technologies and digital innovations. Her work focuses on emerging technologies, digital innovation, ICT research and development, and the partnerships supporting South Africa's digital transformation agenda. She is currently leading the work on review of the Draft National AI Policy. She led the digital economy working group for G20 South Africa 2025 and has participated in international platforms including ITU's AI for Good.
Kabelo Makwane is a seasoned leader with over two decades of experience transforming the information and communications technology (ICT) landscape. As the country director for Google South Africa, he spearheads the company's presence, acting as its public face and fostering strategic partnerships with businesses, government, and consumers. Makwane's extensive background includes directing Vodacom business's cloud, hosting, and security division and leading Accenture's BPO business across Africa and Cloud/Technology Consulting. He also served as Microsoft's Nigeria country managing director and held regional leadership roles at Cisco and Unisys Africa, providing him with a holistic view of the ICT landscape. Beyond Google, Makwane contributes to various boards as a non-executive director in financial services, technology, and the public sector. He holds an MBA from Wits Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Langithemba Mazibu is the senior manager responsible for IT analysis at the Information Regulator of South Africa, where he is part of a multi-disciplinary team with a mandate to ensure the protection of personal information and promoting access to information. With over 18 years of experience in information technology and information security, Langithemba has spearheaded the alignment of the legal requirements of the protection of personal information act and the technology used to process this personal information in the assessment of responsible parties for compliance with the act. He has also led the research initiatives in AI and the impact on the personal information of data subjects in South Africa. He has participated as a panel member on topics such as "Governing Data and Protecting Privacy," and "Regulatory Insights: Translating AI Continental Strategy into National Action."
Machete (Eddie) Rakabe holds a Master's in Economic Development from the University of Johannesburg. Before joining MISTRA, he headed the fiscal policy division at the Financial and Fiscal Commission, served as lead economist for South Africa's SKA bid at the National Research Foundation, and worked as a senior economist at National Treasury. He brings a political economy and implementation lens to AI governance, focusing on the economy into which AI will land: state capability, digital platforms, e-commerce, township and informal economies, market concentration, public value, infrastructure delivery and inclusive growth.
Professor Vukosi Marivate is a director of the African Institute of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AfriDSAI) at the University of Pretoria, where he leads the data science for social impact group. His research focuses on machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and natural language processing (NLP), particularly for African and other low-resource languages. He co-founded Lelapa AI, the Masakhane Research Foundation, and the Deep Learning Indaba. His work spans social challenges in science, energy, public safety, and utilities, aiming to create AI for Africans by Africans. Vukosi is a member of the Independent Scientific Panel for AI for the UN and a member of the African AI Council at Smart Africa.
Carnita Low is chief governance officer at FirstRand Limited, leading corporate governance, ethics oversight, regulatory compliance and legal risk across South Africa, several African markets and the United Kingdom. Her career includes senior roles as general counsel and company secretary at African Oxygen Limited (Linde Group) and general legal counsel at BMW South Africa. Her PhD research at Wits Business School on ethical leadership informs her perspective on responsible AI adoption and board oversight of emerging technologies. In 2025 she became the first woman appointed chairperson of Motorsport South Africa. She holds BA, LLB and LLM degrees from UCT, an MBA from Wits Business School, is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries and an admitted attorney and notary.
Karen Robinson has served as group company secretary at Vodacom since August 2022. Prior to joining Vodacom, she held senior governance and company secretarial roles, including company secretary at Huge Group, director of corporate services at GladAfrica Group, company secretary and legal advisor at FedGroup, and company secretary at Gold Fields. She also served as president of the Chartered Governance Institute of Southern Africa from 2020 to 2021. Karen brings a practical governance and company secretarial perspective from one of Africa's leading digital and connectivity businesses. Drawing on experience in an organisation actively adopting AI and operating in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, she offers insights into the governance considerations of AI implementation and responsible oversight.
Madelein van der Walt has been practising corporate law for 29 years and is a partner in Webber Wentzel's Mergers and Acquisitions practice. She has advised on numerous large M&A transactions, most notably the Canal+ takeover of MultiChoice. Madelein has been recognised in Best Lawyers South Africa 2009–2025 as a leading individual in Mergers and Acquisitions and by IFLR1000 as a leading lawyer. She co-authored the Latham and Watkins Practitioners' Handbook on transfers of assets and has published articles in De Rebus, Without Prejudice and the Business Day Law Review. She holds B.Juris and LLB degrees (cum laude) and an LLM from King's College London (2020).
Ronelle is CEO and co‑founder of the FluidRock Governance Group, an admitted attorney and corporate governance strategist with over 25 years’ experience advising boards and executives. She is one of a select cohort globally accredited on ISO 37000:2021 – Governance of Organisations and developed the FluidRock AI Governance Framework, a proprietary framework addressing AI governance across South African, African and international regulatory landscapes.
Ronelle designs and facilitates bespoke AI governance programmes for boards and executives, with a practical, candid style grounded in deep legal insight and lived boardroom experience. She is a recognised speaker and media contributor on AI governance, ethics and responsible innovation.
Shashank Bijapur is co-founder and CEO of SpotDraft, an AI-native contract life cycle management platform redefining legal operations. A former corporate lawyer in both India and the U.S., he brings a rare blend of legal insight and global business acumen to his leadership. His deep understanding of contract creation, negotiation and execution shapes SpotDraft's product strategy, while his hands-on approach spans go-to-market functions including sales and customer success. A Harvard Law School alum, Shashank is committed to replacing manual bottlenecks with intelligent automation, enabling legal teams to focus on driving strategy, enabling growth and reclaiming time.
Annabelle is legal director and group company secretary at HEINEKEN Beverages, where she serves on the management team and reports directly to the managing director. She joined the company in November 2025, bringing more than 17 years of experience as a legal and compliance executive across the FMCG, financial services and hospitality sectors. Previously she led L'Oréal's legal and data privacy functions across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, serving on the executive committee. Her expertise spans corporate governance, compliance, data privacy and risk management, with extensive experience navigating complex regulatory environments. She has been recognised in the Legal 500 GC Powerlist: South Africa and is known for her commitment to mentorship, advancing diversity and inclusion, and leveraging technology to strengthen ethical business practices.
Gitte Groenewold-Wong is head of group legal at Prosus, one of the world's largest tech investors. Before joining Prosus, she practised at NautaDutilh and Van Eps Kunneman Van Doorne (Curaçao), co-founded Legaltree, and held interim legal roles across corporates, start-ups and scale-ups. With almost 25 years of experience, she specialises in capital market transactions and corporate restructurings. She oversees legal and investment support across Prosus' key group functions and serves as a board member for several group companies. Gitte holds an LL.M from Erasmus University Rotterdam, a Grotius degree from Radboud University, and completed the INSEAD International Directors Programme (IDP.78). She was named in the Legal500 GC Powerlist Netherlands 2025 and the inaugural Financial Times Law 50 list.
Tara Harris is group IP lead – digital and regulatory at Prosus, one of the world's largest tech investors. With over 25 years of global experience, she specialises in digital asset protection, online enforcement and IP strategy in the technology landscape. Her background includes roles at international IP firms Adams and Adams, Deneys Reitz and WilmerHale (Johannesburg and London), independent IP consultancy, and over 10 years in-house as IP counsel. As group IP lead, she oversees the Prosus' IP strategy, manages global IP risk and contributes to Prosus' AI governance frameworks and commercial AI deployment strategy. She is a certified trademark practitioner (SAIIPL), an AI Governance Professional (IAPP), and has completed executive education at Harvard (2023) and Wharton (2025). She serves on the INTA Technology transformation committee, was nominated for the 2025 WIPR Most Influential Woman in IP Award, and her team won the Lexology Best In-House IP Team in Europe award in 2026.
On 30 March 2026, senior leaders from technology, policy, infrastructure, investment and civil society gathered for a closed-door dialogue on AI's trajectory in South Africa and across Africa. The dialogue rested on a shared premise: Africa faces a narrow but consequential window to shape its position in the global AI economy, since the continent's participation in AI is inevitable but its role remains undetermined. The resulting report captures what was said, what was learned, and what must now be done.