South Africa’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies will convene a roundtable on 24 March 2026 with podcasters, regulators, and industry stakeholders to discuss how existing regulatory frameworks apply to on-demand audio content.
The session, titled “A Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Podcasting”, comes amid rapid growth in South Africa’s podcasting sector, driven by increased smartphone usage, wider internet access and a growing creator economy. As podcasts reach larger audiences across news, culture and community programming, questions have emerged about whether broadcast-era regulation should extend to content distributed over the open internet.
Dialogue, not restriction
Committee chairperson Khusela Sangoni-Diko said the engagement is intended as a constructive platform for dialogue between Parliament, regulators, creators, platforms and civil society.
“Podcasting represents one of the most exciting developments in South Africa’s digital content ecosystem. It has opened space for diverse voices, languages and perspectives, while creating new opportunities for innovation and economic participation,” Sangoni-Diko said.
She added that the committee’s intention is “not to stifle creativity, but to ensure that as the sector grows, it does so within a framework that supports innovation, protects the public interest and expands participation in South Africa’s digital economy.”
Who will be at the table?
Participants will include representatives from the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, ICASA, independent podcasters, digital platforms, legal experts, civil society organisations and academic institutions. Discussions will focus on how podcasts fit within the existing legal framework, possible co-regulatory models, mechanisms for handling complaints and measures to expand opportunities for local creators.
The roundtable is expected to produce a report outlining consensus points, areas for further work and recommended next steps for policymakers and regulators.
South Africa’s podcasting scene has grown significantly in recent years, with local creators producing content in multiple languages across genres ranging from true crime and politics to technology and personal finance. The regulatory question is whether on-demand internet audio should be treated differently from traditional broadcast media, which is licensed and regulated by ICASA.
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