South Africa just admitted in parliament what most African podcasters already suspect: nobody can prove the industry actually exists.

In March 2026, South Africa's parliament held a roundtable on podcasting regulation. The conclusion? "We do not have enough research, we do not have enough data points, and we do not really understand this environment."

If South Africa, ahead of Nigeria in almost every way, is flying blind, what does that mean for us?

Tony Doe breaks down the three fault lines revealed in South Africa's roundtable:

• Platform power and value extraction — How much ad revenue from Nigerian audiences actually reaches Nigerian creators?

• Self-regulation without structure — Can voluntary codes work when most podcasters aren't earning enough to declare income?

• Adverse digital incorporation — You'r ...