Today marks the 28th year of the South African Internet, with the first local Internet Protocol connection having been made on this day 28 years ago.
In a statement, local domain name administrator, ZA Central Registry (ZACR), explains that Mike Lawrie led the Rhodes University team that established the first South African Internet networking system.
“With over 10 000 days of Internet excellence under its belt, South Africa stands ready to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
“Mike Lawrie and his colleagues have provided SA with a phenomenal foundation that we now have the responsibility of fine-tuning for 2020 and beyond,” says Lucky Masilela, CEO of ZACR.
ZACR is in charge of the administration of the entire South African presence on the World Wide Web. Today, the non-profit organisation administers 1.25 million domain names within the .ZA namespace, which include SA’s flagship co.za domain.
“Without the dedication of SA’s early Internet pioneers, millions of South Africans would today not have access to the quality-of-life-boosting World Wide Web. This global Web of information which oils the wheels of the 4IR enables so many of us to earn incomes, pursue educational and entertainment opportunities, and connect with each other,” adds Masilela.
According to ZACR, it has supported the growth and development of the local Web by investing in the tools necessary for the efficient registering and management of the domain names that enable Internet navigation.
The launch of the AF Proxy domain name registration platform is just one example of ZACR innovation aimed at supporting the SA and African domain name industry, notes the statement.
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