Headline: mzansi.citizensdatamatter: Reclaiming self-sovereignty for all South African citizens’ data by 2030

Reclaiming self-sovereignty for all South African citizens’ data by 2030 This paper consists of eight vignettes, followed by a concluding section. Each vignette has been contributed independently and they do not necessarily link to each other in a logical sequence. Four key questions do however run across the contributions: - How can the South African education and training system be reset in a way that allows it to leapfrog many of its contemporaries? - How can the key ideals of open, fair, and self-sovereignty be realised? - What developments are already in place that can be strengthened and combined? - What new governance models exist, and how can they be realised in the South African context? As authors we invite robust engagements with our contributions and trust that this paper will provide an important anchor point for discussions addressing unemployment in South Africa through the development of digital platforms. We strongly advocate that these discussions are underpinned by an awareness of and respect for individual data privacy rights, enhanced interoperability across data systems, and new thinking on the recognition of learning through digital credentialing.