MPA, Nelson Mandela University Partner on Africa Piracy Research Framework

Nelson Mandela University and the Motion Picture Association have formalized a research collaboration, the MPA’s first institutional partnership of its kind on the African continent, through a Memorandum of Understanding that establishes a framework for joint research and consulting on piracy, creative industries, and related policy questions.

The South African Cultural Observatory, hosted by Nelson Mandela University, will lead the research effort. SACO operates as a national research centre dedicated to building a comprehensive cultural information system for South Africa and functions as a project of the South African Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, in partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Rhodes University. Its mandate places it squarely at the intersection of public policy and cultural data.

The partnership’s first project will investigate cybersecurity threats that consumers encounter when accessing pirated content in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria. The research is designed to generate locally grounded evidence about how digital piracy connects to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, particularly the risks consumers face when using illegal websites and services. The work arrives as South African policymakers continue deliberating enforcement mechanisms, including site blocking measures.

Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel of the MPA, framed the collaboration in explicitly governance terms. “Effective policymaking starts with evidence,” Temple said. “South Africa is at an important crossroads, with a booming creative sector, extraordinary local storytelling and enormous potential for continued investment and growth. Safeguarding that success means protecting creators, consumers and legitimate businesses from the substantial harm caused by online piracy.”

Temple was direct about the intended policy output. “Our goal is not simply to better understand the problem, but to help turn evidence into action, supporting concrete, effective and proportionate enforcement measures that protect audiences, strengthen the legitimate creative economy, and allow South African stories and storytellers to thrive.”

By contrast, Nelson Mandela University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sibongile Muthwa situated the agreement within the institution’s own research mandate. “This partnership brings together complementary expertise to deepen our understanding of an increasingly complex challenge at the intersection of technology, culture, consumer safety and the creative economy. It is exactly the kind of impactful research and innovation that this university wants to be known for, research that is relevant to our continent and that can contribute meaningfully to society,” Muthwa said.

Unathi Lutshaba, SACO Executive Director, pointed to the timeliness of the research agenda. “Understanding the risks facing our creative economy is the first step to protecting it. This partnership gives South African and regional researchers direct access to global expertise on these questions, at a time when they matter more than ever,” Lutshaba said. He characterized the agreement as a step toward strengthening research capacity in areas where culture, technology, digital safety, and the creative economy intersect.

The collaboration addresses a documented tension in Africa’s digital landscape. Film, television, and streaming services contribute substantially to the continent’s rapidly expanding creative economies. At the same time, illegal piracy services erode legitimate business models, jeopardize creative-sector employment and investment, and expose consumers to fraud, malware, and other cybersecurity threats. The accountability question running through all of this is whether existing enforcement frameworks are adequate, and whether policymakers have the evidence base to act proportionately.

The MPA represents Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. It works with governments, law enforcement, technology companies, and creative-sector partners to implement enforcement tools, including site blocking, while protecting lawful online activity.

Whether the research findings will be sufficient to move South African policymakers toward concrete enforcement action, and on what timeline, remains the open question the partnership has set out to answer.