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Dear Hendrik,</div>
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I am concerned by the power dynamic in your message.</div>
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You have appointed yourself investigator, judge, and gatekeeper, then treated your own suspicions as “prima facie evidence.” That is not how evidence works. A civil standard is applied by an authorised decision-maker after evidence is tested, not declared by
a mailing-list participant who has already chosen the verdict.</div>
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Your proposed “skin in the game” test is equally troubling. Operational experience is valuable evidence, but it does not give resource holders exclusive ownership of the PDP or authority to classify everyone else as guests. Stakeholders may contribute expertise,
questions, warnings, and objections. They do not thereby become principals for the entire community.</div>
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What is happening here is a clear power play: disagreement is relabelled as suspicious, suspicion becomes a demand for identity, and identity is then made a condition for being heard. That is mandate laundering in miniature.</div>
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If identity verification is genuinely needed, propose it formally. Define its purpose, protect privacy, apply it equally to established and new participants, and place it under neutral administration. It cannot be invented selectively for unfamiliar objectors.</div>
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If you have evidence of impersonation, automated flooding, or an actual procedural breach, submit it to the co-chairs. Otherwise, address the arguments.</div>
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The PDWG is not a private club, and familiar operators do not get to decide who counts as human, who counts as community, or who has permission to speak.</div>
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Regards,</div>
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Nonhlanhla </div>
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<div id="divRplyFwdMsg" dir="ltr"><font face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size:11pt" color="#000000"><b>From:</b> rpd-request@afrinic.net <rpd-request@afrinic.net><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, 23 July 2026 10:23:41<br>
<b>To:</b> rpd@afrinic.net <rpd@afrinic.net><br>
<b>Subject:</b> RPD Digest, Vol 222, Issue 181</font>
<div> </div>
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<div class="BodyFragment"><font size="2"><span style="font-size:11pt;">
<div class="PlainText">Send RPD mailing list submissions to<br>
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To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit<br>
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You can reach the person managing the list at<br>
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When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<br>
than "Re: Contents of RPD digest..."<br>
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<br>
Today's Topics:<br>
<br>
1. Re: RDP Discussion (Ben Roberts - AfriNIC)<br>
2. Re: RDP Discussion (Ben Roberts - AfriNIC)<br>
3. Re: Policy supremacy (Hendrik Visage)<br>
4. Re: RDP Discussion (Phetulo Dhlamini)<br>
<br>
<br>
----------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
Message: 1<br>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:17:35 +0200<br>
From: Ben Roberts - AfriNIC <ben.roberts@afrinic.net><br>
To: Nonjabulo Sphilile <nonjabulosphilile@gmail.com><br>
Cc: rpd@afrinic.net<br>
Subject: Re: [rpd] RDP Discussion<br>
Message-ID: <CF17BDF0-EF42-4978-A91B-FE8E6B105FA5@afrinic.net><br>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8<br>
<br>
Nonjabulo,<br>
Let?s wait for what Mandla has to say? Since he has a job as a policy insights contributor for NRS, he may want his policy insights to be on behalf of NRS right ?<br>
<br>
Kind regards<br>
Ben<br>
Sent from my iPhone<br>
<br>
> On 23 Jul 2026, at 08:23, Nonjabulo Sphilile <nonjabulosphilile@gmail.com> wrote:<br>
> <br>
> ?<br>
> Dear Ben,<br>
> <br>
> I believe in open participation. That means contributors speak for themselves unless they expressly state that they are authorised to represent an organisation.<br>
> <br>
> Mandla?s affiliation with NRS provides context, not a mandate. Assuming every employee speaks for their organisation confuses participation with representation and turns an open PDP into a contest between institutions.<br>
> <br>
> Please assess Mandla?s contribution as his own.<br>
> <br>
> Regards,<br>
> Nonjabulo<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
------------------------------<br>
<br>
Message: 2<br>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:41:27 +0200<br>
From: Ben Roberts - AfriNIC <ben.roberts@afrinic.net><br>
To: Phetulo Dhlamini <phetulodhlamini@gmail.com><br>
Cc: rpd@afrinic.net<br>
Subject: Re: [rpd] RDP Discussion<br>
Message-ID: <67901F2F-CB25-4760-8770-0C05F9543D2F@afrinic.net><br>
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Message: 3<br>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:14:49 +0200<br>
From: Hendrik Visage <hvisage@hevis.co.za><br>
To: Nonjabulo Sphilile <nonjabulosphilile@gmail.com><br>
Cc: rpd@afrinic.net<br>
Subject: Re: [rpd] Policy supremacy<br>
Message-ID: <C84A4712-A49D-41B0-8C23-82177716DE69@hevis.co.za><br>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"; Format="flowed"<br>
<br>
Good Nonjabulo Sphilile,<br>
<br>
Hopefully I?m not responding to ChatGPT, but the real Nonjabulo <br>
Sphilile!<br>
<br>
The problem that the RDP are facing today, is the mass of objectors, <br>
that nobody knows, have not properly, honestly/truthfully answered the <br>
real questions posed to them, and then keeps spewing a regurgitated <br>
barrage of being victimized and they are the injured and they are? The <br>
word astroturfing by definition doesn?t have an exact forensically <br>
applicable definition to measure, but are evident on the probabilities. <br>
Ie. the same type of evidence and measures that a civil court of law <br>
would apply, not a criminal court as these aren?t criminal cases where <br>
innocence are assumed till proven beyond doubt. Thus, there exist prime <br>
facie evidences that the astroturfers had been succesfully named and <br>
proven.<br>
<br>
Now This being and open forum, there should be NO assumption of <br>
anonymity, and I?d state that given the astroturfers, that the <br>
assumption should be, given the nature of AfriNIC, that the request for <br>
KYC would not be a procedural problem for ANY REAL OPERATOR, but only an <br>
issue for the likes of astroturfers that needs to have the puppet-master <br>
hidden/anonymous so that nothing can be pointed back to the puppet-mster <br>
that wants to derail the procedures etc. as the outcomes would have a <br>
negative effect on their operations, I?ll even content that the <br>
reasons for the objections (given the weak arguments answered, and the <br>
evading of questions posed) might be more nefarious instead of actually <br>
objectively for the good of the continent a.k.a. AfriNIC?s <br>
communities.<br>
<br>
The idea that your participation to the is a RIGHT, I?ll only defend <br>
if and only if you can show you have a real valid concerns or ?skin in <br>
the game? with regards to AfriNIC, and then your affiliations and <br>
representations are the reasons you might have a right to speak and <br>
object. AfriNIC membership etc (and by that extension I?d say the <br>
right to be heard in the RDP, else you should be acting as a guest, not <br>
a victim) are based on the RESOURCES (AS numbers and/or addresses) you <br>
have been allocated (while being a member in good standing) or need/want <br>
to be allocated to you. As such that is the reason we?d like to know <br>
how you, as a new comer have *real* interest in these matters, not just <br>
that you have a *claimed* objection .. and when questioned, you deflect <br>
;(<br>
<br>
---<br>
Hendrik Visage<br>
Director/Owner<br>
HeViS.Co Systems t/a Envisage Cloud Solutions<br>
hvisage@hevis.co.za<br>
GSM/SMS/Signal: +27-84-612-5345<br>
InstantMessenger: <a href="https://t.me/hvisage">https://t.me/hvisage</a><br>
<br>
On 22 Jul 2026, at 15:45, Nonjabulo Sphilile wrote:<br>
<br>
> Hi Musa,<br>
><br>
> The PDWG is open. Participation does not depend on being known to<br>
> long-standing members, attending earlier meetings, or proving a<br>
> professional stake after joining. New participation is still <br>
> participation.<br>
><br>
> KYC would be a serious procedural change, not an informal test for<br>
> unfamiliar objectors. Any such requirement would need to be formally<br>
> adopted, proportionate, privacy-preserving, and applied equally to<br>
> established and new participants.<br>
><br>
> Similar views are not proof of impersonation. If there is concrete <br>
> evidence<br>
> of misconduct, please submit it to the co-chairs. Otherwise, I will <br>
> not<br>
> continue discussing identities or drafting methods.<br>
><br>
> Let us return to the policy.<br>
><br>
> Regards,<br>
> Nonjabulo<br>
> _______________________________________________<br>
> RPD mailing list<br>
> RPD@afrinic.net<br>
> <a href="https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd">https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo/rpd</a><br>
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Message: 4<br>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:23:41 +0200<br>
From: Phetulo Dhlamini <phetulodhlamini@gmail.com><br>
To: rpd@afrinic.net<br>
Subject: Re: [rpd] RDP Discussion<br>
Message-ID:<br>
<CAABFmSnLACSr3N9_QZOoiTvXH0RF5Vn+vXt5h7vSzwa4C1R76w@mail.gmail.com><br>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"<br>
<br>
Dear Ben,<br>
<br>
No, I am not saying that I am affiliated with NRS, nor that Mandla and I<br>
are the same person.<br>
<br>
I replied because I was making a general point, using Mandla?s situation as<br>
an example: a participant?s affiliation does not automatically make their<br>
personal contribution an organisational position. Mandla can speak for<br>
himself, and I speak only for myself.<br>
<br>
This is a public discussion. Responding to a point does not require being<br>
the person originally addressed.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
Phetulo<br>
<br>
On Thu, 23 Jul 2026, 08:43 Phetulo Dhlamini, <phetulodhlamini@gmail.com><br>
wrote:<br>
<br>
> Hi Ben,<br>
><br>
> No, you should not make that assumption.<br>
><br>
> I participate in the PDP in my personal capacity and speak for myself<br>
> unless I expressly state that I am authorised to represent an organisation.<br>
> My affiliation provides context; it does not turn every contribution into<br>
> an NRS position.<br>
><br>
> Treating employment as automatic representation confuses a stakeholder<br>
> with a principal and misunderstands how open PDP participation works.<br>
><br>
> Regards,<br>
> Phetulo<br>
><br>
> On Thu, 23 Jul 2026, 07:40 Ben Roberts - AfriNIC, <ben.roberts@afrinic.net><br>
> wrote:<br>
><br>
>> Phetulo,<br>
>><br>
>> My email message was to Mandla who had already stated his NRS<br>
>> affiliation. I?m slightly confused by your reply to the message addressed<br>
>> to him. Are you also saying you are NRS affiliated, or that you and Mandla<br>
>> are the same person ?<br>
>><br>
>> Kind regards<br>
>> Ben<br>
>><br>
>> Sent from my iPhone<br>
>><br>
>> > On 23 Jul 2026, at 07:32, Phetulo Dhlamini <phetulodhlamini@gmail.com><br>
>> wrote:<br>
>> ><br>
>> > ?<br>
>> > Hi Ben,<br>
>> ><br>
>> > No, you should not make that assumption.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > I participate in the PDP in my personal capacity and speak for myself<br>
>> unless I expressly state that I am authorised to represent an organisation.<br>
>> My affiliation provides context; it does not turn every contribution into<br>
>> an NRS position.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > Treating employment as automatic representation confuses a stakeholder<br>
>> with a principal and misunderstands how open PDP participation works.<br>
>> ><br>
>> > Regards,<br>
>> > Phetulo<br>
>><br>
><br>
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