Sabinet’s acclaimed National Legislation service, NetLaw, has been a trusted resource for accessing South African legislation since its launch in 2003. Over the years, it has consistently provided new national legislation, timely and precise updates as well as credible and timeous consolidated Acts, Rules and Regulations. This empowers individuals, businesses, and organisations to stay up to date in their compliance with South Africa’s evolving legal landscape.

Now, Sabinet is elevating this service to the next level by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with the launch of the NetLaw AI Research Assistant.

“We are excited to introduce the NetLaw AI Research Assistant—an advanced AI chat and retrieval tool that transforms how subscribers explore and engage with South African legislation,” says Sabinet Head of Product, Sanet Vos. “This innovative feature streamlines the research process, offering a modern alternative to kickstart your research journey and explore the credible and accurate South African legislative content available via Sabinet’s National Legislation service.” 

At its core, the AI Research Assistant functions as a dynamic companion for legal research. It allows users to ask questions to kick off their research, such as “Which law contains the basic employment conditions?” and the Research Assistant then provides precise answers, along with suggestions for relevant documents, significantly reducing the time spent manually sifting through sources.

NetLaw will continue to provide timely and precise updates on new legislation and amendments to existing acts, rules and regulations. Weekly newsletters also include the latest legislative changes, making it easy for legal professionals, researchers, and organisations to stay informed. Whether you’re seeking updated content or comprehensive legal resources, Sabinet National Legislation (NetLaw) remains your ultimate companion for navigating South African legislation.

Efficiency meets innovation

“The AI Research Assistant is not only an alternative for exploring legislation, but also an intuitive solution for novice users and those new to AI functionality,” adds Vos. “For those unfamiliar with legal research, the AI offers a solid starting point, simplifying legislative navigation. Meanwhile, advanced users can  integrate the AI assistant into existing research methods, using it to refine searches and uncover additional information.”

The introduction of AI to NetLaw enhances the already robust features of the service. By combining timely updates, an easy-to-use search interface, and AI-powered assistance, Sabinet is redefining how legal research is conducted in a constantly shifting legal landscape.

Available to all NetLaw subscribers

Starting 1 October 2024, Sabinet’s NetLaw AI Research Assistant will be available to all  NetLaw subscribers. By introducing the AI Research Assistant, Sabinet is not only improving access to legislative information but fundamentally transforming how some users will interact with the law. In a world where efficiency and accuracy are paramount, this innovative feature empowers users to navigate complex legislation with ease and confidence.

As a custodian of invaluable legal information for over 30 years, Sabinet has established itself as a trusted supplier of national legislation—now powered by the future of AI technology.

NetLaw will continue to provide timely and precise updates on new legislation and amendments to existing acts, rules and regulations. Weekly newsletters also include the latest legislative changes, making it easy for legal professionals, researchers, and organisations to stay informed. Whether you’re seeking updated content or comprehensive legal resources, Sabinet National Legislation (NetLaw) remains your ultimate companion for navigating South African legislation.

Contact us today to find out more. 

As we celebrate Heritage Day 2024, we honour the profound impact of our cultural heritage in shaping South Africa’s unique identity. Our heritage stands as a cornerstone of the nation’s cultural diversity, social cohesion, and even economic development. In this light, Africa Commons emerges as an important digital gateway to a veritable goldmine of knowledge and cultural expression, offering unparalleled access to South Africa’s—and the continent’s—rich heritage.

Africa Commons is a digital platform that aims to enable Africa to control, digitise, and disseminate its archival riches—both those housed within the continent and items residing internationally. Sabinet has a distribution agreement with Coherent Digital to make Africa Commons available in South Africa and across the rest of Africa. The voices of Africa telling their own stories have in the past been accessible in local collections, but often not published using formal channels. Now these voices and stories are being amplified through Africa Commons.

A digital gateway to South Africa’s rich cultural content

Africa Commons steps up to preserve and disseminate African content, ensuring that stories and voices from the past and present are accessible to a global audience. Integrated on a single platform, the repository offers a unique opportunity to explore the continent’s rich cultural content. Users can discover rare historical magazines, iconic films, and a vast collection of cultural artefacts.

Gain insights into South Africa’s past through digitised, full-text searchable versions of iconic magazines. Access more than a century of Southern African history, politics, and culture in streaming video. Explore an exclusive collection of magazines, newspapers, and films from Hilary Ng’weno, the legendary Kenyan journalist. Access historical and cultural books, newspapers, government documents, letters, diaries, posters, and manuscripts, as well as oral history, photographs, art, music, and videos from 600 contributing organisations.

By digitising and preserving such content, African scholars and students can easily find and access expressions of their heritage, including in Western collections. Making these collections available digitally not only enables access for scholars, but also gives a global voice to the writers and filmmakers telling these stories. Africa Commons is more than a digital archive—it is a platform for empowering communities to reclaim, restore, and preserve their heritage. By offering access to these invaluable cultural resources, the platform aligns with South Africa’s goal of fostering cultural diversity, promoting social cohesion, and contributing to economic development.

Heritage is dynamic, evolving over time as it adapts to social, environmental, and historical shifts. It plays a vital role in fostering a sense of identity, belonging, and continuity in communities. More importantly, it ensures that South Africa’s diverse cultural expressions are preserved for future generations.

This Heritage Day, let us embrace the spirit of our shared heritage and explore the rich cultural landscape that defines South Africa and the continent. This is a reminder that  Africa Commons emerges as an important digital gateway serves as a vital resource for discovering, preserving, and celebrating our nation’s heritage. It provides an essential bridge between the past and the future, ensuring that the cultural legacies of South Africa, and the rest of the continent, continue to inspire and educate generations to come. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Africa Commons is a digital platform that aims to enable Africa to control, digitise, and disseminate its archival riches—those within the continent and items residing internationally.

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