TISPA Public Statement on Interim Order Issued by the Supreme Court of Mauritius
To the Members of the Tanzanian Internet Service Providers Association (TISPA) and the African Network Information Centre (AfriNIC)
In alignment with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)’s call for transparency, fairness, and the restoration of AfriNIC’s core functions as outlined in their statement dated 6 June 2025, and their letter to Mr. Gowtamsingh Dabee dated 7 March 2025, the Tanzanian Internet Service Providers Association (TISPA) wishes to inform its members and stakeholders of the interim order issued by the Supreme Court of Mauritius (Commercial Division) on 13 June 2025, in the matter of
SC/COM/WRT/000435/2025.
The interim order, issued ex-parte with TISPA as the Applicant and AfriNIC Ltd (In Receivership) and its Receiver Manager, Mr. Gowtamsingh Dabee, as Respondents, includes the following directives:
- Suspension of E-Voting and Election: The Respondents are restrained from proceeding with the e-voting scheduled for 16 June 2025 and the election for the reconstitution of AfriNIC’s Board of Directors scheduled for 23 June 2025, to ensure compliance with due process.
- Adherence to Prior Court Ruling: The Respondents are directed to conduct the election for the reconstitution of AfriNIC’s Board of Directors in accordance with the Supreme Court of Mauritius’ Order dated 12 September 2023 (SC/COM/MOT/000156/2023), promoting fairness and adherence to established governance protocols.
- TISPA’s Goal for Compliance: TISPA’s objective is to ensure that the AfriNIC Board election proceeds only after the election process is fully compliant with AfriNIC’s own Bylaws, as mandated by the Supreme Court’s Order dated 12 September 2023, to uphold the integrity and legitimacy of the governance process.
TISPA sought this interim order due to significant concerns regarding the denial of critical rights to its members and other AfriNIC resource members. Specifically, TISPA members and a number of new AFRINIC resource members have been unable to access Internet Number Resources, such as IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, despite fulfilling membership requirements, which violates AfriNIC’s core responsibility as outlined in its Bylaws (Article 3, Section 3.4.i) and ICANN’s expectations for timely resource assignments.
Additionally, certain AFRINIC resource members, including those who joined after September 2023, have been denied voting rights in the upcoming election, contrary to AfriNIC Bylaw 12.12, which grants voting rights to all resource members in good standing. These restrictions undermine the transparent, bottom-up multistakeholder principles that both ICANN and AfriNIC uphold, as emphasized in ICANN’s 7 March 2025 letter, which notes formal complaints about delays in resource assignments and the need for AfriNIC to adhere with its core functions promptly.
TISPA urges all its members and stakeholders to remain engaged and informed as we work together towards a resolution that restores AfriNIC’s governance integrity and ensures equitable access to Internet Number Resources. Further updates will be provided as developments unfold.
Sincerely,
Tanzanian Internet Service Providers Association (TISPA)
Date: 16 June 2025
Recent Post
