The government of South Africa has announced that they will become the next country to make an official migration away from Microsoft Windows and to open source software. Themba Maseko, head of Government Communications, said bridging the digital divide is crucial for his country and it looks more and more like free software is the critical component of a successful strategy that addresses this divide. The mandate was announced to the public in a statement from the South African Cabinet: “All new software developed for or by the government will be based on open standards and government will itself migrate current software to FOSS (free, open source software). This strategy will, among other things, lower administration costs and enhance local IT skills.” For more details, see http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1377