South Africa, April 16 -- The findings come from TrustList, an independent, governance-grade audit platform co-developed by digital transformation agency DY|DXand information-integrity non-profit Code for Africa (CfA), in partnership with IAB South Africa and supported by the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef). The platform brings transparency and accountability to a digital advertising market that now accounts for an estimated R17.8bn annually, representing 40% of South Africa's total advertising spend (IAB South Africa/PwC, 2024).

Based on pilot data across South Africa's leading brands in finance, consumer goods and mobile telephony, analysing millions of impressions over the past year, the audit found that as much as R600m ...