1 July 2021 is a milestone in South Africa and you have an important role to play into the future.

  • For the protection of personal information, we move out of the grace period and into a world where the law (POPIA) is in full force. It is the start of the journey, not the end.
  • For access to information, 1 July 2021 is the date the Information Regulator takes over the oversight of the Promotion of access to Information Act (PAIA) in South Africa. PAIA has been in effect since 2002 but now have a greater impact with there being a dedicated regulator to enforce it. The journey continues.

Your role

Going forward, both of these important constitutional obligations are going to require you to take action. Sometimes more and sometimes less. Yes, it will cost you some of your time and money. But it is well spent if it achieves the objectives. Spend it wisely – do the right things that achieve the outcomes we all want. Don’t view them as a burden that has to be done. View them as something you want to do as part of your contribution to protecting people and making South Africa a better place.

You should comply, not because you have to, but because you want to

Protection of personal information

We’re turning the tide on criminals who use people’s personal information to harm them. Criminals steal people’s identity so that they can steal their money and incur credit in their names. They use it to discriminate against people, control their behaviour and persuade them into doing things they shouldn’t do. Unscrupulous business that puts profit before principle also harms people by unlawfully processing personal information. Both criminals and those who disregard the principles that determine the lawful processing of personal information infringe people’s privacy – a fundamental human right.

We all have a duty to protect others from harm

This is why it is important. We all need to play our part in protecting the personal information of others and looking out for each other. Your customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and directors are critical to you – look after them. Failing to do so is simply bad for business. Also, if you want to participate in the global data economy, you have to protect personal information.

Access to information

Access to information means transparency which leads to accountability and good governance of all public and private bodies. South Africa desperately needs better governance both in government and in the private sector. PAIA is part of turning the tide on criminals. It exposes criminal acts and helps the public (like you and me) to effectively scrutinise and participate in decision making by government. It also provides the transparency necessary to allow us to know who to trust with our information and helps shareholders (and law enforcement) take action against executives of companies who are up to no good.

Crime thrives in the dark

If you want less corruption, government to spend our taxes wisely, criminals in jail, companies to grow, more competition, people able to enforce their human rights and social justice, then PAIA is your friend. We all need to play our part in letting information flow. The free flow of information is the lifeblood of the modern world. We have to find a balance between data protection and access to information.

Let’s do it together

We’re keen to help you play your part in making the world a better place.