The long-awaited proclamation commencing the transition period for complying with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPI or POPIA) has been signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The transition period began on 1 July 2020 and the effective date for enforcement (the date by which organisations must be compliant with POPIA) is 30 June 2021.
POPIA stipulates that schools must appoint an Information Officer. Section 55(1) of POPIA sets out the duties and responsibilities of an Information Officer.
The Information Regulator has also developed draft guidelines on the registration of Information Officers. The draft guidelines are issued in terms of section 55(2) of POPIA, which requires that a responsible party register its Information Officer with the Regulator.
The ISASA policy unit has published a memorandum that explains in more detail the compliance requirements for independent schools. The memo is available foe download below.