In the discussion below we will draw your attention to the main
points that employers will need to know and do, to be well on their
way to full compliance come July 2021.
The time has finally come for employers to ensure workplace
compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of
2013 ("POPIA"). Key provisions of POPIA
commenced on 1 July 2020, leaving all employers (as the responsible
party processing personal information of their employees in terms
of POPIA) until 1 July 2021 to ensure that their workplaces are
fully POPIA compliant.
What does this mean for your business?
POPIA does not specifically define "employee". Its
provisions pertain to "data subjects", which is a person
to whom personal information relates and in the context of POPIA,
this covers an employer's employees. Employees as data subjects
have certain rights under POPIA. These include:
