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Minister Lamola welcomes the Appointment of Members of the Information Regulator

01 December 2021

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Mr Ronald Lamola, MP has welcomed the appointment, by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, of the members of the Information Regulator.

President Ramaphosa has appointed the following persons as Members and/or Chairperson of the Information Regulator –

· Adv Faith Dikeledi Pansy Tlakula – as full-time member and Chairperson of the Information Regulator for a period of five years with effect from 1 December 2021;
· Advocate Lebogang Cordelia Stroom and Advocate Johannes Collen Weapond, as full-time members of the Information Regulator for a period of five years with effect from 1 December 2021, and
· Mr Mfana Victor Gwala, as a part-time member of the Information Regulator for a period of five years with effect from 1 December 2021.

The need to fill vacancies on the Information Regulator arose as the terms of office of the Chairperson, the two full-time members and a part-time member of the Information Regulator expired on 30 November 2021.

The President appoints members of the Regulator on the recommendation of the National Assembly. The National Assembly must recommend a person for appointment who is nominated by a committee of the Assembly composed of members of parties represented in the Assembly and approved by the Assembly by a resolution adopted with a supporting vote of a majority of the members of the Assembly.

Section 14 of the Constitution provides that everyone has a right to privacy which includes a right to protection against the unlawful collection, retention, dissemination and use of personal information.

The Information Regulator is an independent body established in terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (Act 4 of 2013) (“POPIA”). POPIA aims to promote the protection of personal information processed by public and private bodies by, among others, introducing certain conditions for the lawful processing of such personal information.

The Information Regulator is empowered to monitor and enforce compliance by public and private bodies with the provisions of POPIA. Complaints can also be lodged with the Regulator by persons regarding any interference with the protection of their personal information.

The Regulator consists of a chairperson and four other members - two members who serve in a full-time capacity and two members who may serve in a full-time or part-time capacity. Members of the Regulator are appointed for a period of not more than five years and will, at the expiry of such period, be eligible for reappointment. In this instance, the former Chairperson, Adv Tlakula, and two members, Adv Weapond and Adv. Stroom, put their names forward for reappointment.

Mr Mfana Victor Gwala is a new appointment. The other part-time Member, Ms Alison Tilley was appointed on 1 December 2020.

“These appointments come at a time where data transparency is critically important. Our dependence on information and communication technology services and systems is crucial for the digital society which we live in. Having institutions that vigorously ensure that our personal information is protected is an important safeguard in our democracy. “

The persons appointed have a wealth of experience and their appointment significantly strengthens the expertise and capacity of the Information Regulator.

Enquiries
Chrispin Phiri
Spokesperson: Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services
Contact: +27(0) 81 781 2261