This very NB booklet on the protection of social grant beneficiaries personal information was developed by the @black_sash & @Bowmans_Law. Now more than ever this is essential, given that many predatory lending institutions have tried to use their info in the past for illegal use https://twitter.com/Bowmans_Law/status/1253586989959598080

Even though the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) was signed into law in 2013, it is not yet fully in effect. Still, it is important that institutions are aware of how they can and cannot use people's personal info!

Illegal sharing of beneficiaries info was one of the key issues with CPS. CPS was linked to a bigger company called Net1 which had subsidiaries that offered services like
loans, funeral cover, airtime etc.

It was alleged that CPS gave the personal private info of beneficiaries to Net1 and its subsidiaries who were
using this info to market loans and funeral policies and make unlawful deductions for airtime etc that people had not agreed to. This is why POPIA is so NB!

The SASSA Act protects info received when
a person applies for a social grant or assistance. A person may not disclose any info received as part of an application for a grant or assistance, unless told to do so by a court or the person who made the application agrees in writing.

POPIA places duties on organisations/responsible parties who are processing personal info and who decide how and why that personal information is processed. Eg. POPIA places duties on SASSA for when and how beneficiaries' personal information is processed.

POPIA doesn't change the existing requirements regarding the protection of personal information but it does improve the enforcement/compliance) mechanisms. In other words, under POPIA it will be easier to take steps to protect our personal information.

MOST NB: POPIA sets up the Information Regulator as an
independent body with the power to enforce & monitor
compliance with POPIA. The Info Regulator is also responsible for making codes of conduct for different sectors & for making guidelines to assist orgs with creating them.

You can lay a complaint with the Information Regulator when your personal info has not been processed lawfully or when a responsible party has not complied with POPIA.