The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) Comes Into Effect Today, 1 July 2021

Dear Campus Community

The University of the Western Cape has complied with national legislation to ensure that your personal information is confidential and secure. The Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) comes into effect today, 1 July 2021, and stipulates how institutions should, among other things, introduce conditions for the lawful processing of personal information.

Personal information has a broad definition, including race, personal opinions, usernames and passwords, and contact information. As a university, we use personal information to register and teach students, employ staff as well as conduct research. Therefore, we are bound to use, collect, share, process, and store this information with the utmost care or face legal repercussions.

In short, the purpose of the POPIA is to:

Give effect to the constitutional right to privacy by safeguarding personal information;

Balance the right to privacy against other rights, like the right of access to information;

Regulate how personal information must be processed; and,

Provide persons with the right and remedies if the POPIA is contravened.

For questions about the UWC POPIA Policy, please email: popia@uwc.ac.za

Or visit our website to find out more: Privacy Policy