While an information officer will need a variety of skills to fulfil his or her duties, the most important are those that enable an information officer to guide and assist the body in determining and implementing the best data protection practices and safeguards required to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act.
There are many similarities between the Protection of Personal Information Act and data protection legislation in other jurisdictions. However, there are some significant differences that require specific attention with respect to complying with conditions for the lawful processing of personal information in South Africa. For example, the personal information breach notification obligations in South Africa are different from those under the General Data Protection Regulation in Europe.
Generally, information officers should have an understanding of the legal requirements affecting the processing of personal information in South Africa as well as knowledge of the data protection practices, safeguards, and internal controls that are effective in complying with the legislation.
An academic understanding of POPIA is insufficient. Information officers must be able to assist responsible parties in determining the data protection and information security needed for the processing of personal information throughout the data processing life cycle. They must understand how to assess risk and be able to identify appropriate countermeasures that can effectively protect the rights of data subjects and the processing of personal information.
