From Hunton Andrews Kurth:
Zeyn Bhyat of ENSafrica reports that on June 22, 2020, it was announced that South Africa’s comprehensive privacy law known as the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (the “POPIA”) will become effective on July 1, 2020. POPIA acts as the more detailed framework legislation supporting South Africa’s constitutional right to privacy.
POPIA has been a work-in-progress since it was earmarked for implementation by the South African Law Reform Commission in 2005. The delay in its enactment was attributable, in part, to the publication of the draft EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) in 2013, as the POPIA drafting committee paused to consider some of the proposed innovations in the GDPR and also to take steps to ensure that the South African privacy regulator (i.e., the Information Regulator (“SAIR”)) was given an opportunity to develop operational capabilities.
Read more on Privacy & Information Security Law Blog.