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Information Regulator searches for cyber security talent

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 10 Apr 2024
Advocate Pansy Tlakula, chairperson of the Information Regulator. (Photograph by Strike A Pose Studio)
Advocate Pansy Tlakula, chairperson of the Information Regulator. (Photograph by Strike A Pose Studio)

South Africa’s data privacy enforcer the Information Regulator is looking to fill multiple ICT-related positions at its Braamfontein offices.

The Information Regulator, which is headed by advocate Pansy Tlakula, is mandated to ensure organisations put in place measures to protect the data privacy of South Africans under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

As of June 2021, it has taken over the regulatory mandate functions relating to the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) from the South African Human Rights Commission.

According to the regulator’s vacancy post, it is looking to hire a senior cyber security specialist, senior systems developer, senior legal officer, ICT systems support officer, complaints and investigations officer: POPIA, complaints and Investigations Officer: PAIA, as well as internal audit assistants: performance audit.

With a staff complement of 100 people, Tlakula has noted that her office’s role is enforcing compliance, as well as educational.

Last year, she revealed that key among what POPIA requires is training people on how to apply the legislation when dealing with data breaches, for example.

As far as the skillset at her organisation is concerned, Tlakula said at the time that the skills were adequate. “A time is going to come, obviously, where we’re going to need more training or even outsourcing.

“If you’re dealing with a data breach of the magnitude of TransUnion, we can investigate it, but at the same time you have to include forensic investigators, IT to investigate that kind of breach.”

To address some of these challenges, the Information Regulator has established a unit that investigates cyber security compromise incidents, as data breaches escalate across the country.

For more detailed information on the positions, click here.

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