The Information Regulator (InfoReg), South Africa’s data privacy enforcer, is looking for two members to come onboard.
This is according to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, which has invited nominations and applications for two suitable people to be appointed as members of the regulator for a five-year period.
The vacancies are for one full-time and a part-time member, notes the statement.
“A list of all the nominations and applications received with the accompanying curriculum vitae (CV) and suitably redacted personal information will be published on Parliament’s website for public comment on the suitability of candidates. Shortlisted candidates will be subjected to a screening process.”
The InfoReg is, among other duties, empowered to monitor and enforce compliance by public and private bodies with the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) − South Africa’s data privacy law.
As of 30 June 2021, it took over the regulatory mandate functions relating to the Promotion of Access to Information Act from the South African Human Rights Commission.
In terms of POPIA requirements, InfoReg members must be South African citizens who are appropriately qualified, fit and proper persons, and at least one of whom must be appointed on account of experience as a practising advocate or attorney or a professor of law at a university.
Further, members must be appointed on account of any other qualifications, expertise and experience relating to the objects of the regulator.
The CVs must be accompanied by the nominee or applicant’s full name, ID number and gender; contact details, including physical address, telephone/cell number and e-mail address; relevant previous experience (including relevant dates and organisations concerned); and academic qualifications.
In addition, nominations must contain the full name, address or e-mail address and contact details of the person or organisation making the nomination and a signed acceptance of the nomination by the nominee.
“Nominees and applicants are also requested to indicate whether they would be available to serve as a member of the regulator in a full-time or part-time capacity, or both, should they be appointed.”
Nominations and applications must be e-mailed to Vhonani Ramaano, vramaano@parliament.gov.za, by no later than 10 October.
Tighter cyber control
The call for new members to join the InfoReg comes amid intensified efforts for the establishment of a Cyber Commissioner.
The Cyber Commissioner Bill, officially known as the Constitution Twentieth Amendment Bill, was introduced to Parliament in 2023 by Glynnis Breytenbach, MP and Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson on justice and constitutional development.
The Bill stipulates that the Cyber Commissioner would be key in safeguarding basic human rights as entrenched in the Constitution and will possibly replace the role and responsibilities of the Information Regulator over time.
Last week, Breytenbach indicated that the DA had tabled a Private Members Bill to establish a new Chapter 9 institution in the form of the Office of the Cyber Commissioner.
“While the response from the private sector and academia was overwhelmingly positive, the Bill’s reception in government and the public sector was predictably less positive,” states Breytenbach.
“Nevertheless, as the cyber attacks on the country and our institutions increase daily, and the costs attached thereto continue to escalate, it remains a piece of legislation that requires serious consideration.”
The DA MP notes that based on police statistics, there are only 544 cyber-related fraud cases on the register, while Sabric has reported more than 100 000 cyber attacks on banking accounts in 2024.
“Clearly, there is a distinct problem in the fact that the SAPS has so few matters under investigation, while the actual attacks have almost doubled. This again underlines the fact that we are in no position to deal effectively with the risk of cyber crime in South Africa. Our country is targeted precisely because of our inadequate structures set up to deal with this issue.
“The SAPS are under-funded, under-resourced and under-trained. The Information Regulator is not adequately resourced nor equipped to deal with all these occurrences, and cyber criminals are having a field day.
“It is clear that some proactive steps must be taken urgently to revisit this issue, and we will continue to press ahead with this piece of legislation, designed to deal with cyber crime, cyber attacks and protocols in a more proactive fashion.”
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