There are various acts & legislation that promote sound records management in South Africa, namely:
Protection of Personal Information Act, No 4 of 2013 (POPI ACT)
The purpose of this act is to promote the protection of personal information & the right to privacy, whilst controlling how personal information is accessed & processed. This act applies to ANYONE that handles personal information. The penalties for non – compliance (as detailed in sections 100-107 of the Act) carries a maximum of 10 years in Jail or a fine of up to R10 Million.
For a full copy of the Act, click here
Promotion of Access to Information Act, No 2 of 2000 (PAIA Act)
The purpose of this act is to promote the access of information to public & private bodies. It aims to balance the rights and interests of the requester of a record and the public or private body that holds the record. The implications for your organization are that should a party request access to specific records, these records need to be readily available. It is also recommended that a PAIA manual be drafted for your organization. Simply put, an organization will not be PAIA compliant if they do not know what records they carry or these records are inaccessible.
For a full copy of the Act, click here
Electronic Communications & Transactions Act, No 25 of 2002 (ECT Act)
The purpose of this act is to define, regulate & govern the handling of electronic information in South Africa. This enabling piece of legislation recognizes electronic records as legally admissible provided that best practice guidelines are followed.
For a full copy of the Act, click here