Compliance Guides
Plain-language guides on everything South African businesses need to know about COIDA, CIPC, labour and regulatory compliance.
Showing 12 guides on POPIA & PAIA. Show everything
POPIA & PAIA 12
Data protection duties, the Information Regulator, Information Officers and access-to-information manuals.
PAIA and POPIA Compliance for South African Businesses: The Complete 2026/2027 Guide
PAIA and POPIA are enforced by the same regulator and assessed together — an inspection of one examines the other. The four PAIA obligations and the five POPIA ones, what inspectors actually check (outdated Form A, incomplete section 17 registers, stale manuals), and the year-round calendar rather than the June scramble.
Read articleMissed the PAIA Annual Report Deadline? Here’s What Happens Next
The window closed on 30 June 2026. Missing it does not trigger an automatic fine — it triggers an own-initiative assessment, which can include a physical inspection and an enforcement notice. Both R5 million POPIA fines to date were for ignoring an enforcement notice, not the original breach. What to do with the months before 1 April 2027.
Read articleHas Anyone Actually Been Fined Under POPIA? Real Cases in South Africa
Yes — and twice for R5 million. The Information Regulator fined the Department of Justice in 2023 after a ransomware breach, and the Department of Basic Education in December 2024 for publishing matric results without consent; WhatsApp received a formal enforcement notice in April 2025. The pattern in every case is the same: the breach was never the trigger, ignoring the enforcement notice was. Breach notifications rose more than 40% year-on-year to over 2,000, and the R10 million ceiling is still double anything issued so far.
Read articleWe Scanned 157 South African Business Websites for POPIA. 95% Fail the Same Check.
Original data: an automated POPIA scan of 157 live South African business websites returned an average score of 33/100. 95% publish no Information Officer contact, 90% have no PAIA manual, 89% run a GDPR template instead of a POPIA notice, 59% have no privacy notice at all, and 40% load tracking pixels with no consent platform. Every single site enforced HTTPS — full results and methodology.
Read articlePOPIA Information Officer Registration: What It Is, Who Must Do It, and How to Register in 2026
Every SA business that handles personal information must register an Information Officer with the Information Regulator. By default that is the CEO — whether you have registered or not. Step-by-step online and manual registration, plus the four follow-on POPIA obligations once you are registered.
Read articlePOPIA Compliance for Small Businesses: What You Must Do
The eight conditions for lawful processing, the Information Officer, seven practical compliance steps, and penalties up to R10 million — in plain language for SMEs.
Read articlePAIA Annual Report 2026: What Every SA Business Must Do Before 30 June
The submission window opens 1 April and closes 30 June 2026. Every company must submit — even with zero information requests. Here’s exactly how.
Read articlePOPIA Supplier Notices and Consent Forms: What Every SA Business Must Know in 2025
Suppliers doing business with government must comply with POPIA consent requirements. Here's what the law demands and what happens if you ignore it.
Read articleMunicipal Tenders and POPIA Compliance: What the NDZ Opening-Closing Register 2026-2027 Means for SA Businesses
NDZ Municipality's 2026-2027 tender register is open. If you supply government, POPIA compliance and tax status can disqualify you. Act now.
Read articleDFFE Is Hiring POPIA Enforcement Officers in 2026: What This Means for Your Business
The government is building dedicated POPIA enforcement capacity. Here's what SA businesses need to know and do before inspectors come knocking.
Read articlePAIA & POPIA Compliance in 2025: What Every South African Organisation Must Know
Ignoring PAIA & POPIA compliance risks fines up to R10 million. Learn what South African organisations must do now to meet their legal obligations.
Read articlePOPIA and Driver's Licence Copying at Security Gates: What South African Businesses Must Know in 2025
Security guards copying driver's licences at access points may be breaking POPIA. Here's what SA businesses and estate managers must do now.
Read articleClearComply
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