The Information Regulator has filed an urgent court application to prevent the Department of Basic Education from publishing the 2024 matric results in newspapers. The move comes after the regulator issued an enforcement notice, claiming the publication of results violates the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPI).
The case is set to be heard on January 7, just days before the results are scheduled to be released. The Information Regulator Chairperson, Pansy Tlakula, explained that the department failed to respond to the enforcement notice in time and was subsequently served with an infringement notice. A R5 million fine was also imposed on the Basic Education Department for failing to protect student privacy.
The Department of Basic Education has challenged the enforcement notice, arguing that the current format of publishing results does not violate learner privacy since no identifiable information is published. However, the Information Regulator maintains that the publication of results is in non-compliance with the POPI Act.
If the court application is successful, the matric Class of 2024 may be the first not to find their results through traditional newspaper publication. Afriforum has also joined the fray, indicating its intention to oppose the Information Regulator’s urgent court application.
