In simple terms, the purpose of the Act is to ensure that all South African institutions conduct themselves in a responsible manner when collecting, processing, storing and sharing another entity's personal information by holding them accountable should they abuse or compromise your personal information in any way.
We have to accept that we now live in an information age, and along with progress comes the responsibility for each individual to take care of and protect their information. To protect the individual's right to privacy and guard against the abuse of information, data-protection legislation has become necessary, and therefore the Protection of Personal Information Act was enacted. The NWU aims to ensure that all processes and procedures are in place to manage personal information in an effective and correct manner as prescribed by the Act in order to maintain good corporate governance.
The unlawful disclosure of personal information to external parties exposes the NWU to legal risks and is a Level B infringement of the disciplinary procedure as contained in the behavioural manual of the NWU (which, in serious circumstances, could lead to dismissal). The NWU thus views this infringement in a very serious light.
The Act, however, cannot protect the individual if the individual does not take care to protect themselves.
We would like to stay in touch with the alumni of the University.