The Protection of Personal Information Act, or POPIA legislation, is legislation that governs privacy and data protection in South Africa. Moonstone Business School of Excellence’s courses on POPIA provide clear, engaging and practical online learning to meet the specific needs of employees and managers.

Understanding POPIA – for employees

Understanding POPIA is for employees who keep or process any records containing personal information, and must therefore learn how to comply with the legislation. There are three modules:

• The rationale for POPIA explains the purpose of POPIA, and the rights to privacy and protection of personal data in the digital age.
• The application of POPIA clarifies the nature of personal and special information, the rights of data subjects, and who is accountable for POPIA compliance.
• The eight data protection principles under POPIA sets out out the principles of processing personal information, with practical examples showing how to apply each principle to daily business activities.

Understanding POPIA can be completed in 5 hours, and is accredited for 3.5 CPD hours.

Managing POPIA – for managers

Managing POPIA is for managers and executives, and provides a full grasp of POPIA. Delegates learn how to govern the application of POPIA in their organisations. This includes the capacity to identify how their organisations can become POPIA compliant, understanding of the role of the Information Officer in maintaining POPIA, and clarity on the relations between POPIA and the European Union’s privacy legislation, the GDPR.

There are three modules:

• Introduction to POPIA explains the purpose of POPIA, the nature of personal and special data, the rights of data subjects, who is accountable for POPIA compliance, and the principles of processing personal information, including how to apply the principles in an organisation.
• The role of the Information Officer and the powers of the Information Regulator includes the duties and capabilities of these roles, and how to appoint and register an Information Officer.
• International concerns and direct marketing compares POPIA to the GDPR, providing an overview of the important sections of the GDPR and their implications for South African organisations, including the requirements for cross-border transfers and direct marketing under POPIA.

Managing POPIA can be completed in 7 hours, and is accredited for 6 CPD hours.

Course Delivery 

Both courses run over two full days, offering highly interactive and brain-friendly training that incorporates simulations, case studies, exercises, and real-life examples for enhanced learning