APAA POPI ACT


In terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act, No 4 of 2012 (POPI), which comes into effect on 1 July 2021, all private and public bodies processing personal information, are required to have implemented policies and procedures in order to be compliant.

APA Africa, therefore put the necessary policies, proceedings and safeguards in place to be compliant with the conditions, as stipulated in POPI for lawful processing.

APA Africa has appointed an Information Officer as prescribed by POPI, who has overseen the implementation of POPI as well as addressing all requests made for access to personal information as prescribed in POPI, as well as the Promotion of Access to Personal Information Act, No 2 of 2000 (PAIA). All requests for access to personal information, should be directed to info@apaa.co.za.

In compliance with POPI, APA Africa has published a PAIA manual on its website, together with the prescribed Form C, for completion by any party requesting access to personal information held by APA Africa. These documents can be found at https://www.apaa.co.za

The subjects and categories of information collected, will depend on the purpose for which it has been requested, and will be processed for that purpose only. We want to reassure you that requests for personal information received by APA Africa will only be processed if:

  1. it is complete in terms of detail provided;
  2. relevant;
  3. not excessive, i.e. only information relating to the subject is requested;
  4. a reason for the request has been provided and
  5. processing will be able to be done in accordance with the relevant provisions of

APA Africa will only collect and process personal information pertaining to the proper functioning, management and governance of its clients, as prescribed in the Legal Practice Counsel Act and other relevant legislation and policies.

APA Africa recognises that personal information of a client (“the data subject”) may only be processed in terms of POPI when:

  1. the data subject, or a competent person where the data subject is a minor, consents to the processing is obtained;
  2. processing is necessary to carry out actions for the conclusion or performance of a contract to which the data subject is party;
  3. processing complies with an obligation, imposed by law
  4. processing protects a legitimate interest of the data subject;
  5. processing is necessary for the performance of a public law duty; and
  6. processing is necessary for pursuing the legitimate interests of the

In terms of POPI, a data subject has the following rights:

  1. The right to know what information is being kept, how it is being used, and when APA Africa will disclose
  2. The right to correct their details. APA Africa will attempt to keep information updated. Should any of details of a data subject change, APA Africa should be notified to ensure that all records are as accurate as
  3. The right to revoke consent. Data subjects may revoke the consent that has been given in terms of this form at any time. This should be done in writing and addressed to the information officer at aforementioned

All of the above is contained in APA Africa’s Policy on the Protection of Personal Information and its Privacy Policy, both available on the APA Africa website.

APA Africa is serious in its efforts to protect the personal information of its clients and employees. Any breach should immediately be addressed to the Information Officer.

APA Africa also encourages clients against the unauthorised publishing of personal information and images of third parties, including all social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Andre Pienaar
Senior Attorney