By Sikhulile Dlamini
Mbabane– Eswatini Communications Commissions (ESCCOM) Data Protection Manager, Sicelo Simelane has urged companies that deal with data of individuals to register under the Data Protection Act of 2022 by September 30, 2024.
Simelane said this during an interview with Eswatini TV’s the Kusile Breakfast Show yesterday (May 21, 2024). He stated that Section 5 of the Act emphasised on that as a commission of data protection authority, it was a mandate that they should have data base of all companies that dealt with personal data.
“It is also a way that the organisation notifies the commission that they are dealing with personal data and also outline the technical measures applied to protect the data.
He highlighted that the registration was mandatory to every institution that is affected. He also said he has noted that most companies are registering. He emphasised that if some companies had not registered before the deadline and without valid reasons, penalties would be applied.
Simelane added that the main purpose of this process of registering companies was to ensure that personal data of individuals should remain private at all cost, hence they emphasised on Section 9 of the Act that stipulates rules under which data can be processed such as the data subject provides explicit consent to the processing and that processing is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract to which the data subject is a party.
