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South Africa — AI Governance Cheat Sheet

Africa · 4 laws tracked · Refreshed 2026-05-15

Key laws

LawStatusDate
POPIAIn force2021-07-01
Electronic Communications ActIn force
Employment Equity ActIn force1999-08-01
National Credit ActIn force2007-06-01

Articles by topic

  • POPIA Chapter 3 (Sections 8-25): the eight conditions for lawful processing of personal information (accountability, processing limitation, purpose specification, further processing limitation, information quality, openness, security safeguards, data subject participation)
  • POPIA Section 11: consent, justification and objection (lawful bases for processing)
  • POPIA Section 19: security measures on integrity and confidentiality of personal information (responsible party must secure information by appropriate technical and organisational measures)
  • POPIA Section 21: operator processing under written contract (mandatory written agreement between responsible party and operator/processor)
  • Electronic Communications Act Sections 11-13: legal recognition of data messages, writing requirements and signatures (electronic data messages have evidential weight)
  • Electronic Communications Act Section 14: original — integrity standard for electronic information to satisfy 'original' document requirements
  • Electronic Communications Act Section 15: admissibility and evidential weight of data messages in legal proceedings
  • Electronic Communications Act Sections 43-47: consumer protection in electronic transactions (information disclosure, cooling-off period, performance)