The Information Regulator says it has given the Electoral Commission (IEC) five days to respond to the information notice it directed to the commission.
This after the regulator confirmed that it received two notifications from the IEC regarding a security breach that saw the unlawful release of candidate lists for the ANC and uMkhonto weSizwe party at the weekend.
Following this incident, the Electoral Commission has assured the nation that they are investigating the matter.
The regulator’s executive overseeing the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) Advocate Tshepo Boikanyo,”Where there is a security compromise of this magnitude, we also want to establish certain things. One of the things that we want to establish are the security measures whether, the organisation in question that is the IEC the responsible party, had taken appropriate and reasonable technical measures to prevent any unlawful access to the personal information in question. You would know that our Section 19 of POPIA says that any responsible party that is in possession of personal information must ensure that its secure the integrity of such information.”
Meanwhile, ANC SG Fikile Mbalula says the party is confident that the IEC, will get to the bottom of the party’s candidates list leakage. Mbalula was speaking at a media briefing at the party’s headquarters on Monday.
“Of course we are concerned about the IEC leakage but we are confident that the IEC body is very much capable to deal with any anarchy that may arise like the leakage of the ANC list and so on. We have full confidence in the Electoral Commission.”
