The Information Regulator (IR) earlier issued an enforcement notice on the department claiming the publishing of the results was in violation of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

The regulator imposed a R5 million fine on the department for failing to respond in time to the enforcement notice.

The Department’s Spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga says they are adhering to a 2022 court judgment which stated that the results must be made public.

Mhlanga says, “In 2014 we took a decision on our own to stop using the names of matriculants in newspapers. We have stuck with that and there were no issues.”

“When the POPIA Act came out we made a decision to stop publishing and AfriForum took us to court and won their bid.”

He adds, “We then proceeded and there was no other legal matter. When we received the enforcement notice from IR we were given legal advice to appeal and we have done so. The processes were followed and served.”

--SABC--