IR disputes that it was party to deal that led to final order compelling DBE to publish matric results in 2022

JOHANNESBURG - The Information Regulator has disputed arguments made that it was party to an agreement that led to a final order compelling the Department of Basic Education to publish matric results in 2022.

The regulator said that the Gauteng Division of the High Court did not consider whether the publication of matric results was in line with the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act three years ago.

The body was dealt a blow on Wednesday when the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria dismissed its urgent bid to bar the department from publishing the 2024 results.

The Palace of Justice in Pretoria was the site of the legal showdown between the regulator and the Department of Basic Education.

However, the legal tiff is still far from over.

The body said that the department was still bound by its enforcement notice and the disregard of those orders would mean that the department was guilty of non-compliance as they had not been suspended by Wednesday's judgment.

With just a few days to go, the department indicated that the release of the results was at an advanced stage and that the age-old tradition would continue. 

Spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga: "We were way advanced in that direction because there was a standing court judgment which empowered us to do that, so we had been working with our colleagues in the media who had been preparing for this, so nothing is changing. We'll just proceed in fact, we'll go full steam now. "

It's expected that the merits of the matter will still be ventilated in full later this year.