10 Mar 2022

Botswana’s first head of the Information and Data Protection  Commission Ms Kepaletswe Somolekae has pledged to serve the nation with dedication and passion during her tenure.

Ms Somolekae, a seasoned lawyer with over 25 years of experience, will be heading  the  institution which is responsible for ensuring that personal data is not used by third parties without permission or for fraud and identity theft.

“I am excited to be serving in something that is new in our jurisdiction,” she said upon being admitted to office by the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration Mr Kabo Morwaeng in Gaborone March 10.

She said Botswana was playing catch-up to the rest of the world since in other advanced jurisdictions such commissions were instituted decades ago.

Minister Morwaeng said the commissioner was bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the job having served as legal advisor in various government agencies including the Counter Terrorism and Fusion Agency.  

Shedding light on the institution’s operations, Mr Morwaeng said it was established under the 2018 Data Protection Act in order to realise the right to privacy guaranteed in the Constitution of Botswana.

He said with the commencement of the legislation, businesses and entities handling data would have to adhere to the principles under the act.

Individuals who felt that their personal data had been used illegally would now be able to report such violations to the commissioner, said Mr Morwaeng.BOPA