Sometimes it seems as if the fuss about protecting personal information is just whip cracking. But for people such as Janine Esterhuizen, the rules and processes governing institutional information have value because they protect and create order. 

This is especially true at a university, which both collects and creates information – about its students, staff and alumni, and through doing research. By harnessing the power of information appropriately, we can be better teachers, researchers, and innovators. 

Esterhuizen’s position at the University of Pretoria is effectively the title of the programme she manages. She is the Institutional Manager of the iGaPP programme, which stands for Information Governance and Privacy Protection. What it boils down to is managing and using the university’s information in a responsible and ethical way. To manage information appropriately we need to understand where the risks are and what to do to ensure that we use information responsibly.

Her job sprang out of the degree in Information Science she did at UP. ‘’I have a passion for how information is organised, managed and processed in databases and systems. This is combined with the desire to make information more accessible and usable for others, by facilitating information retrieval and dissemination,” she said.

With these interests, a Bachelor of Information Science (BIS) was ‘’an ideal field of study for me”. 

After graduating, she worked at the Military Intelligence Division of the South African National Defence Force for seven years, starting soon after the country’s transition to democracy. 

After a further three years as a Knowledge Manager at a toll operating company and another three years working as an independent consultant, she joined UP as the Records Manager in the Human Resources Department. She transferred to the Office of the Registrar for her present position in 2014. November marks her 16-year anniversary with the institution.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought I would end up pursuing a career at the institution where I studied. It has been a privilege and an amazing journey,” said Esterhuizen.

Her job is diverse. It is not only about POPIA, the Protection of Personal Information Act, which took effect in South Africa on July 1, 2020, and became enforceable exactly a year later.

Ensuring UP complies with such legislation is a part of her responsibilities but there is much more to the position. 

It includes establishing a framework to manage the university’s institutional information. By implementing the Information Governance and Privacy Protection (iGaPP) Programme, we are putting structures and systems in place to help everybody use and manage the information they deal with effectively, ethically and responsibly.

It has been determined that human error is the biggest cause of data breaches and a large part of the iGaPP programme is about empowering students and staff to treat all institutional information with respect and comply with privacy regulations (such as POPIA and the EU GDPR), contracts, codes of conduct and the university’s information governance policies.

Another key part of her work is ensuring that her knowledge and approach do not become stagnant. 

“Information science is heavily influenced by technological advancements,” she said. “New tools, and methodologies emerge frequently, making it challenging to stay up to date with the latest trends and developments. While the challenges of keeping up with rapid changes can be daunting, they also open up new opportunities, and have allowed me to specialise in emerging areas within information science such as knowledge management and information governance.”

This month, as South Africa celebrates Women’s Month, UP is honouring those females making a contribution to the institution. Esterhuizen is grateful for everything the university is doing to promote women and sings its praises in this regard. 

“The university has been actively working to create an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of gender, can thrive. By further promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we can ensure that all voices are heard, and realise the full potential of all employees,” she said.

She appreciates UP’s Employee Wellness Programme that supports work-life balance by providing counselling, resources, and support services for personal and family-related challenges. 

Besides work-life balance, she said women in information science, as in other disciplines, also face obstacles of being stereotyped, and lack of support.

She hails those women who, throughout her career and in various industries, “have made a lasting impression and shaped me as a person”. They are “strong, talented, inspiring and fearless women,” she said.

At UP, she is grateful for being “surrounded by courageous women who have made it to the top of their game, despite gender and many other barriers and biases”.

She believes that UP could create an even more inclusive and supportive environment for women by means of leadership development training, mentorship programmes, and networking opportunities for those working in similar disciplines. Providing these types of opportunities to collaborate would “help women build a strong support system within the university community,” she said.

Esterhuizen has lots of advice for younger women who aspire to be in a management position such as hers:

• Stay curious and eager to learn; 
• Seek opportunities for self-development;
• Embrace your perspective and contributions, even if they are unusual;
• Build strong professional relationships and network with experts as well as like-minded and not-so-like-minded individuals;
• Embrace change and challenges; and, most importantly, ​
• Believe in yourself and your abilities.