Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA)

Welcome to the Promotion of Access to Information Act (often called PAIA) in the form of a website so everyone can access it quickly on all devices. It is so much better than a PAIA pdf. You can also link to (or share) a specific section. We hope it empowers you and you find it helpful. This is PAIA as enacted by the South African Parliament, but we have reformatted it in the form of a website. The English text was signed by the President. We have shortened the names of some chapters in the navigation on the left to make it easier for you to navigate. We disclaim all liability.

Actions you can take

    • Get an overview by reading a plain language summary of PAIA.
    • Learn more about PAIA by attending training.
    • Learn from the mistakes of others by reading PAIA judgment summaries or enforcement action the Information Regulator has taken.
    • Comply with PAIA by joining an Access to Information programme.
    • If you already have a PAIA manual, ensure it is up-to-date by asking an expert to review it to ensure compliance with the latest laws, including POPIA and the PAIA Regulations.
    • Comply with your legal obligation of having a PAIA Manual for your organisation by asking an expert to draft a PAIA manual for your specific organisation.

Please note that we are not the Information Regulator that regulates PAIA. You can visit their website.

The commencement date of PAIA

All sections have commenced. PAIA came into operation on 9 March 2001, except for sections 10 (Guide on how to use Act), 14 (Manual on functions of, and index of records held by, public body), 16 (Information in telephone directory) and 51 Manual). These sections 10, 14, 16 and 51 came into operation on 15 February 2002. Section 110 was the last one to come into operation on 30 June 2021.

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