Skip to content
PAIA
Promotion of Access to Information Act
Menu and widgets
ACT summary and preamble
Part 1 | Introductory provisions
Chapter 1 | Definitions and interpretation
Section 1 | Definitions
Section 2 | Interpretation of Act
Chapter 2 | General application provisions
Section 3 | Act applies to record whenever it came into existence
Section 4 | Records held by official or independent contractor of public or private body
Section 5 | Application of other legislation prohibiting or restricting disclosure
Section 6 | Application of other legislation providing for access
Section 7 | Act not applying to records requested for criminal or civil proceedings after commencement of proceedings
Section 8 | Part applicable when performing functions as public or private body
Chapter 3 | General introductory provisions
Section 9 | Objects of Act
Section 10 | Guide on how to use Act
Part 2 | Access to records of public bodies
Chapter 1 | Right of access, and specific application provisions
Section 11 | Right of access to records of public bodies
Section 12 | Act not applying to certain public bodies or officials thereof
Section 13 | Body determined to be part of another public body
Chapter 2 | Publication and availability of certain [public] records
Section 14 | Manual on functions of, and index of records held by, public body
Section 15 | Voluntary disclosure and automatic availability of certain records
Section 16 | Information in telephone directory
Chapter 3 | Manner of access [to public body records]
Section 17 | Designation of deputy information officers, and delegation
Section 18 | Form of requests
Section 19 | Duty to assist requesters
Section 20 | Transfer of requests
Section 21 | Preservation of records until final decision on request
Section 22 | Fees
Section 23 | Records that cannot be found or do not exist
Section 24 | Deferral of access
Section 25 | Decision on request and notice thereof
Section 26 | Extension of period to deal with request
Section 27 | Deemed refusal of request
Section 28 | Severability
Section 29 | Access and forms of access
Section 30 | Access to health or other records
Section 31 | Language of access
Section 32 | Reports to Information Regulation
Chapter 4 | Grounds for refusal of access to public body records
Section 33 | Interpretation
Section 34 | Mandatory protection of privacy of third party who is natural person
Section 35 | Protection of certain SARS records
Section 36 | Mandatory protection of commercial information of third party
Section 37 | Mandatory protection of certain confidential information, and protection of certain other confidential information, of third party
Section 38 | Mandatory protection of safety of individuals, and protection of property
Section 39 | Protection of police dockets in bail proceedings
Section 40 | Mandatory protection of records privileged from production in legal proceedings
Section 41 | Defence, security and international relations of Republic
Section 42 | Economic interests and financial welfare of Republic and commercial activities of public bodies
Section 43 | Mandatory protection of research information of third party, and protection of research information of public body
Section 44 | Operations of public bodies
Section 45 | Frivolous or vexatious requests
Section 46 | Mandatory disclosure in public interest
Chapter 5 | Third party notification and intervention
Section 47 | Notice to third parties
Section 48 | Representations and consent by third parties
Section 49 | Decision on representations for refusal and notice thereof
Part 3 | Access to records of private bodies
Chapter 1 | Right of access
Section 50 | Right of access to records of private bodies
Chapter 2 | Publication and availability of certain [private] records
Section 51 | Manual
Section 52 | Voluntary disclosure and automatic availability of certain records
Chapter 3 | Manner of access [to private body records]
Section 53 | Form of request
Section 54 | Fees
Section 55 | Records that cannot be found or do not exist
Section 56 | Decision on request and notice thereof
Section 57 | Extension of period to deal with request
Section 58 | Deemed refusal of request
Section 59 | Severability
Section 60 | Form of access
Section 61 | Access to health or other records
Chapter 4 | Grounds for refusal of access to private body records
Section 62 | Interpretation
Section 63 | Mandatory protection of privacy of third party who is natural person
Section 64 | Mandatory protection of commercial information of third party
Section 65 | Mandatory protection of certain confidential information of third party
Section 66 | Mandatory protection of safety of individuals, and protection of property
Section 67 | Mandatory protection of records privileged from production in legal proceedings
Section 68 | Commercial information of private body
Section 69 | Mandatory protection of research information of third party, and protection of research information of private body
Section 70 | Mandatory disclosure in public interest
Chapter 5 | Third party notification and intervention
Section 71 | Notice to third parties
Section 72 | Representations and consent by third parties
Section 73 | Decision on representations for refusal and notice thereof
Part 4 | Appeals against decisions
Chapter 1 | Internal appeals against decisions of information officers of certain public bodies
Section 74 | Right of internal appeal to relevant authority
Section 75 | Manner of internal appeal, and appeal fees
Section 76 | Notice to and representations by other interested persons
Section 77 | Decision on internal appeal and notice thereof
Chapter 1A | Complaints to regulator
Section 77A | Complaints
Section 77B | Modes of complaints to Regulator
Section 77C | Action on receipt of complaint
Section 77D | Regulator may decide to take no action on complaint
Section 77E | Pre-investigation proceedings of Regulator
Section 77F | Settlement of complaints
Section 77G | Investigation proceedings of Regulator
Section 77I | Information Notice
Section 77H | Assessment
Section 77J | Enforcement Notice
Section 77K | Non-compliance with Enforcement Notice
Chapter 2 | Applications to court
Section 78 | Applications RE decisions of relevant authorities or Regulator
Section 79 | Procedure
Section 80 | Disclosure of records to, and non-disclosure by, court
Section 81 | Proceedings are civil
Section 82 | Decision on application
Part 5 | Information regulator
Section 83 | Additional functions of Information Regulator
Section 84 | Report to National Assembly by Information Regulator
Section 85 | Expenditure of Information Regulator in terms of Act
Part 6 | Transitional arrangements
Section 86 | Application of other legislation providing for access
Section 87 | Extended periods for dealing with requests during first two years
Section 88 | [ ……….]
Part 7 | General provisions
Section 89 | Liability
Section 90 | Offences
Section 91 | Amendment of Public Protector Act 23 of 1994
Section 91A | Designation and training of presiding officers
Section 92 | Regulations
Section 93 | Short title and commencement
Chapter 1 | Definitions and interpretation
Section 1 Definitions
Section 2 Interpretation of Act