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Legal and compliance

PAIA manual

How to ask for records we hold under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, what it costs and how long it takes.

Last updated 29 October 2026

The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) lets you ask a private body, like us, for records it holds. You must need the records to exercise or protect a right. The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) amended PAIA, and the Information Regulator now oversees both laws.

This page explains how to ask us for records. Our full PAIA manual has more detail.

What our PAIA manual contains

Our manual explains:

  • how to contact our Information Officer;
  • where to find the Information Regulator’s guide on how to use PAIA;
  • the categories of records we hold, and which ones you can get without a formal request;
  • why we process personal information, whose information we hold and who we may share it with;
  • whether personal information goes outside South Africa; and
  • how we keep personal information secure.

Our full PAIA manual is available for inspection at our office. You can also ask our Information Officer for a copy.

Our Information Officer

You can also post or deliver requests to our office: Block A, First Floor, Victoria House, Victoria Country Club Estate Office Park, 22 Montrose Park Boulevard, Montrose, Pietermaritzburg, 3201.

How to ask for a record

  1. Complete Form 2, “Request for access to record”, from the PAIA Regulations. You can download it from the Information Regulator’s PAIA page, or ask our Information Officer for a copy.
  2. Give enough detail for us to find the record. Say how you want access, for example a copy by email, or a visit to our office to inspect it.
  3. Explain which right you want to exercise or protect, and why you need the record to do so.
  4. Attach proof of identity. If you’re asking on someone else’s behalf, also attach proof that you’re allowed to act for them.
  5. Send the form to our Information Officer by email, by post or by hand.

What it costs

The PAIA Regulations, 2021, set the fees that private bodies like us may charge.

Fee Amount
Request fee, paid before we process your request R140
Photocopy or printed copy, per A4 page R2
Copy on a flash drive that you provide R40
Copy on a CD that you provide, or that we provide R40 or R60
Searching for and preparing the record, for each hour after the first hour R145 an hour, up to R435 in total
Postage, email or other electronic transfer The actual cost, if any

The Regulations set other fees for formats such as audio and video records.

If searching for and preparing the record will take more than six hours, we may ask for a deposit of one-third of the access fee. If we then refuse your request, we refund the deposit. We release records once the fees are paid.

How long it takes

  • We must decide within 30 days of receiving your request.
  • We may extend this once, by up to 30 more days. If we do, we tell you why.
  • If we don’t answer in time, the law treats your request as refused, and you can complain to the Information Regulator.

When we may refuse

PAIA sets out when we may, or must, refuse a request. Examples are to protect another person’s privacy, a third party’s commercial or confidential information, or records that are legally privileged. If we refuse, we tell you why and how you can challenge the decision.

Asking for your own personal information

You don’t need PAIA to find out what personal information we hold about you. Under section 23 of POPIA, you can ask us, free of charge, to confirm whether we hold personal information about you. You can also ask for a copy or a description of it, and who has had access to it. If there’s a fee, we give you a written estimate first.

To correct or delete your information, or to object to how we use it, see our privacy notice. Those requests are free.

If you’re unhappy with our decision

You can complain to the Information Regulator within 180 days of our decision. You must use this complaints process before you can apply to court.

Contact the Information Regulator:

Sources