PAIA
Your PAIA Manual has to name the right officer.
Private bodies in South Africa must make a PAIA Manual available. Section 51 is clear about that. It is also clear that the manual must identify the head of the body — and that identity has to line up with the person registered as Information Officer.
What often happens is quieter. A template is bought. Last year’s name stays on the cover. The Regulator portal has someone else. The website footer has a third email because that inbox still works.
A missing manual is a gap. A published manual that points at the wrong person is a public contradiction. It sends requesters to the wrong desk and tells the Regulator the organisation has not reconciled its own records.
Before anything is uploaded:
- Confirm who the head of the private body is.
- Confirm who is registered as Information Officer, and Deputy if appointed.
- Put those names — and only those names — in the manual and on the website.
- If they do not match, fix the registration first.
The document is the easy part. The identity of the officer has to be true.