Find out what is happening in the world of corruption
Engage with current debates around the topic of corruption in SA
Receive relevant content every month! Don't worry - we take privacy seriously and will never share your details.
The Promotion of Access to Information Act[1] (PAIA) was enacted to realize the section 32 Constitutional right to access to information. In terms of the Constitution, everyone has a right to information held by the state or private body which is required for the protection or exercise of their Constitutional right.
PAIA enables Corruption Watch to investigate reports of corruption within the country and to hold both public and private bodies accountable for their actions or lack thereof. PAIA makes provision for everyone to be able to access whatever information they need to exercise or protect their constitutional rights. The Government cannot withhold information that is required for one to exercise or protect their Constitutional rights, neither can private bodies. When one requests information from a private body then one has to state which constitutional right they are protecting or exercising. However when seeking information from the Government, they need not go into any detail about what right they are protecting. Some government bodies are more cooperative than others when it comes to responding to PAIA requests. This does not stop us from requesting the information through provisions in PAIA, and we will push until we get what we are looking for. Our PAIA register will enable you to see the performance of some of the public bodies we have requested information from.
[1] Act 2 of 2000