It has been more than six months since the Minister of Justice
and Correctional Services ended the exemption for SMEs to comply
with the segments of the Promotion of Access to Information Act,
2000 (“PAIA”). With these exemptions
no longer applicable, it has become urgent for all entities to
ensure that they comply with the legislation. Not doing so may be
considered a criminal offence.
In terms of PAIA, all public and private bodies must have a PAIA
manual containing prescribed information. The previous exemptions,
implemented by Ronald Lamola, the Minister of Justice and
Correctional Services, largely applied to small and medium-sized
enterprises and came to an end on 1 January 2022. As such no entity
is exempt from having the manual.
