Eskom Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and compliance

Introduction to Promotion of Access to Information Act and Eskom’s compliance

Guide to requesting information from Eskom	Link to Promotion of Access to Information Act (Act 2,2000) (Government Website)
Manuals English Afrikaans Zulu Sesotho	Please note, when using the Online Request Forms: If you do not receive any electronic reply within 2 days contact Eddie Laubscher Tel: +27 11 655 2130 Fax: 0866679952 E-mail: PAIA@eskom.co.za
Contact details/addresses (See end of article)	Request Form Print On line Internal Appeal Form Print On line
“In 2000 the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) was passed, as part of an ongoing drive within government to ensure we South Africans live up to our very own Constitution and Bill of Rights. And it is certainly one of our rights to be able to gain access to information held by the State or, to quote the Act, “…by another person … if that information is required for the exercise or protection of any rights”.

The Act

” To give effect to the constitutional right of access to any information held by the State and any information that is held by another person and that is required for the exercise or protection of any rights; and to provide for matters connected therewith .”

What does this mean for Eskom?

To put it simply and succinctly:

As stated in Eskom’s Annual Report 2001, “Eskom keep(s) … abreast of the latest developments in legislation and continually assesses the impact of legislation on its business. Eskom’s policy is, as a minimum, to comply with legislation .

Legislative requirements are incorporated into policies, procedures and standards.” (Annual Report 2001)

Thus, it is vital for our business to ensure that we at Eskom comply with the Act.

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Our compliance with the Act

In the Annual Report 2001, compliance to the Act, as well as the opportunity this has presented to the organization, are covered in the following statement: “Compliance with the Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, has been viewed as an opportunity to better co-ordinate the flow of information into and out of the organization. It is therefore not seen as merely a legal compliance issue, but rather an opportunity to deal with information management in a holistic and integrated manner.”

To help us comply, a process and system for handling requests within Eskom has been put in place, together with the Manual required by the Act, and forms and procedures for lodging requests, appealing against decisions about requests, and so on.

Contact PAIA

Guide to requesting information from Eskom	Link to Promotion of Access to Information Act (Act 2,2000) (Government Website)
Manuals English Afrikaans Zulu Sesotho	Please note, when using the On line Request Forms: If you do not receive any electronic reply within 2 days contact Eddie Laubscher Tel: +27 11 655 2130 Fax: 0866679952 E-mail: PAIA@eskom.co.za
Contact details/addresses	Request Form Print Online Internal Appeal Form Print Online
Physical address: Eskom Megawatt Park Maxwell Drive Sunninghill Sandton	Postal address: The Information Officer Eskom PO Box 1091 Johannesburg 2001