As part of the International Day for Universal Access to Information, the Information Regulator in partnership with the City of Johannesburg and other institutions hosted a public engagement to educate the public on how to exercise their right of access to information. It was held at a packed Orlando Communal Hall in Soweto on Wednesday, 28 September 2022.
Zanele Molete from the Citizen Relationship Management in Region D, Soweto, welcomed residents and stakeholders who attended the session. She told residents that the Information Regulator was here to educate them about the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and how these two Acts work.
She urged residents to share the information gained during the engagement with their families, friends and neighbours. “We look forward to the fruitful working relationship with the Information Regulator that will extend to other parts of Soweto and the City,” Molete said.
Advocate Pansy Tlakula, the Chairperson of Information Regulator, told residents about the role of the Information Regulator and the importance of the right to know. “The right of access to information is the right that enables you to exercise other rights, such as right to water and electricity. We want to empower you to be able to go to the Information Officer of your municipality on the kinds of information and questions you must ask.”
The universal right to access information is essential for societies to function democratically and for the wellbeing of everyone. When communities have lack of information or access to information, they are denied the ability to exercise other rights which results in retaliation and subsequently communities embarking on service delivery protests.
The Regulator, in terms of its legislative mandate, seeks to focus International Day for Universal Access to Information 2022 on educating the public on how to exercise their right of access to information and promote the Regulator’s role in assisting the public to exercise this right by lodging complaints should they be denied access to information.
Mukelani Dimba, an Education and Communication Executive, spoke about how the promotion of Access to Information Act can be a tool to improve lives.
The National Credit Regulator (NCR) and Credit Ombud were among the public institutions that had set up stalls to promote their services and information as part of promoting access to information.
Zonke Majola from the National Credit Regulator gave an overview about the agency and what it does for the community.One of the residents asked how long the Information Regulator takes to investigate a compliant.
A representative from Information Regulator said: “It depends, however, most of the time it takes about three months to a year for more complicated complaints.”
Another resident suggested that as a new organisation, the Information Regulator should move closer to the communities so that residents have easy access to them.
The Information Regulator can be contacted on 010 023 5200 or enquiries@inforegulator.org.za ; PAIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
Written by Thami Dhladhla
29/09/2022