Information Regulator to approach Parliament for more enforcement teeth
In a media briefing on Wednesday, the regulator revealed several companies that fail to submit their annual Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) as required by law.
Picture: MART PRODUCTION via Pexels
JOHANNESBURG - To deal with high levels of non-compliance - the Information Regulator says it will approach Parliament to grant it more enforcement powers.
In a media briefing on Wednesday, the regulator revealed several companies that fail to submit their annual Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) as required by law.
The Information Regulator is a Section 39 body established to ensure the compliance and protection of personal information from private and public bodies.
ALSO READ:
- Information Regulator close to finalising regulation of telemarketing industry
- Information Regulator says there are limitations to force big tech companies to comply
Out of the 257 municipalities in the country – only 37% submitted their Promotion of Access to Information Act annual reports.
Only 11 out of the 52 registered political parties submitted their reports.
The Information Regulator's executive, Ntsumbedzeni Nemasisi, said the body doesn't have enforcement powers to punish such levels of non-compliance.
“For us to enforce non-compliant enforcement notice, we then have to rely on other security agencies like SAPS [South African Police Service] and that obviously takes away the enforcement power of the regulator. What we are looking at is the power in terms of which we may have to impose certain penalties as well for non-compliance and that will ensure the regulator is effective. Those are some of the aspects we are looking at in terms of the amendment of PAIA .”
The regulator says the mild provisions for non-compliance is part of the laxness by public bodies to comply with the law.