We wish to bring to your attention that the Information Regulator (“Regulator”) has issued a formal notice calling for the submission of PAIA Annual Reports for the 2025/2026 financial year.  This request aligns with similar requests issued by the Regulator during the 2024 and 2025 calendar years.

The submission of PAIA Annual Reports is a compulsory legislative requirement in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (“PAIA”) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (“POPIA”).  There is not threshold or exemption applicable for this requirement.

Kindly note that clients who have been registered on the eServices portal together with their respective Information Officer may already have received communication in this regard from the Regulator.

• Who must submit: All public and private bodies.  As previously mentioned, no threshold or exemption apply.

• Submission period: The online submission window opened on 1 April 2026 and will close on 30 June 2026. The Regulator has indicated that no extensions will be granted.

All responsible parties are strongly encouraged to submit their Annual Reports as early as possible to avoid system congestion and resultant non-compliance closer to the submission deadline.

Kindly note that bodies will not be able to submit the Annual Report unless the Information Officer has been successfully registered with the Regulator.

• Information to be reported: You will be presented with a list of questions to be completed based on the period 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026.  The questions relate only to those requests submitted using the PAIA process and include, among others:

• The number of requests for access received
• The number of requests for access granted in full
• The number of requests for access granted in terms of section 46
• The number of requests for access refused in full
• The number of requests for access partially refused
• The number of cases in which the periods stipulated in section 25(1) were extended in terms of section 26(1)
• The number of internal appeals lodged with the relevant authority
• The number of cases in which, because of an internal appeal, access was granted to a record or a part thereof
• The number of internal appeals lodged on the grounds that a request for access was deemed refused in terms of section 27
• The number of decisions of the Information Regulator that were taken on review
• The number of applications made to each court, the outcomes thereof, as well as the number of decisions appealed to each court and the outcome thereof
• The number of applications made to each court on the grounds that an internal appeal was to have been dismissed in terms of section 77(7).

The system will display a confirmation page once your PAIA Annual Report has been successfully submitted. You will also receive a confirmation email.

• Submission platform: Reports must be submitted via the Regulator’s eServices portal: https://eservices.inforegulator.org.za.

A helpful “How-to-Guide” is available at the address as indicated above.

Ensuring compliance with these requirements is crucial to avoid potential penalties and to uphold transparency within your organisation.

If your organisation does not yet have a PAIA manual in place, you may refer to the examples available on the portal above. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us, and we will connect you with a service provider who can assist with the preparation thereof.