a[data-mtli~="mtli_filesize521kB"]:after {content:" (521 kB)"}lang="en-GB"> Shadow Report 2016: public's right to information not upheld - Corruption Watch
Site icon Corruption Watch

Shadow Report 2016: public’s right to information not upheld

Shadow Report 2016

New research by the Access to Information Network (ATI Network) – formerly known as the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) Civil Society Network – has revealed a shocking dereliction of duties by public and private bodies to realise South Africans’ constitutional right of access to information.

The Shadow Report 2016 was compiled with statistics from requests for information made using Paia by the 13 civil society organisations which make up the ATI Network. The report covers the period from 1 August 2015 to 31 July 2016, during which ATI Network members submitted 369 Paia requests to government and private bodies. Key findings of the Shadow Report 2016 are:

Click on the infographic for a larger version.

These findings, in particular the number of Paia requests and appeals which are simply ignored by government, are deeply concerning. They point to a clear failure by both public and private bodies to realise our right of access to information.

We are, however, encouraged by the progress made in the extent to which certain public bodies are expanding the number and categories of records which they will make automatically available to the public, i.e. without the need to submit a Paia request.

It is in the state’s interests to make information widely, publicly and automatically available. Making information automatically available not only significantly reduces the number of Paia requests submitted, and therefore reduces the associated administrative burden, it also increases public trust in and cooperation with decision-makers.

The Shadow Report 2016 contains the following key recommendations:

 Public bodies must be encouraged to broaden their categories of automatically available information, and all such information should be placed on their websites.

About the ATI Network

The ATI Network was established in 2008 in response to the need for civil society collaboration to strengthen the effective use and implementation of Paia, the mechanism via which our constitutional right to access information should be realised. The ATI Network currently consists of the following members (in alphabetical order):

For more about this report, contact:

Toerien van Wyk
Acting SAHA Directorate and FOIP Coordinator
011 718 2563
foip@saha.org.za

Annette Gibbs
Centre for Environmental Rights
082 467 1295
agibbs@cer.org.za

Exit mobile version