OPEN SOURCE. PEOPLE FIRST.

Access to information

South Africa: PAIA and POPIA access requests.

Updated 17 October 2026 · Open ISP cc

This guide explains how to request records from Open ISP cc, registration number 2005/156968/23, concerning OpenWeb PBX. PAIA is the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000; POPIA is the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.

Make a request

Email an access-to-information request

Contact the Information Officer for help with access requests and the organisation's PAIA manual. You can request an electronic copy or arrange an appointment at the business address. This page is an access guide, rather than the organisation's full section 51 manual.

1. Identify the records clearly, your preferred form of access, your contact details and any authority to act for someone else.
2. For a formal request to a private body, explain the right you seek to exercise or protect and why the record is required for that purpose, where PAIA requires this.
3. Use the prescribed PAIA access-request form where applicable. This is different from POPIA Form 2 for correction/deletion. Ask the Information Officer for help if you are unsure.

Public records and other requests

The public website, project documentation, licences and published source/release files can be accessed without a PAIA application. Personal account/service records, support correspondence, operational logs and other company records require assessment of the request, identity, authority, applicable retention and third-party rights. Public source access does not grant access to customer data or private credentials.

Decision, fees and remedies

Formal PAIA decisions are generally due within 30 days of receipt, with a notified extension only when the Act permits it. A legally prescribed request/access fee or deposit may apply; an applicable fee and any exemption must be explained. Confirmation under POPIA of whether personal information is held is free.

If access is refused, the response should explain the legal reason and the available complaint/court routes and time limits. Private-body requests do not have the same internal-appeal process as requests to a public body. The Information Regulator's guide explains the applicable remedies, including complaints and court applications.

Official guidance

Read the Information Regulator's PAIA guide and private-body manual template. POPIA forms cover objections, correction/deletion and privacy complaints. The privacy-request page describes the separate GDPR/POPIA rights route.