PAIA Manual

Template Overview

  • Template ID: paia
  • Version: 1.0.0

To generate this document, pass the structured data described below into the data property of the /api/v1/documents/generate endpoint.

Data Payload Schema

FieldTypeRequirementDescription & Details
companyNamestringYesLegal name of the private body The full registered name. Ex: Acme Technologies (Pty) Ltd
companyTypestringYesType of entity Options: "Private Company ((Pty) Ltd)", "Public Company (Ltd)", "Personal Liability Company (Inc.)", "Close Corporation (CC)", "Non-Profit Company (NPC)", "Partnership", "Sole proprietor / Business name", "Trust"
registrationNumberstringNoCompany / entity registration number CIPC registration number. Ex: 2019/123456/07
physicalAddressstringYesPhysical (street) address Where the manual and the Regulator's Guide are available for inspection. Ex: 12 Bree Street, Cape Town, 8001
postalAddressstringNoPostal address Ex: PO Box 123, Cape Town, 8000
phonestringYesTelephone number
websitestringYesWebsite URL Where the manual is published. Ex: https://acme.co.za
effectiveDatestringNoDate of this version of the manual (Format: YYYY-MM-DD.)
headOfBodyNamestringYesHead of the private body Under PAIA the head of the body is responsible for the manual. Ex: the CEO or managing director.
informationOfficerNamestringYesInformation Officer name The head of a private body is the Information Officer by default and must be registered with the Information Regulator.
informationOfficerEmailstringYesInformation Officer email
informationOfficerPhonestringNoInformation Officer telephone
hasDeputyInformationOfficerbooleanNoHave you designated a Deputy Information Officer?
deputyInformationOfficerNamestringConditionalDeputy Information Officer name Required if hasDeputyInformationOfficer is true.
deputyInformationOfficerEmailstringConditionalDeputy Information Officer email Required if hasDeputyInformationOfficer is true.
recordSubjectsarray of objectsYesSubjects and categories of records held (section 51(1)(b)(iv)) Describe each subject area (e.g. Finance, HR, Operations) and the categories of records held under it. Each entry: subject (string), categories (string). (Minimum 1 entry.)
hasAutomaticallyAvailableRecordsbooleanNoAre any records automatically available without a formal request (section 52)? Optional voluntary disclosure of records a requester can access without following the PAIA request procedure.
automaticallyAvailableRecordsstringConditionalDescribe the automatically available records Ex: Published annual reports, marketing material, standard terms of service. Required if hasAutomaticallyAvailableRecords is true.
otherLegislationarray of stringsNoRecords held under other legislation Select the legislation under which the body keeps records. Options: "Companies Act 71 of 2008", "Income Tax Act 58 of 1962", "Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991", "Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995", "Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997", "Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998", "Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993", "Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001", "Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013", "Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001", "Skills Development Act 97 of 1998"
processesPersonalInformationbooleanNoDoes the body process personal information?
dataSubjectCategoriesarray of stringsConditionalCategories of data subjects Options: "Customers / clients", "Prospective customers", "Employees", "Job applicants", "Suppliers and service providers", "Contractors", "Website visitors", "Shareholders / directors" Required if processesPersonalInformation is true.
personalInformationCategoriesarray of stringsConditionalCategories of personal information processed Options: "Identifying information (name, ID number)", "Contact details", "Financial and payment information", "Employment and HR information", "Account and profile information", "Uploaded documents and content", "Usage, device and log data", "Special personal information (s26 POPIA)" Required if processesPersonalInformation is true.
recipientCategoriesarray of stringsConditionalRecipients or categories of recipients Who personal information may be supplied to. Options: "Operators / service providers", "Professional advisers (legal, audit, accounting)", "Regulators and public authorities", "Payment processors", "Cloud hosting and IT providers", "Group companies / affiliates" Required if processesPersonalInformation is true.
transfersCrossBorderbooleanConditionalAre there planned transborder flows of personal information? Whether personal information is or may be transferred outside South Africa (e.g. cloud storage). Required if processesPersonalInformation is true.
transferDescriptionstringConditionalDescribe the transborder flows Ex: Personal information may be stored with cloud providers in the United States and European Union. Required if transfersCrossBorder is true.
hasSecurityMeasuresbooleanConditionalDo you have security safeguards in place (section 19 POPIA)? Required if processesPersonalInformation is true.
requestEmailstringYesEmail address for access requests Where completed request forms are sent. Often the same as the Information Officer email.
requestFormUrlstringNoLink to the prescribed request form (Form 2) Optional link to the PAIA Form 2 hosted on your site or the Regulator's site.
chargesRequestFeebooleanNoDo you charge the prescribed request and access fees? PAIA permits a private body to charge the prescribed request fee and access fees.
feeScheduleUrlstringConditionalLink to your fee schedule Required if chargesRequestFee is true.
manualUrlstringYesURL where this manual is published Ex: https://acme.co.za/legal/paia-manual
availableAtOfficebooleanNoIs the manual available for inspection at your office?
availableInLanguagesarray of stringsNoLanguages in which the manual is available Options: "English", "Afrikaans", "isiZulu", "isiXhosa", "Sesotho", "Setswana"

Example JSON Payload

Here is an example of a properly formatted data object for the PAIA Manual template.

{
  "templateId": "paia",
  "data": {
    "companyName": "Acme Technologies (Pty) Ltd",
    "companyType": "Private Company ((Pty) Ltd)",
    "registrationNumber": "2019/123456/07",
    "physicalAddress": "12 Bree Street, Cape Town, 8001",
    "postalAddress": "PO Box 123, Cape Town, 8000",
    "phone": "+234 800 000 0000",
    "website": "https://acme.co.za",
    "effectiveDate": "2026-06-01",
    "headOfBodyName": "the CEO or managing director",
    "informationOfficerName": "Sample Information Officer Name",
    "informationOfficerEmail": "legal@acmecorp.com",
    "informationOfficerPhone": "+234 800 000 0000",
    "hasDeputyInformationOfficer": false,
    "recordSubjects": [
      {
        "subject": "Human Resources",
        "categories": "Employment contracts, payroll, leave records"
      }
    ],
    "hasAutomaticallyAvailableRecords": false,
    "otherLegislation": [
      "Companies Act 71 of 2008",
      "Income Tax Act 58 of 1962"
    ],
    "processesPersonalInformation": true,
    "dataSubjectCategories": [
      "Customers / clients",
      "Prospective customers"
    ],
    "personalInformationCategories": [
      "Identifying information (name, ID number)",
      "Contact details"
    ],
    "recipientCategories": [
      "Operators / service providers",
      "Professional advisers (legal, audit, accounting)"
    ],
    "transfersCrossBorder": true,
    "transferDescription": "Personal information may be stored with cloud providers in the United States and European Union",
    "hasSecurityMeasures": true,
    "requestEmail": "legal@acmecorp.com",
    "requestFormUrl": "https://www.acmecorp.com",
    "chargesRequestFee": true,
    "feeScheduleUrl": "https://www.acmecorp.com",
    "manualUrl": "https://acme.co.za/legal/paia-manual",
    "availableAtOffice": true,
    "availableInLanguages": [
      "English",
      "Afrikaans"
    ]
  },
  "format": "pdf"
}