ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the use of access to information laws in South Africa (SA), as part of larger struggles for justice by individuals, communities and non-profit organisations and for research. It is divided into three substantive parts. The first provides a description of the legal framework for effecting the right to information in SA. It details some of the methods used, within this framework, by South Africans seeking to access information. The second and third focus on one particular method for seeking access: requests made in terms of freedom of information legislation – in South Africa: The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), Act 2 of 2000. In particular, the second part describes a court decision with implications for the requirements of a PAIA request description. It further uses Michael Buckland’s three categories of “information” as a lens to describe three types of request description, as well as noting some specific ways in which descriptions can be made richer. The third part illustrates the discussion in the second through an account of prior requests made by an activist archive. With respect to each of the three request types, an example is provided of a request that resulted in access as well as an example of an unsuccessful request. This juxtaposition allows for reflection, within this part, on other factors that impact on access.
