(This Manual pertains to Remgro Limited and the group companies listed in Annexure A hereto hereinafter collectively referred to as “Remgro”)
THE PROMOTION OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION MANUAL (“MANUAL”)
1. |
PREAMBLE |
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The Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (“PAIA“) came into operation on 9 March 2001. PAIA seeks, among other things, to give effect to the Constitutional right of access to any information held by the State or by any other person where such information is required for the exercise or protection of any right and gives natural and juristic persons the right of access to records held by either a private or public body, subject to certain limitations, in order to enable them to exercise or protect their rights. Where a request is made in terms of PAIA to a private body, that private body must disclose the information if the requester is able to show that the record is required for the exercise or protection of any rights, and provided that no grounds of refusal contained in PAIA are applicable. PAIA sets out the requisite procedural issues attached to information requests. Section 51 of PAIA obliges private bodies to compile a manual to enable a person to obtain access to information held by such private body and stipulates the minimum requirements that the manual has to comply with. This Manual constitutes Remgro’s PAIA manual. This Manual is compiled in accordance with section 51 of PAIA as amended by the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (“POPIA“), which gives effect to everyone’s Constitutional right to privacy. POPIA promotes the protection of personal information processed by public and private bodies, including certain conditions so as to establish minimum requirements for the processing of personal information. POPIA amends certain provisions of PAIA, balancing the need for access to information against the need to ensure the protection of personal information by providing for the establishment of an Information Regulator to exercise certain powers and perform certain duties and functions in terms of POPIA and PAIA, providing for the issuing of codes of conduct and providing for the rights of persons regarding unsolicited electronic communications and automated decision making in order to regulate the flow of personal information and to provide for matters concerned therewith. This PAIA manual also includes information on the submission of objections to the processing of personal information and requests to delete or destroy personal information or records thereof in terms of POPIA. |
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2. |
ABOUT REMGRO |
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Originally established in the 1940s by the late Dr Anton Rupert, Remgro’s investment portfolio has evolved substantially and currently includes more than 30 investee companies. The Company is listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE), operated by the JSE Limited in South Africa under the “Industrial – Diversified Industrial” sector (as at 19 September 2019), with the share code “REM”. |
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3. |
CONTACT DETAILS |
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All requests for access to records in terms of PAIA and/or POPIA must be in writing and must be addressed to the contact details below: |
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4. |
INFORMATION REGULATORS GUIDE |
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An official PAIA Guide has been compiled which contains information to assist a person wishing to exercise a right of access to information in terms of PAIA and POPIA. Copies of the PAIA Guides are available, in three official languages (English, Afrikaans and Xhosa), for public inspection at our registered head office during normal business hours (08h30 – 16h30). The PAIA Guide is also available on the Regulator’s website https://inforegulator.org.za/paia-guidelines/, in all eleven (11) official languages and copies thereof, including braille, are available at the Office of the Information Regulator, for inspection, during normal office hours. The Information Regulator can be reached at:
The Information Regulator
E-mail address: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za Information Officer Deputy Information Officer |
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5. |
OBJECTIVES OF THIS MANUAL |
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The objectives of this Manual are: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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6. |
ENTRY POINT FOR REQUESTS |
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PAIA provides that a person may only make a request for information, if the information is required for the exercise or protection of a legitimate right. Information will therefore not be furnished unless a person provides sufficient particulars to enable Remgro to identify the right that the requester is seeking to protect as well as an explanation as to why the requested information is required for the exercise or protection of that right. The exercise of an individual’s rights is subject to justifiable limitations, including the reasonable protection of privacy, commercial confidentiality and effective, efficient and good governance. PAIA and the request procedure contained in this Manual may not be used for access to a record for criminal or civil proceedings, nor should information be requested after the commencement of such proceedings. The Information Officer has been delegated with the task of receiving and co-ordinating all requests for access to records in terms of PAIA, in order to ensure proper compliance with PAIA and POPIA. The Information Officer will facilitate the liaison with the internal legal team on all of these requests. All requests in terms of PAIA and this Manual must be addressed to the Information Officer using the details in paragraph 3 above. |
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7. |
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS AVAILABLE WITHOUT HAVING TO REQUEST ACCESS |
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The following information is obtainable via the Remgro website about Remgro is automatically available and need not be formally requested in terms of this Manual. The following categories of records are automatically available via the Remgro website or by sending an email to privacy@remgro.com or by visiting our offices: |
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8. |
INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF POPIA |
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In terms of POPIA, personal information must be processed for a specified purpose. The purpose for which data is processed by Remgro will depend on the nature of the data and the particular data subject. This purpose is ordinarily disclosed, explicitly or implicitly, at the time the data is collected. Please also refer to the Remgro Privacy Policy for further information. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8.1. | Categories of data subjects and personal information collected by Remgro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8.2. | The purpose of processing personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depending on the category of personal information which is collected, the purposes for processing may include: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8.3. | The recipients or categories of recipients to whom the personal information may be supplied | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depending on the nature of the personal information, Remgro may supply information or records to the following categories of recipients: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8.4. | Planned transborder flows of personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8.5. | A general description of information security measures to be implemented by Remgro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Remgro takes appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to ensure that personal information remains confidential and secure against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction or damage. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9. |
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS AVAILABLE IN TERMS OF OTHER LEGISLATION |
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Records are kept in accordance with legislation applicable to Remgro, which includes but is not limited to, the following: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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10. |
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST |
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Remgro maintains records on the categories and subject matters listed below. Please note that recording a category or subject matter in this Manual does not imply that a request for access to such records would be honoured. All requests for access will be evaluated on a case by case basis in accordance with the provisions of PAIA.
Please note further that many of the records held by Remgro are those of third parties, such as clients and employees, and Remgro takes the protection of third party confidential information very seriously. In particular, where Remgro acts as professional advisors to clients, many of the records held are confidential and others are the property of the client and not of Remgro. For further information on the grounds of refusal of access to a record please see paragraph 11.5 below. Requests for access to these records will be considered very carefully. Please ensure that requests for such records are carefully motivated. |
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11. |
REQUEST PROCEDURE |
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11.1. | Completion of the prescribed form | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Any request for access to a record in terms of PAIA must correspond with the PAIA Form 2: Request for Access to Record and should be specific in terms of the record requested. (See PAIA Form 2 hereto.) A request for access to information which does not comply with the formalities as prescribed by PAIA will be returned to you.
POPIA provides that a data subject may, upon proof of identity, request the Remgro to confirm, free of charge, all the information it holds about the data subject and may request access to such information, including information about the identity of third parties who have or have had access to such information. POPIA also provides that where the data subject is required to pay a fee for services provided to him/her, Remgro must provide the data subject with a written estimate of the payable amount before providing the service and may require that the data subject pays a deposit for all or part of the fee. Grounds for refusal of the data subject’s request are set out in PAIA and are discussed below. POPIA provides that a data subject may object, at any time, to the processing of personal information by Remgro, on reasonable grounds relating to his/her particular situation, unless legislation provides for such processing. The data subject must complete the prescribed form attached hereto as POPIA Form 1: Objection to the Processing of Personal Information and submit it to the Information Officer at the postal or physical address or electronic mail address set out above. A data subject may also request Remgro to correct or delete personal information about the data subject in its possession or under its control that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or obtained unlawfully; or destroy or delete a record of personal information about the data subject that Remgro is no longer authorised to retain records in terms of POPIA’s retention and restriction of records provisions. A data subject that wishes to request a correction or deletion of personal information or the destruction or deletion of a record of personal information must submit a request to the Information Officer at the postal or physical address or electronic mail address set out above on the form attached hereto as POPIA Form 2: Request for Correction or Deletion of Personal Information. |
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11.2. | Proof of identity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Proof of identity is required to authenticate your identity and the request. You will, in addition to this prescribed POPIA Form 2, be required to submit acceptable proof of identity such as a certified copy of your identity document or other legal forms of identity. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11.3. | Payment of the prescribed fees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There are two categories of fees which are payable: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Section 54 of PAIA entitles Remgro to levy a charge or to request a fee to enable it to recover the cost of processing a request and providing access to records. The fees that may be charged are set out in the PAIA Regulations.
Where a decision to grant a request has been taken, the record will not be disclosed until the necessary fees have been paid in full. |
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11.4. | Timelines for consideration of a request for access | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Requests will be processed within 30 (thirty) days, unless the request contains considerations that are of such a nature that an extension of the time limit is needed.
The Information Officer will inform the requester of the decision, and the fees payable (if applicable) on a form that corresponds with PAIA Form 3: Outcome of Request and of Fees Payable promulgated under the PAIA Regulations. Should an extension be required, you will be notified, together with reasons explaining why the extension is necessary. See PAIA Form 3: Outcome of Request and of Fees Payable hereto. |
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11.5. | Grounds for refusal of access and protection of information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There are various grounds upon which a request for access to a record may be refused. These grounds include: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Section 70 of PAIA contains an overriding provision. Disclosure of a record is compulsory if it would reveal (i) a substantial contravention of, or failure to comply with the law; or (ii) there is an imminent and serious public safety or environmental risk; and (iii) the public interest in the disclosure of the record in question clearly outweighs the harm contemplated by its disclosure.
If the request for access to information affects a third party, then such third party must first be informed within 21 (twenty-one) days of receipt of the request. The third party would then have a further 21 (twenty-one) days to make representations and/or submissions regarding the granting of access to the record. |
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12. |
REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO A REQUESTER ON REFUSAL OF ACCESS |
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12.1 | Internal remedies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A requester whose PAIA request for access to information has been refused may lodge an internal appeal by using PAIA Form 4: Internal Appeal Form and submit it to Remgro Legal Department via email to privacy@remgro.com. An internal appeal must be lodged within 60 days after the request was declined. The Legal Department will investigate the reason for refusal and review the decision made by the Information Officer. The Legal Department has 15 business days within which to investigate the appeal. A response will be provided to the appellant within the 15-business day period. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12.2 | External remedies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A requester that is dissatisfied with the Information Officer’s refusal to disclose information, may within 30 days of notification of the decision, make use of the following mechanism:
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13. |
AVAILABILITY OF THIS MANUAL |
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Copies of this Manual are available for inspection, free of charge, at the offices of Remgro at Millennia Park, 16 Stellentia Avenue, Stellenbosch, 7600. |
Annexure A
Remgro Group Companies:
- Remgro Limited
- Remgro Management Service Limited
- Invenfin Proprietary Limited
- Falconair Proprietary Limited
- Historical Homes of South Africa Limited
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and may be updated from time to time as required.