PAIA Manual

Manual in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000

Last updated: 18 October 2026

1. Introduction and purpose

This manual is published by G IT Consulting (Pty) Ltd, trading as Gild & Grain (“we”, “us”, “our”), in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (“PAIA”). It explains what records we hold, how you may request access to them, what it costs, how long we take, and what you can do if we refuse.

PAIA gives effect to section 32 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right of access to information. It must be read together with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”), which governs how we may process personal information.

2. Particulars of the body

In terms of section 51(1)(a) of PAIA:

  • Registered name: G IT Consulting (Pty) Ltd
  • Trading name: Gild & Grain
  • Registration number: 2013/015920/07
  • Registered and physical address: 5 Sycamore Street, Fairie Knowe, Cape Town, 7975, South Africa
  • Postal address: 5 Sycamore Street, Fairie Knowe, Cape Town, 7975, South Africa (the same as our physical address)
  • Telephone and WhatsApp: +27 68 605 3378
  • Email: info@gildandgrain.co.za
  • Website: www.gildandgrain.co.za
  • Facsimile: none
  • Head of the body, and Information Officer: Juan de Kock

Under POPIA, the Information Officer of a private body is the head of that body. Juan de Kock is therefore both the head of the body and our Information Officer for the purposes of PAIA and POPIA.

3. The Guide on how to use PAIA

In terms of section 51(1)(b) of PAIA, the Information Regulator has published a Guide on how to use the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000. It explains how PAIA works, how to request access to a record, and how to exercise your rights under POPIA, including your right of access to your own personal information under section 23 of POPIA.

The Guide is available free of charge from the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za, in all 11 official languages. You may also ask our Information Officer for a copy, using PAIA Form 1.

4. Records available without a request

In terms of section 51(1)(c) of PAIA, we record that we have not published a notice in terms of section 52(2) of PAIA. No records are therefore automatically available without a request, other than the information we publish on our website, such as our store policies, our product and price information, and our contact details.

5. Records available in terms of other legislation

In terms of section 51(1)(d) of PAIA, some records are available under other laws, including:

  • Company records (registration, directors, annual returns) – Companies Act 71 of 2008; available from the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).
  • Tax records – Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011 and the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962; these are confidential as between us and SARS.
  • Consumer records – Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.
  • Electronic transactions – Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, which requires us to publish our legal name, registration number, address, telephone number and email address. Those details appear on our website.
  • Personal information – POPIA, which gives you the right to access the personal information we hold about you (see clause 9).
  • Intellectual property records – Designs Act 195 of 1993 and Trade Marks Act 194 of 1993; available from the CIPC.
  • Employment records – Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 and Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, where we employ or engage people.

6. Subjects on which we hold records, and the categories of records

In terms of section 51(1)(e) of PAIA, we hold records on the following subjects:

  • Company and statutory records: registration documents, memorandum of incorporation, records of directors and shareholders, resolutions and written authorisations, statutory registers, and annual returns.
  • Financial and accounting records: bank records, invoices and credit notes, ledgers and books of account, debtors and creditors, management accounts, financial statements, budgets, tax returns and correspondence with SARS.
  • Customer and sales records: customer names and contact details, orders, invoices, delivery details, correspondence, personalisation and engraving instructions, returns, refunds and warranty claims, and marketing consents.
  • Supplier and service provider records: supplier details, contracts, purchase orders, quotations, invoices, delivery notes and correspondence.
  • Employee and personnel records: employment contracts, job descriptions, payroll and wage records, leave records, benefits, disciplinary records, performance records and training records, to the extent that we employ or engage people.
  • Intellectual property records: product and packaging designs, drawings, photographs, trade mark records, and brand and website content.
  • Information technology and website records: website and e-commerce platform records, hosting records, access and security logs, analytics data, cookie data, and email and mailing lists.
  • Marketing and communication records: marketing plans, campaign records, social media records, newsletters, and consent and unsubscribe records.
  • Insurance and risk records: insurance policies, schedules and claims.
  • Legal and compliance records: contracts and agreements, our published policies, legal advice, compliance records, and dispute and litigation records.
  • Operational and production records: workshop and production records, stock and inventory records, quality control records, and courier and dispatch records.

7. How to request access to a record

In terms of section 51(1)(e) and (f) of PAIA, a request for access to a record must be made on Form 2 – Request for Access to Record, prescribed by the PAIA Regulations. You can obtain the form from the Information Regulator’s website, or from our Information Officer.

Address your request to our Information Officer using the details in clause 2. Your request must:

  • be made on the prescribed Form 2;
  • describe the record you want clearly enough for us to identify it;
  • state the form of access you want, for example a copy by email or a printed copy;
  • state your identity number, if you want access to your own personal information;
  • if you are requesting a record of our business other than your own personal information, state the right you want to exercise or protect and explain why the record is required for that purpose – PAIA requires this of a request to a private body (section 50(2)(a));
  • give an address, email address or telephone number where we can reach you;
  • include the prescribed request fee (see clause 8).

If your request does not meet these requirements, we may refuse it or ask you to correct it. If you need help completing Form 2, our Information Officer will assist you.

8. Fees

In terms of section 51(1)(f) of PAIA, the fees prescribed by the Information Regulator for a private body are:

  • Request fee, payable by every requester: R140.00
  • Photocopy or printed black-and-white copy, for every A4 page or part of a page: R2.00
  • Copy in computer-readable form: on a flash drive you provide – R40.00; on a compact disc you provide – R40.00; on a compact disc we provide – R60.00
  • Transcription of an audio record: R24.00 per A4 page or part of a page
  • Copy of an audio record: on a flash drive you provide – R40.00; on a compact disc you provide – R40.00; on a compact disc we provide – R60.00
  • Search and preparation: R145.00 per hour or part of an hour, excluding the first hour, up to a maximum of R435.00
  • Deposit: if the search exceeds 6 hours, one third of the amount, calculated on the items above
  • Postage, email or other electronic transfer: the actual cost
  • Transcription or copying of visual images: outsourced; the fee is the quotation from the service provider

The request fee must be paid before we process your request. Once we have decided, we will tell you in writing, on Form 3 – Outcome of request and of fees payable, what further access fees are payable. If you do not pay them, we may refuse the request.

9. Access to your own personal information

If you want access to the personal information we hold about you, you may make a request under section 23 of POPIA. Use the same Form 2 and the same process described in clause 7. Your rights in relation to your personal information are set out in our Privacy Policy.

10. How long we take to decide

PAIA gives us 30 (thirty) days from the day we receive a valid request to decide whether to grant it. We will notify you in writing on Form 3 of our decision and of any fees payable.

If we need more time, we may extend that period once, in writing, with reasons, as PAIA allows.

11. Grounds on which we may refuse a request

We may refuse a request on any of the grounds set out in Chapter 4 of PAIA, and in some cases PAIA requires us to refuse. These grounds include, but are not limited to, where the record contains the personal information of another person, where it contains our own commercial information and disclosing it would likely harm us, and where the record is protected by legal privilege.

If we refuse your request, we will notify you in writing, with our reasons.

12. Assistance available from us

In terms of section 51(1)(g) of PAIA, our Information Officer will assist you to identify the record you want, to understand how PAIA works, and to complete and submit Form 2. Our contact details are in clause 2.

13. Assistance available from the Information Regulator

In terms of section 51(1)(h) of PAIA, you may also approach the Information Regulator (South Africa) for assistance, including its helpdesk and the Guide on how to use PAIA.

14. Remedies if a request is refused

In terms of section 51(1)(i) of PAIA, if we refuse your request, or do not respond within the time allowed, you may:

  • lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator on Form 5 – Complaint Form, emailed to PAIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za. For a private body, the complaint must be lodged within 180 (one hundred and eighty) days of the refusal, or of the 30 (thirty) days allowed for a response lapsing; or
  • apply to a court for appropriate relief, as section 78 of PAIA provides.

The internal appeal procedure in PAIA applies to public bodies, not to private bodies such as ours, so you do not need to lodge an internal appeal first.

If your complaint is about how we have processed your personal information rather than about access to a record, please see the complaints section of our Privacy Policy.

15. How this manual is made available

In terms of section 51(1)(j) of PAIA, this manual is available:

  • on our website, www.gildandgrain.co.za; and
  • free of charge from our Information Officer on request, by email or WhatsApp.

We review this manual at least once a year, and whenever our records or contact details change. We submit it to the Information Regulator as PAIA requires.

16. Contact us

  • Legal name: G IT Consulting (Pty) Ltd, trading as Gild & Grain
  • Registration number: 2013/015920/07
  • Head of the body and Information Officer: Juan de Kock
  • Address: 5 Sycamore Street, Fairie Knowe, Cape Town, 7975, South Africa
  • Email: info@gildandgrain.co.za
  • WhatsApp: +27 68 605 3378
  • Trading hours: Monday to Friday, 09:00–17:00