PAIA manual
NSN Attorneys prepared this manual under section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). The manual also contains the information that the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) requires.
1. Purpose of this manual
PAIA gives effect to the constitutional right of access to information. A person can request a record from a private body if that person needs the record to exercise or protect a right.
This manual helps you to:
- find out which records we hold;
- find out which records are available without a formal request;
- make a request for access to a record;
- understand how we process personal information.
The right of access is not absolute. PAIA sets out grounds on which we can or must refuse a request. See section 10.
2. About the practice and our contact details
NSN Attorneys is a law practice in Cape Town. It is an incorporated company with one attorney, who is registered with the Legal Practice Council. Our practice areas are personal injury, litigation, labour, commercial, family law, and wills and estates. We are a “private body” under PAIA.
| Registered name | NSN Attorneys |
|---|---|
| Trading name | NSN Attorneys |
| Registration number | 2026/081126/21 |
| Legal Practice Council number | 125665 |
| Head of the private body | Nangamso Ntsibantu |
| Information officer | Nangamso Ntsibantu |
| Information officer email | [email protected] |
| Street address | 2 Wesley Street, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001 |
| Telephone | +27 72 247 4720 |
| General email | [email protected] |
| Website | https://nsnlaw.co.za |
Send every request for access to the information officer.
3. The guide on how to use PAIA
The Information Regulator publishes a guide on how to use PAIA, as section 10 of PAIA requires. The guide explains your rights under PAIA and POPIA in plain language. It tells you how to make a request to a public body or a private body, and what help is available.
The guide is available in the official languages. You can read it on the website of the Information Regulator, or you can inspect it at the offices of the Information Regulator during office hours. You can also ask our information officer for a copy.
| Website | inforegulator.org.za |
|---|---|
| PAIA complaints email | [email protected] |
4. Records that are available without a request
You do not have to make a PAIA request for these records:
- the content of this website, which includes our practice areas and contact details;
- this PAIA manual;
- our privacy notice;
- our website disclaimer.
A client can ask us directly for documents from the client’s own file, such as a copy of the engagement letter or of a statement of account.
5. Records that we hold under other legislation
We keep records as these Acts require, where an Act applies to the practice. The list is not complete. If an Act gives you a way to get a record, use that way first.
- Companies Act 71 of 2008
- Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, and the rules and the code of conduct made under it
- Income Tax Act 58 of 1962
- Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011
- Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991
- Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (FICA)
- Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013
- Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000
- Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002
- Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997
- Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
- Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998
- Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001
- Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act 4 of 2002
- Skills Development Levies Act 9 of 1999
- Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993
- Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993
6. Categories of records that we hold
The table shows the subjects on which we hold records, and the categories of records for each subject. A record in the table is not automatically available. Each request is decided under PAIA, and a ground for refusal can apply.
| Subject | Categories of records | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Company records | Incorporation documents, the memorandum of incorporation, registers of directors and shareholders, resolutions and statutory returns. | PAIA request |
| Professional and regulatory records | Legal Practice Council registration, the Fidelity Fund certificate, professional indemnity insurance records and correspondence with regulators. | PAIA request |
| Client and matter records | Engagement letters, instructions, correspondence, pleadings, opinions, agreements, wills, evidence, notes of consultations and identity verification records. | The client can ask us directly. Any other person must make a PAIA request. Legal professional privilege and confidentiality limit access. |
| Trust account records | Trust account books, client ledgers, bank statements, reconciliations and audit reports. | PAIA request |
| Financial and tax records | Accounting records, annual financial statements, invoices, bank records, tax returns and correspondence with the South African Revenue Service. | PAIA request |
| Personnel records | Employment contracts, payroll records, leave records, disciplinary records and statutory employment returns. | PAIA request. The employee can ask for the employee’s own records. |
| Supplier and operations records | Supplier agreements, lease agreements, insurance policies, and information technology and software licence records. | PAIA request |
| Enquiry records | Enquiries from the website form, and our replies. | The person who made the enquiry can ask us directly. |
| Website and policy records | Website content, this manual, the privacy notice and the disclaimer. | Available without a request |
Client files and legal professional privilege
Most records in a client file are confidential. Many are also protected by legal professional privilege, which is the right of a client to keep communications with an attorney private. The privilege belongs to the client, not to us.
We must refuse a request for a privileged record, unless the client gives up the privilege. For this reason, a person who is not the client usually cannot get access to a client file.
7. How we process personal information (POPIA)
7.1 Purposes of the processing
- to answer enquiries and to arrange consultations;
- to check for a conflict of interest and to verify the identity of clients;
- to give legal services and to conduct matters for clients;
- to operate the trust account, to send accounts and to collect fees;
- to manage staff and suppliers;
- to comply with the law, with tax obligations and with the rules of our profession;
- to protect our legal rights and to manage risk.
7.2 Categories of data subjects and their personal information
| Data subjects | Personal information |
|---|---|
| Persons who make an enquiry | Name, telephone number, email address, the practice area of the matter, the preferred consultation type and the content of the message. |
| Clients | Identity and contact details, identity verification documents, financial and bank details, and the facts of the matter. Depending on the matter, this can include special personal information, such as health information, and the information of children. |
| Other parties and witnesses in a matter | Identity and contact details, and information that is relevant to the matter. |
| Employees and job applicants | Identity and contact details, qualifications, employment history, payroll, tax and bank details. |
| Suppliers and service providers | Names, contact details, registration and tax numbers, bank details and contract terms. |
7.3 Recipients of personal information
We give personal information only to a recipient who needs it for a purpose in 7.1:
- courts, tribunals, sheriffs, and the Master of the High Court;
- advocates, correspondent attorneys, experts and other advisers that we instruct;
- other parties in a matter and their legal representatives, as the matter requires;
- regulators and public bodies, such as the Legal Practice Council, the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund, the South African Revenue Service and the Financial Intelligence Centre;
- our bank, our auditor or accountant, and our insurer;
- operators who give us information technology services, which include Cloudflare, Inc. (website host) and our email service provider.
7.4 Transfer of personal information outside South Africa
Cloudflare, Inc. hosts the website and is based outside South Africa. The website form does not send personal information to Cloudflare. An enquiry reaches us by email, through our email mailbox provider.
We transfer personal information outside South Africa only as section 72 of POPIA permits. The grounds are in our privacy notice.
7.5 Security measures
We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to keep personal information confidential, complete and available. These steps include:
- an encrypted connection (HTTPS) to the website;
- access control, passwords and device security on our systems;
- physical security for the office and for paper files;
- backups of electronic records;
- written agreements with operators;
- the duty of confidentiality that binds every attorney and every member of staff.
8. How to request access to a record
- Complete Form 2, the request for access to a record, in the PAIA regulations. You can get the form from the website of the Information Regulator or from our information officer.
- Give enough detail for us to identify the record and to identify you. Tell us which form of access you want, such as a paper copy or an electronic copy.
- State the right that you want to exercise or protect. Explain why you need the record for that right.
- If you make the request for another person, send proof that you have the authority to do so.
- Send the form to the information officer at [email protected], or deliver it to our street address.
- Pay the request fee, if one applies. See section 9.
If you cannot complete the form because of illiteracy or a disability, you can make the request orally. The information officer will then complete the form for you.
We decide on a request within 30 days after we receive it, and we tell you the decision in writing. PAIA permits us to extend this period by not more than 30 days in some cases, for example when the request is for many records. If we extend the period, we will tell you.
If a record contains information about a third party, PAIA can require us to tell the third party about the request. The third party can then make representations before we decide.
If we grant the request, we tell you the access fee and the form of access. If we refuse the request, we give you the reasons and tell you about your remedies.
PAIA does not apply to a record that is requested for criminal or civil proceedings after those proceedings started, if another law provides for access to that record.
9. Fees
The PAIA regulations prescribe the fees that a private body can charge. There are two types:
- Request fee. A requester pays this fee before we process the request. A person who requests only personal information about himself or herself does not pay it.
- Access fee. If we grant the request, the requester pays this fee for the time to find and prepare the record, and for copies and postage.
If the preparation of a record takes more than the time that the regulations prescribe, we can ask for a deposit. We repay the deposit if we refuse the request.
The PAIA regulations prescribe the fee amounts. The Information Regulator publishes the current amounts on its website.
10. Grounds for refusal
Chapter 4 of Part 3 of PAIA sets out the grounds on which a private body can or must refuse a request. The main grounds are:
- the disclosure would be an unreasonable disclosure of personal information about a third party who is a natural person;
- the record contains trade secrets, or financial, commercial, scientific or technical information of a third party, and disclosure would probably harm that third party;
- the disclosure would breach a duty of confidence that we owe to a third party;
- the disclosure could reasonably endanger the life or physical safety of a person, or prejudice the security of property;
- the record is privileged from production in legal proceedings, unless the person who has the privilege gave it up;
- the record contains our own trade secrets or commercial information, and disclosure would probably harm our commercial or financial interests;
- the record contains information about research, and disclosure would cause serious harm.
The ground for privileged records is very important for a law practice. See section 6 for the effect on client files.
In limited cases PAIA requires disclosure in the public interest, although a ground for refusal applies. If we cannot find a record after a reasonable search, or if the record does not exist, we will tell you so in an affidavit or affirmation.
11. Remedies if we refuse your request
We are a private body, so we have no internal appeal procedure. The decision of the information officer is final for the practice.
If you are not satisfied with a decision, you have these remedies:
- Complaint to the Information Regulator. Submit a complaint in the prescribed form within 180 days after the decision.
- Application to court. Apply to a court that has jurisdiction for appropriate relief within 180 days after the decision.
If we do not answer a request within the period that PAIA allows, PAIA treats this as a refusal. A third party who is not satisfied with a decision to grant access has the same remedies.
12. Availability of this manual
This manual is available:
- on our website at https://nsnlaw.co.za/paia-manual;
- at our office, for inspection during office hours, at no charge;
- from the information officer, on request, for the prescribed copy fee if one applies;
- to the Information Regulator, on request.
We review this manual regularly and update it when our information changes.
Last updated: 18 October 2026