City of Cape Town Link

Request access to information

<div class="ExternalClass961F916F43654D3787ABF280F3342371">As a citizen of Cape Town, you have a constitutional right of access to information held by the City of Cape Town by formally requesting access to certain public records. According to section 10 of the<a href="https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/acts/2000-002.pdf" target="_blank"> Promotion of Access to Information Act</a>, the Human Rights Commission must compile a guide containing information required from a person wishing to learn about their rights listed in the Act. </div>

<h2 class="sectHeading">How to request information from the City of Cape Town</h2> You can request information from any of the following public bodies:<ul><li>Any department or national or provincial administration or municipality.</li><li>Any official or institution when they exercise a power or perform a duty in terms of the Constitution.</li><li>Any official or institution when they exercise a public power or perform a public function in terms of any laws.</li></ul>The PAIA does not apply to requests for records held by the Cabinet or its committees, members of parliament or provincial legislature and a judge of the court or a special tribunal.Access the guide on how to use the PAIA (<a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA-Guide-English.pdf" target="_blank">English</a> | <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA-Guide-Afrikaans.pdf" target="_blank">Afrikaans</a> | <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA-Guide-Xhosa.pdf" target="_blank">isiXhosa</a>) Step 1: Find out about your rights to information by reading the Section 14 Manual. Section 14 of the PAIA states that a guide must be compiled informing the public of their right to information. The City has produced the Section 14 Manual detailing the public’s right to information held by the City: <h4>Access the full manual and annexures: </h4><ul><li>Section 14 Manual (<a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Section%2014%20Manual.pdf" target="_blank">English</a> | <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA_Manual_Afrikaans.pdf" target="_blank">Afrikaans</a> | <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA_Manual_isiXhosa.pdf" target="_blank">isiXhosa</a>) </li><li> <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA_Annexure_A_Subjects_of_records.pdf" target="_blank">Annexure A - Descriptions of categories and subjects on which the City holds records</a> </li><li> <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA_Annexure_B_Categories_of_Records.pdf" target="_blank">Annexure B - Automatically Available Records</a></li><li> <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA_Annexure_C_%20Request_for_Acccess_to_Record_Form_2.pdf" target="_blank">Annexure C - Access to Record Form (2)</a> </li><li> <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA_Annexure_D_Fee_structure.pdf" target="_blank">Annexure D - Fee Structure</a> </li><li> <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures%2c%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/PAIA_Annexure_E_%20Internal_Appeal_Form_4.pdf" target="_blank">Annexure E - Internal Appeal Form (4)</a> </li></ul>Information that does not require a request is available in the manual and on our website. The manual may also be viewed at: The City of Cape Town Access to City Records Office 2nd Floor Civic Centre 12 Hertzog Boulevard Cape Town Or The National Library of South Africa 5 Queen Victoria Street Cape Town Telephone: <a>021 424 6320</a> Step 2: If you have difficulty understanding the manual, contact the Legal Services Department. They are responsible for allowing access to information. Telephone: <a>021 400 1360</a> Email: <a href="mailto:access2info.act@capetown.gov.za">access2info.act@capetown.gov.za</a>. <h2 class="sectHeading">Request access to a record</h2> <div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Please note</h4> You cannot search for records if you are definitely going to begin a court case, or after one is begun. If you wish to take a matter to court you can only get records as part of the court proceedings. You can, however, make a request on behalf of someone else. You will need to fill in their full name and identity number.</div></div> Once you have informed yourself of your rights and the guidelines around requesting information, you can lodge your request following the steps below. Step 1: Obtain the Request for Access form from the document downloads below or from: The Information Office 20th Floor Civic Centre Hertzog Boulevard Cape Town Step 2: Fill in the form. Ensure that you sign each page of the form, including extra pages you might have added, and state whether you require a copy of the record, or the original record. <div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Please note</h4> If you are prevented by a disability, you may ask for the record to be provided in another form. For example, if you are hard of hearing, you can request that an audio record is transcribed.</div></div> Step 3: You can submit your request via post to: Private Bag X918 Cape Town 8000Alternatively, you can fax your submmision to <a> 021 400 5830</a> or <a> 086 202 9982</a> or send it via email to <a href="mailto:access2info.act@capetown.gov.za"> access2info.act@capetown.gov.za</a>.If you are delivering your submission by hand, then you must deliver it to: 20th Floor, Tower Block Civic Centre 12 Hertzog Boulevard Cape TownThe application form must be accompanied by the prescribed request fee of R35. <h2 class="sectHeading">Accessing the record</h2> Step 1: You will be notified in writing within 30 days of receipt whether your request has been approved or denied, unless the time period has been extended. Step 2: Once the request has been granted, you must pay an access fee calculated by the search and preparation time, and the reproduction or the record, where applicable. This fee is calculated by: <ul><li>the time it takes to find the records;</li><li>the number of pages in the record; and</li><li>the cost of reproducing the record.</li></ul> The first hour of searching is free. If, after searching, the record can’t be found, is thought to be lost, or doesn’t exist, the Information Officer must inform you in an affidavit. The Information Officer may also give you the record with any information that, according to the Act, may not be disclosed absent from the document. <h2 class="sectHeading">Make an appeal</h2> If your request for access has been denied on grounds you consider insufficient, you may file an appeal following the process below. You may make an appeal if: <ul><li>your request for a record has been refused;</li><li>you were not given the record in the form you asked; </li><li>you are a third party who wants to appeal against the record being granted;</li><li>the search took longer than it should have;</li><li>the amount of fees charged was too high; and</li><li>the body is refusing to give you the form you requested.</li></ul> Fill in the Notice of Internal Appeals form, which is included in your Request for Information form, and deliver, send, post, fax or email to the information officer or corporate deputy information officer you dealt with, within 60 days (or 30 days if notice to a third party is required) after the decision was taken. <div class="notification with-heading dark-copy pink bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Please note</h4> A list of the City’s Deputy Information Officers and their contact details can be found in the Section 14 Manual.</div></div> If you have been unsuccessful in an internal appeal to the relevant authority of a public body, you may go to court to review that decision.You can contact Legal Services on <a> 021 400 1360</a> for more information. <h2 class="sectHeading">Annual report</h2>We submit a report to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) annually, in respect of the access to information requests we have received under the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/City%20research%20reports%20and%20review/PAIA_Report%20to_SAHRC_April_2020-March_2021.pdf" target="_blank">Annual Report: April 2020 - March 2021</a><h2 class="sectHeading">Contact us</h2><h4>The Information office</h4>Telephone: <a>021 400 1360</a> Fax: <a>021 400 5831</a> / <a>086 202 9982</a> Email: <a href="mailto:access2info.act@capetown.gov.za">access2info.act@capetown.gov.za</a>

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You can request information about the City of Cape Town by accessing public records.

Access to information internal appeal form	Access to information internal appeal form	106864	GP0\|#aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a;L0\|#0aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a\|Form;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#3a03f9b9-d2e9-49b1-92e1-37b654747f82;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2022-10-20T22:00:00Z
Objection to the processing of personal information form	Objection to the processing of personal information form	62520	GP0\|#aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a;L0\|#0aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a\|Form;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#3a03f9b9-d2e9-49b1-92e1-37b654747f82;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2022-10-20T22:00:00Z
PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure A - Subjects of Records	PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure A - Subjects of Records	413446	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2025-11-23T22:00:00Z
PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure B - Categories of Automatically Available Records	PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure B - Categories of Automatically Available Records	599750	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2025-11-23T22:00:00Z
PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure C - Access to Records Form 2	PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure C - Access to Records Form 2	584500	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e;GP0\|#aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a;L0\|#0aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a\|Form;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#3a03f9b9-d2e9-49b1-92e1-37b654747f82;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2022-12-21T10:00:00Z
PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure D - Fee Structure	PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure D - Fee Structure	380063	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2024-01-11T22:00:00Z
PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure E - Internal Appeal Form 4	PAIA Section 14 Manual: Annexure E - Internal Appeal Form 4	473447	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e;GP0\|#aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a;L0\|#0aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a\|Form;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#3a03f9b9-d2e9-49b1-92e1-37b654747f82;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2022-12-21T10:00:00Z
Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) Guide (Afrikaans)	Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) Guide (Afrikaans)	471912	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2021-09-04T22:00:00Z
Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) Guide (English)	Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) Guide (English)	468813	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2021-09-04T22:00:00Z
Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) Guide (isiXhosa)	Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) Guide (isiXhosa)	494485	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2021-09-04T22:00:00Z
Request For Access to Record Form	Request For Access to Record Form	877353	GP0\|#aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a;L0\|#0aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a\|Form;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#3a03f9b9-d2e9-49b1-92e1-37b654747f82;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2022-10-20T22:00:00Z
Request for correction or deletion of personal information form	Request for correction or deletion of personal information form	75877	GP0\|#aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a;L0\|#0aee51318-6034-483d-992c-02e7b211df9a\|Form;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#3a03f9b9-d2e9-49b1-92e1-37b654747f82;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2022-10-20T22:00:00Z
SAHRC Requests for Information Annual Report: April 2020 - March 2021	SAHRC Requests for Information Annual Report: April 2020 - March 2021	424770	GP0\|#8cec6bba-027c-430d-907b-1052f58fc25f;L0\|#08cec6bba-027c-430d-907b-1052f58fc25f\|Annual report;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#74dbb0ce-0b0a-42e0-958b-10ee25e7fefd;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2020-03-31T22:00:00Z
The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA): Section 14 Manual (Afrikaans)	The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA): Section 14 Manual (Afrikaans)	1654193	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2025-11-23T22:00:00Z
The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA): Section 14 Manual (English)	The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA): Section 14 Manual (English)	1511574	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2025-11-23T22:00:00Z
The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA): Section 14 Manual (isiXhosa)	The Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA): Section 14 Manual (isiXhosa)	1558938	GP0\|#63522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33;L0\|#063522a5c-a6fd-40ae-a313-2b363ab1ec33\|Guideline;GTSet\|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP\|#d8892104-ce90-493e-b813-93c488f4b1d3;GPP\|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e	2025-11-23T22:00:00Z