PAIA Manual
Prepared for [LEGAL ENTITY NAME] in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000, as amended.
1. Introduction
This manual is prepared in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000, as amended (“PAIA”), and should be read with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).
Private body: Webtastix Web Designs
Trading/service name: FreePDF.co.za
2. Purpose of this manual
This manual is intended to help members of the public understand:
- how to request access to records held by the private body;
- which categories of records may be available without a formal PAIA request;
- the subjects on which the private body holds records;
- how the private body processes personal information;
- the categories of data subjects and personal information processed;
- the categories of recipients to whom personal information may be supplied;
- possible cross-border processing; and
- the general safeguards used to protect personal information.
3. Contact details for access to information
Information Officer / Head of Private Body: [INFORMATION OFFICER FULL NAME]
Telephone: +27 62 233 6789
Email: hello@freepdf.co.za
General PAIA contact: hello@freepdf.co.za
Physical address: [PHYSICAL BUSINESS ADDRESS]
Postal address: [POSTAL ADDRESS]
Website: https://freepdf.co.za/
4. Guide on how to use PAIA
The Information Regulator has made available a guide explaining how to exercise rights under PAIA and POPIA. The Guide and prescribed PAIA forms can be obtained from the Information Regulator’s website.
Official resources:
Information Regulator PAIA Guides
Information Regulator PAIA Forms
5. Records available without a formal PAIA request
| Category | Examples | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Public website information | Tool descriptions, help content, legal policies, privacy information and public contact details. | Available on freepdf.co.za. |
| Open-source notices | Third-party software licence and attribution information published by FreePDF. | Available on the Open-Source Licences page. |
| Published policies | Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, Cookie Policy, PAIA Manual and Accessibility Statement. | Available on freepdf.co.za. |
6. Records held in accordance with legislation
Depending on the activities and legal obligations applicable to the private body, records may be held under legislation including:
- Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000;
- Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013;
- Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002;
- Companies Act 71 of 2008, where applicable;
- Income Tax Act 58 of 1962;
- Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991, where applicable;
- Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, where applicable;
- Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, where applicable;
- Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001, where applicable; and
- other legislation applicable to the private body from time to time.
7. Subjects and categories of records held
| Subject | Categories of records |
|---|---|
| Corporate and statutory | Registration and governance records, statutory filings, policies and compliance records. |
| Finance and tax | Accounting records, invoices, expenses, tax records and supporting documents where applicable. |
| Website operations | Website configuration, software records, technical logs, security records, backups and incident records. |
| Users and enquiries | Support or contact correspondence, privacy requests, complaints and consent records where applicable. |
| Service providers | Contracts, invoices, contact information, account records and correspondence. |
| Intellectual property | Brand assets, software, design records, licences and third-party notices. |
| Human resources | Employment and contractor records where applicable. |
8. Processing of personal information
8.1 Purposes
Personal information may be processed to operate and secure the website, respond to enquiries, manage service providers, meet legal and accounting obligations, administer privacy or access requests, investigate abuse or security incidents, and understand website performance where analytics is enabled.
8.2 Categories of data subjects and information
| Data subject | Information that may be processed |
|---|---|
| Website visitors | IP address, browser/device information, timestamps, requested URLs, security/error logs, consent or analytics identifiers where applicable. |
| People who contact FreePDF | Name, email address, correspondence and any information voluntarily supplied. |
| Service providers and business contacts | Names, business contact details, registration/tax details, contracts, invoices and payment-related business records where applicable. |
| Employees or contractors | Employment, contact, payment, tax and statutory records where applicable. |
8.3 Recipients or categories of recipients
Personal information may be supplied, where reasonably necessary, to hosting, email, security, content-delivery, analytics or other technology providers; professional advisers; accountants or auditors; banks or payment providers if paid services are introduced; regulators; law-enforcement agencies or courts where lawfully required; and other recipients authorised by the data subject or by law.
8.4 Planned transborder flows
Some infrastructure or technology service providers may process limited website-related personal information outside South Africa. Where cross-border processing occurs, reasonable steps are taken to address applicable POPIA requirements. Browser-processed document contents are not intentionally sent to those providers for the document-processing function.
8.5 General security measures
Security measures may include access controls, software updates, encrypted transport, hosting and network security controls, least-privilege administration, logging and monitoring, backups where appropriate, anti-malware or security tooling, incident-response procedures, and browser-side processing that limits the need to transmit document contents to the server.
9. How to request access to a record
A requester seeking access to a record of a private body must use the prescribed PAIA request procedure and explain the right that the requested record is required to exercise or protect.
Requests should be submitted using the applicable prescribed Form 2 and sent to:
Email: hello@freepdf.co.za
For attention: Information Officer / Head of Private Body
Access may be refused where a ground for refusal under PAIA applies. Prescribed fees may be payable where applicable.
10. Complaints about a PAIA request
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of a PAIA request to a private body, you may use the remedies available under PAIA, including a complaint to the Information Regulator where applicable.
The Information Regulator currently publishes PAIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za for PAIA complaints.
11. Availability and updating of this manual
This manual is available on FreePDF.co.za and may also be requested by email at hello@freepdf.co.za.
The private body will review and update this manual when reasonably necessary.
Issued by: Ridwaan Rasool
Capacity: Information Officer / Head of Private Body
Date: 17 August 2026