In pursuit of equity and social justice for access to information
Is freedom of information ‘free’ in South Africa?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18225/inc.soc.v16i1.6398Keywords:
access to information, freedom of information, records, archives, South AfricaAbstract
Just like in many countries around the world, access to information in South Africa is a fundamental human right enshrined in the Constitution and subsequently in freedom of information (FOI) legislation. Despite the fact that FOI is a constitutionally guaranteed human right, evidence suggests that exercising this right requires considerable effort and, to some extent, comes at a cost. The cost in the context of this study refers to requests and access fees set forth in South Africa’s Promotion of Access to Information Act, as well as money spent on appeals and litigation by ordinary citizens seeking to exercise their rights of access to public information. The purpose of this study is to explore the freedom of access to public information in South Africa, with a view to establishing whether ordinary citizens have free access to information for social justice. Interviews with experts through the Delphi Technique and document analysis were used in this qualitative study to evaluate the cost of accessing information in South Africa. Findings suggest that the cost of access to information is unbearable, especially for marginalised groups whose rights are violated every day. As a result, ordinary citizens do not have access to information and therefore may not be able to participate in the decision-making of public bodies as required in a democratic state. There is a need for the government in South Africa to put measures in place to regulate FOI fees in order to ensure equal access to information for all and make freedom of information ‘free.’
References
ADAMS, R.; ADELEKE, F. Protecting information rights in South Africa: the strategic oversight role of the South African Human Rights Commission and the Information Regulator. International Data Privacy Law, [s. l.], v. 10, n. 2, p. 146-159, 2020.
ARTICLE 19. The public’s right to know: principles on right to information legislation. London: Article 19, 2016. ISBN: 978-1-910793-09-1. Available at: https://www.article19.org/data/files/RTI_Principles_Updated_EN.pdf. Access on: 11 May 2021.
ASOGWA, B. E.; EZEMA, J. I. Freedom of access to government information in Africa: trends, status and challenges. Records Management Journal, [s. l.], v. 27, n. 3, p. 318-338, 2017.
BUTT, S. Freedom of information law and its application in Indonesia: a preliminary assessment. Asian Journal of Comparative Law, [s. l.], v. 8, n. 1, p. 1-42, 2013.
CENTRE FOR LAW AND DEMOCRACY (CLD). Tanzania: note on the draft access to information act, 2015. [S. l.], Halifax, 2015. Available at: www.law-democracy.org/live/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/ATI-Law-analysis.rev_.pdf. Access on: 11 May 2021.
CHAMBERLAIN, L. A costly blunder: South African History Archive v The South African Reserve Bank. South African Journal on Human Rights, [s. l.], v. 53, n. 3, p. 288-297, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02587203.2019.1663129.
DICK, A. Power is information: South Africa’s promotion of access to information act in context. Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies, [s. l.], v. 23, n. 1, p. 1-18, 2005.
DUFF, W. M.; FLINN, A.; SUURTAMM, K. E.; WALLACE, D. A. Social justice impact of archives: a preliminary investigation. Archival Science, [s. n.], v. 13, p. 317-348, 2013.
EBRAHIM, F. The promotion of access to information act: a blunt sword in the fight for freedom of information? MIS Dissertation (Degree Magister Legum), University of the Western Cape, 2010.
GOVENDER, K. Access to information: enforcement mechanisms and fees. SA Public Law, [s. l.], v. 10, n. 2, p. 346-355, 1995.
GRUPE, F. H. Commercialising public information: a critical issue for governmental IS professionals. Information and Management, [s. l.], v. 28, n. 4, p. 229-282, 1995.
HAZEL, R.; WORTHY, B. Assessing the performance of freedom of information. Government Information Quarterly, [s. l.], v. 27, n. 4, p. 352-359, 2010.
INFORMATION REGULATOR SOUTH AFRICA. Guide on how to use Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000, as amended. [2021]. Available at: https://inforegulator.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PAIA-Guide-English_20210905.pdf. Access on: 11 May 2021.
INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND. Six charts explain South Africa’s inequality. IMF country focus, 2020. Available at: https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2020/01/29/na012820six-charts-on-south-africas-persistent-and-multi-faceted-inequality. Access on: 11 May 2021.
JIMERSON, R. C. Responding to the call of justice. Tidsskrifted Arkiv, [s. l.], v.1, p.1-10, 2010. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7577/ta.923.
KEENEY, S.; HASSON, F.; MCKENNA, H. P. The Delphi technique in nursing and health research. Oxford: Willey-Blackwell, 2011.
KHUMALO, N. B.; MOSWEU, O.; BHEBHE, S. A comparative study of freedom of information legislation in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Mousaion: South African Journal of Information Studies, [s. l.], v. 34, n. 4, p. 108-131, 2016. DOI 10.25159/0027-2639/1912.
LUSCOMBE, A.; WALBY, K.; LIPPERT, R. K. Brokering access beyond the border and in the wild: comparing freedom of information law and policy in Canada and the United States. Law and Policy, Denver, v. 39, n. 3, p. 259-279, 2017.
MCKINLEY, D. T. The state of access to information in South Africa. South Africa: CSVR, 2003. Available at: https://help.csvr.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2004/01/stateofaccess.pdf. Access on: 11 May 2021.
MENDEL, T. Freedom of information: a comparative legal survey. Paris: UNESCO, 2003.
MEYER-RESENDE, M. Democracy reporting: International. Berlin: Democracy Reporting International, 2011.
MOJAPELO, M. Strengthening public sector records management through the Information Regulator in South Africa. Journal of the South African Society of Archivists, [s. l.], v. 53, p. 90-102, 2020. DOI 10.4314/jsasa.v53i1.7.
MUTULA, S.; WAMUKOYA, J. Public sector information management in east and southern Africa: Implications for FOI, democracy and integrity in government. International journal of information management, [s. l.], v. 29, n. 5, p. 333-241, 2009.
NEUMAN, L. Access to information: a key to democracy. Jamaica: Carter Centre, 2002.
NGOEPE, M. Balancing and reconciling the conflicting values of information access and personal data laws in South Africa. In: OCHOLLA, D. N.; EVANS, N. D.; BRITZ, J. (eds.). Information knowledge and technology for development in Africa. Cape Town: AOSIS, 2021. p. 71-84.
NGOEPE, M.; MOJAPELO, M. Are we afraid of the dark or the light? A comparative analysis of freedom of information laws in South Africa and Zimbabwe. In: GERALDES, E. (ed.). Dez anos da lei de acesso a informação: limites, perspectivas e desafios. Sao Paulo: Intercom, 2022.
NKWE, M.; NGOEPE, M. Compliance with freedom of information legislation by public bodies in South Africa. Government Information Quarterly, [s. l.], v. 38, n. 2, p. 1-13, 2021.
OSAWE, O. A. A comparative analysis of the right of access to information under the Nigerian Freedom of Information Act 2011 and the South African Promotion of Access to Information Act 2001. African Human Rights Law Journal, Pretoria, v. 22, n. 2, p. 476-492, 2022. DOI 10.17159/1996-2096/2022/v22n2a7.
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA. Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (Act No. 3 of 2000). Republic of South Africa Government Gazette, Cape Town, v. 416, n. 20853, Feb. 2000.
ROBINSON, R. PAIA has holes, but it is not the only law giving access to information. People’s Assembly, Cape Town, 5 Sept. 2016. Available at: https://www.pa.org.za/blog/paia-has-holes-not-only-law-giving-access-informat Access on: 21 May 2022
SORENSEN, R. Impact of South Africa’s promotion of access to information act after three and half years: a perspective. ESARBICA Journal, v. 22, p. 50-63, 2003. DOI 10.4314/esarjo.v22i1.30955.
SAHRC [South African Human Rights Commission]. Promotion of Access to Information Act annual report 2014/15. Johannesburg: SAHRC, 2015.
SAHRC [South African Human Rights Commission]. Promotion of Access to Information Act annual report 2016/17. Johannesburg: SAHRC, 2017.
SAHRC [South African Human Rights Commission]. Promotion of Access to Information Act Annual Report 2018/19. Johannesburg: SAHRC, 2019.
SAHRC [South African Human Rights Commission]. Promotion of Access to Information Act Annual Report 2019/20. Johannesburg: SAHRC, 2020.
SEBINA, P. Freedom of Information: erosion of the archive? Journal of the Society of Archivists, [s. l.], v. 30, n. 2, p. 147-165, 2009.
SHEPHERD, E.; ENNION, E. How has the implementation of the UK Freedom of Information Act 2000 affected archives and records management service? Records Management Journal, [s. l.], v. 17, n. 1, p. 32-51, 2007.
STATISTICS SOUTH AFRICA. National poverty lines. [S. l.], 2018. Available at: https://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P03101/P031012018.pdf. Access on: 11 May 2021.
VAN DER BERG, S. Strengthening access to information institutions to promote a culture of transparency. South African Journal on Human Rights, [s. l.], v. 33, n. 2, p. 167-192, 2017.
WALLACE, D. A. Defining the relationship between archives and social justice. In: WALLACE, D. A.; DUFF, W. M.; SAUCIER, R.; FLINN, A. (eds.). Archives, Recordkeeping and Social Justice. London: Routlege, 2020. p. 22-51.
WAGNER, A. J.; CUILLIER, D. To fee or not to fee: Requester attitudes towards freedom of information charges. Government Information Quarterly, [s. l.], v. 40, n. 4, p. 101879, 2023. DOI 10.1016/j.giq.2023.101879.
THE WORLD BANK. Inequality in Southern Africa: an assessment of the Southern African customs union. Washington, 2022. Available at: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099125303072236903/pdf/P1649270c02a1f06b0a3ae02e57eadd7a82.pdf. Access on: 11 May 2021.
WORTHY, B. The politics of freedom of information: how and why governments pass laws that threaten their power. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Mpho Ngoepe, Makutla Mojapelo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- A publicação se reserva o direito de efetuar, nos originais, alterações de ordem normativa, ortográfica e gramatical, com vistas a manter o padrão culto da língua, respeitando, porém, o estilo dos autores;
- As provas finais não serão enviadas aos autores;
- Os trabalhos publicados passam a ser propriedade da revista Inclusão Social, ficando sua reimpressão total ou parcial, sujeita à autorização expressa da direção do Ibict;
- Deve ser consignada a fonte de publicação original;
- As opiniões emitidas pelos autores dos artigos são de sua exclusiva responsabilidade;
- Cada autor receberá dois exemplares da revista, caso esteja disponível no formato impresso.
