PAIA · Section 51

PAIA Manual

Published in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2 of 2000, read with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013.

Signa Advisory (Pty) Ltd · Registration no 2026/511842/07 · Adopted August 2026

1. Introduction

This manual is published in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2 of 2000 (“PAIA”). It explains how to request access to records held by Signa Advisory (Pty) Ltd (“Signa”), and provides the information required under PAIA and the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”). It applies to all records held by Signa, regardless of format.

2. Company and contact details

  • Name: Signa Advisory (Pty) Ltd (registration no 2026/511842/07)
  • Physical address: Suit 2, 30A Ronan Road, La Lucia, Durban, 4051, South Africa
  • Email: admin@signa-adv.co.za
  • Website: https://signa-adv.co.za

3. Information Officer

The Information Officer of Signa (being the head of the private body for the purposes of PAIA and POPIA) is Nirusha Singh. All PAIA requests, POPIA enquiries and complaints should be directed to the Information Officer at admin@signa-adv.co.za, marked “PAIA/POPIA — for the attention of the Information Officer”.

4. The section 10 Guide

The Information Regulator has published a Guide (in all official languages) on how to use PAIA, as contemplated in section 10 of PAIA. The Guide is available from the Information Regulator (South Africa): inforegulator.org.za · email inforeg@inforegulator.org.za · JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

5. Records available without a PAIA request

Information published on our website — including our services, contact details, POPIA privacy policy and this manual — is available without a formal request.

6. Categories of records we hold

  • Corporate and statutory records — incorporation documents, statutory registers, resolutions, regulatory correspondence;
  • Financial records — accounting records, tax records, banking records, invoices;
  • Client and engagement records — mandates, correspondence, advices, matter files (typically subject to confidentiality and, where applicable, legal privilege);
  • Personnel records — records relating to personnel and contractors;
  • Operational records — policies, procedures, templates, systems documentation;
  • Marketing records — website content, brochures, proposals.

7. How to request a record

  • Complete Form 2 (Request for Access to Record) prescribed under the PAIA Regulations, 2021 — available from the Information Regulator's website;
  • Send it to the Information Officer at admin@signa-adv.co.za with proof of identity;
  • Pay the prescribed request fee (currently R140 for private bodies) and any prescribed access and reproduction fees under Annexure B of the PAIA Regulations, as advised by the Information Officer;
  • If you request the record in the exercise or protection of a right, state which right and why the record is required;
  • We will respond within 30 days as required by PAIA (extendable once by up to 30 days in the circumstances PAIA permits).

8. Grounds of refusal

Access may be refused on the grounds set out in Chapter 4 of Part 3 of PAIA, including protection of the privacy of third parties, confidential commercial information, records protected by legal professional privilege, and safety or security of persons or property. Where a ground of refusal applies to part of a record, the remainder will be provided where severable.

9. Remedies

Signa is a private body and has no internal appeal procedure. If a request is refused, the requester may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) or apply to a court with appropriate jurisdiction.

10. Processing of personal information (POPIA)

  • Purposes: providing legal and compliance advisory services; client engagement and administration; complying with our own legal obligations; securing our systems; communication with clients and enquirers.
  • Categories of data subjects: clients and their representatives; enquirers; suppliers and service providers; personnel and contractors.
  • Categories of personal information: names and contact details; identity information where required; engagement and matter information; billing information.
  • Recipients: service providers acting as operators under written agreements; admitted attorneys and counsel engaged on a matter; regulators and authorities where required by law.
  • Cross-border transfers: only as permitted by section 72 of POPIA.
  • Security measures: appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures, including access controls, encrypted transmission and confidentiality undertakings.

Full detail is set out in our POPIA Privacy Policy.

11. Availability of this manual

This manual is available free of charge on this website, and on request from the Information Officer. It will be reviewed and updated as our business or the law requires.