PAIA Manual

PROMOTION OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION MANUAL

 NORTH COAST VETERINARY SERVICES CC T/A
COTTAGE VETERINARY CLINIC
MANUAL
in terms of
Section 51 of
The Promotion of Access to Information Act
2/2000

Who we are

North Coast Veterinary Services CC trading as Cottage Veterinary Clinic with company registration number 2011/029054/23 is an independent animal veterinary clinic and surgery. We protect the health and well-being of your pets, offering a range of services that include: diagnosing and treating sick and injured animals, advising owners on the right pet care, and providing a range of care related products for purchase. For these reasons we consider our processing of your personal data to be in our legitimate interests and lawful.

Introduction

The manual is to assist potential requestors as to the procedure to be followed when requesting access to information / documents from Cottage Veterinary Clinic as contemplated in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act.

The manual may be amended from time to time and as soon as any amendments have been finalised the latest version of the manual will be made public.

A person may only request information in terms of the Act, if the information is required for the exercise or protection of a right. Information will therefore not be furnished unless a person clearly provides sufficient particulars to enable us to identify the right the requester is seeking to protect as well as an explanation of why the requested information is required for the exercise for the  protection of that right.

Any requestor is advised to contact the Information Officer should he / she require any assistance in respect of the utilisation of this manual and/or the requesting of documents / information from Cottage Veterinary Clinic.

The following words will bear the following meaning in this manual:-

“the Act” or “PAIA”

shall mean the Promotion of Access to Information Act, No. 2 of 2000, read together with all relevant regulations published from time to time;

“the/this manual”

shall mean this manual together with all annexures thereto as available at the offices of Cottage Veterinary Clinic from time to time;

“Cottage Veterinary Clinic”

shall mean Cottage Veterinary Clinic

“Republic”

shall mean the Republic of South Africa;

“SAHRC”

shall mean the South African Human Rights Commission.

Objectives of Manual

The reference, in this Manual, to any information in addition to that specifically required in terms of Section 51 of the Act does not create any right or entitlement (contractual or otherwise) to receive such information, other than in terms of the Act.

Contact details

Dr Morné de Wet
Cottage Veterinary Clinic Group Information Officer
Cottage Veterinary Clinic
1 Riverside Avenue, Gordon’s Bay, 7140
Telephone number (021) 856 2746
Email: admin@cottagevet.co.za

Guide in terms of Section 10 of the Act (Section 51(1) (b) of the Act)

Section 10 of the Act requires the SAHRC to compile a guide containing such information as may be required by a person who wishes to exercise any right contemplated in the Act.

Requests in terms of the Act shall be made in accordance with the prescribed procedures, at the reasonable rates provided. The forms and tariff are dealt with in section 53 and 54 of the Act.

Requesters are referred to the Guide in terms of Section 10 which has been compiled by the South African Human Rights Commission, which will contain information for the purposes of exercising Constitutional Rights.

The guide is available at the offices of the SAHRC at 29 Princess of Wales Terrace, cnr York and St. Andrews Street, Parktown and on its website www.sahrc.org.za.

Contact details of the South African Human Rights Commission:

PAIA Unit
The Research and Documentation Department
Private Bag 2700
HOUGHTON
2041

Telephone: +27 11 877 3600

Fax: +27 11 403 0625

Website: www.sahrc.org.za

E-mail: PAIA@sahrc.org.za

Information / Documents available in accordance with other legislation

Cottage Veterinary Clinic keeps information / documents in accordance with the following legislation (please note that this is not an exhaustive list):

• Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act, Act 19 of 1982
• Medicines and Related Substances Act, Act 101 of 1965
• Fertilisers, Farm Feeds, Seeds and Remedies Act, Act 36 of 1947
• Companies Act, No. 71 of 2008
• Income Tax Act, No. 58 of 1962
• Value-Added Tax Act, No. 89 of 1991
• Close Corporations Act, No. 69 of 1984
• Value-Added Tax Act, No. 89 of 1991
• Customs and Excise Act, No. 91 of 1964
• Unemployment Insurance Act, No. 63 of 2001
• Unemployment Insurance Contributions Act, No. 4 of 2002
• Basic Conditions of Employment Act, No. 75 of 1997
• Employment Equity Act, No. 55 0f 1998
• Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, No. 130 of 1993
• Insolvency Act, No. 24 of 1936
• Occupational Health and Safety Act, No. 85 of 1993
• Copyright Act, No. 98 of 1978
• Labour relations Act, No. 66 of 1995
• South African Reserve Bank Act, No. 90 of 1989
• Skills Development Act, No. 97 of 1998
• Skills Development Levies Act, No. 9 of 1999
• Trade Marks Act, 194 of 1993
• Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993
• Arbitration Act 42 of 1965
• Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008
• Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002
• Electronic Communications Act 13 of 2000
• Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013

Documents / Information held by Cottage Veterinary Clinic

The list(s) below depict records of information which Cottage Veterinary Clinic has available in terms of laws applicable to Cottage Veterinary Clinic and which pertain to the day-to-day management of the business of Cottage Veterinary Clinic:

Corporate Secretariat and Governance

• Annual Reports
• Memorandum of Incorporation
• Applicable Statutory Documents
• Policies and Procedures
• Compliance Certification
• Records relating to the appointment of directors/ auditor/ secretary/public officer and other officers
• Fraud alerts and whistle blowing
• Share Certificates
• Health & Safety Records
• Share Register and other statutory registers
• Legal Compliance Records
• Statutory Returns to Relevant Authorities

Finance and Taxation

• Accounting Records
• Leases
• Annual Financial Statements
• Management Reports
• Asset Register
• Monthly expenses
• Audit Reports
• Banking Records Bank Statements
• PAYE Records x Business Plan and Budgets
• Payment Terms
• Capital Expenditure Records
• Records of payments made to SARS on behalf of employees
• Debtors and Creditors Statements and Invoices
• Rental Agreements
• Documents issued to employees for income tax purposes
• Risk Management and Insurance
• Electronic banking records
• Tax Records and Returns PAIA Manual – September 2017 Page 9 of 22
• Financial Policies and Procedures
• Transaction Records
• General Ledger and Sub Ledgers
• Treasury Dealing x General Ledger Reconciliations
• All other statutory compliances
• Income Tax Returns
• Skills Development Levies Returns
• UIF Returns
• VAT Returns
• Workmen’s Compensation Returns

Personnel Documents and Records

• CV’s, application details
• Letters of Appointment and Employment Contracts
• Disciplinary Code and Records x Medical Aid Records
• Disciplinary Procedures and CCMA matters
• Education and Training Records
• PAYE Returns
• Employee Benefit Records
• Payroll Reports
• Employee Relations
• Pension and Retirement Funding Records
• Employment Contracts
• Employment Equity Plan
• Personal Records
• Employee Information
• Remuneration Policy
• Forms and Applications
• SETA Records
• Grievance Procedure
• Skills Development
• HR Policies and Procedures
• Social Responsibility
• Incentives and Bonuses
• Study Assistance Scheme/s
• IRP5’s
• Time Management
• Job Profiles
• Training and Development
• Leave Records
• UIF Returns

Information Technology and Infrastructure

• License Agreements
• Device Management
• Maintenance Plans
• Network Topologies/Diagrams
• Email
• Operating Systems
• Equipment Specifications
• Faults, Troubleshooting and Reporting
• Hardware and Software Manuals
• Security Access
• Supplier Agreements/ Vendor Agreements
• System/Application landscape Diagrams

Intellectual Property

• Agreements relating to intellectual property
• Patents
• Copyrights Agreements
• Trademark applications
• Licenses
• Know-how
• Designs

Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations / Communications

• Client Events
• Newsletters and Publications
• Corporate Social Investment
• Public Corporate Records
• Media Releases

Legal

• Agreement and Contracts
• Records of Stolen Goods
• Competition Notifications
• Subpoenas
• Health and Safety Records

Sales, Marketing and Communication

• Actual Sales
• Media and Advertising
• Branding
• Point of Sale (POS)
• Press releases / Communique
• Customer Orders and Delivery Notes
• Products and Services Brochures
• External Publications
• Proposals and Tenders
• Marketing Brochures
• Media and Advertising

Business Interactions with other entities

• Agreements with third parties (Clients, Vendors and Suppliers)
• Licensing and Maintenance Agreements
• Payment History
• Customer Credit vetting
• Service Level Agreements
• Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Insurance

• Insurance Policies
• Insurance Claim Files

Regulatory

• Applications
• Permits
• Exemptions
• Registrations
• Licenses
• Submissions

Logistics and Procurement

• Stock Records
• Supplier and Contractor Agreements
• Purchase Orders
• Suppliers and Manufacturers Details
• Standard Terms and Conditions of Supply of Services, Products and Software to Cottage Veterinary Clinic

Administrative

• Correspondence with internal and external parties

Webpage

The Cottage Veterinary Clinic Webpage (www.cottagevet.co.za) accessible to anyone with access to the internet.

It is recorded that access to the documents listed above may be protected by privacy or the grounds of refusal set out in the Act. All requests for access will be evaluated on a case by case basis in accordance with the provisions of the Act and other applicable legislation.

Automatically available records

The records listed below are automatically available without having to submit a formal request to access the information in terms of PAIA:

• Public Product Information – freely available on website
• Public Corporate Records
• BEE Certificates
• Product and services information
  News and other Marketing Information
• Records of Cottage Veterinary Clinic lodged in terms of government requirements such as the Registrar of Deeds
  Documentation and information relating to Cottage Veterinary Clinic which is held by the Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission in accordance with the requirements set out in PAIA Manual – September 2017 Page 6 of 22 set out in section 25 of the Companies Act 71 of 2008

Policy with regard to confidentiality and access to information

Cottage Veterinary Clinic will protect the confidentiality of information provided to it by third parties, subject to Cottage Veterinary Clinic’s obligations to disclose information in terms of any applicable law or regulation or a court order requiring disclosure of information.

If access is requested to a record that contains information about a third party, Cottage Veterinary Clinic is obliged to attempt to contact such third party to inform him/her/it of the request. Cottage Veterinary Clinic will give the third party an opportunity of responding by either consenting to the access or by providing reasons why the access should be denied. In the event that the third party furnishing reasons for the support or denial of access, the Information Officer will consider these reasons in determining whether access should be granted to the requestor or not.

Procedure for obtaining access to information

A request for access to information must be made in the prescribed form to the appointed information officer indicated above. See clause 11 below for the prescribed form, which can also be found on www.sahrc.org.za.

All required text fields in the form must be completed in full and in a legible form. The form (as well as any additional pages attached thereto) must be signed by the person submitting the form.

Requesters must provide sufficient details to enable Cottage Veterinary Clinic identify:

• the record(s) requested;
• the requester (and if an agent is lodging the request, proof of capacity);
• the form of access required;
• the postal address or fax number of the requester in the Republic;
• if the requester wishes to be informed of the decision in any manner (in addition to written) the manner and particulars thereof;
• the right which the requester is seeking to exercise or protect with an explanation of the reason the record is required to exercise or protect the right.

Once the form has been submitted, the appointed information officer will notify the requester of the prescribed fee (if any) payable before further processing the request.

The information officer shall within 30 days, after the request is received, notify the requester whether the request has been granted/or refused, as well as provide the requester with any additional fees which may be levied. These additional fees would be for the reproduction, preparation and time, reasonably required to search and prepare the disclosure.

Availability of the Manual

This manual is available for inspection at the offices of Cottage Veterinary Clinic as well as on and on the website (www.cottagevet.co.za), free of charge.

Copies of the manual may be obtained, subject to the prescribed fees, at the offices of Cottage Veterinary Clinic.

Access to Information Request Form

(click on image to download)

Prescribed fees

Requesters are required to pay a fee when requesting access to records from both public bodies.

The fee for requesting records from a private body is R50.

Requesters who are requesting access to their personal information are exempt from paying the request fee; however, they are still required to pay access fees.

Requesters who earn less than R14, 712 per year (if single) and R27,192 per year (if married or in a life partnership), do not have to pay access fees.

Postage fees have to be paid by the requester for the delivery of their records in the case of both public and private bodies.

 

 

If the Information Officer, Deputy Information Officer, or head of the private body thinks that the collection and reproduction of documents will take longer than six hours, he/she must inform the requester (by formal notice) that one third of the access fee is payable upfront as a deposit.

The actual postage is payable when a copy of a record must be posted to a requester.