Sash takes part in KZN forum to promote access to information
The Black Sash has attended a high-level KZN provincial forum to discuss the effectiveness of PAIA (Promotion of Access to Information Act) in the province. Officials from the office of the KZN Premier, Limpopo PAIA provincial forum, KZN archives, the Mercury newspaper, South African Human Rights Council and the Departments of Sports and Health attended the meeting in Durban during March 2010. It emerged during the meeting that KwaZulu-Natal is the worst performing provice in terms of PAIA, with Limpopo scoring 100% last year.
Evidence was also presented to suggest that 63% of government departments are reluctant to behave in a transparent and open manner when it comes to divulging information. It was suggested that more Information Officers were needed in government departments to assist people in efficiency and effectively accessing the information they need. At the end of the forum meeting, it was agreed that more needed to be done to sensitize and educate communities around their rights to access information. Budget and resources also needed to be allocated for proper record management, as is the case in Limpopo.