Constitutional Right of Access to Information

The need for a conference dealing with access to information became evident following the promulgation of legislation regulating the constitutional right to access to information. The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 were enacted to comply with constitutional obligations laid down in section 32(2) (access to information) and section 33(3) (just administrative action) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996. The main purpose of these two statutes, which support and supplement each other, is to ensure the achievement of an open and democratic South Africa by promoting transparency, accountability, good governance and just administration on the part of government. The Promotion of Access to Information Act has gone a step further than the preceding Open Democracy Bill by extending the scope of the right to information held by private bodies – a fact which was debated and discussed at the conference.