Section 3
Act applies to record whenever it came into existence
Part 1 · Introductory Provisions · Chapter 2 — General Application Provisions
This Act applies to— (a) a record of a public body; and (b) a record of a private body, regardless of when the record came into existence.
Source: SAFLII — Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (consolidated, updated 11 October 2024) — cross-checked verbatim before publishing.
Beyond the text
What this means in practice
- PAIA reaches records no matter when they were created — there's no 'too old to request' cut-off for the Act applying.
- Specific refusal grounds may have their own age rules, but the Act itself covers historical records.
Relevant tool
PopiGuard helps you map the full span of records you hold — legacy included — that could be the subject of a request.