Section 31
Language of access
Part 2 · Access to Records of Public Bodies · Chapter 3 — Manner of Access
A requester whose request for access to a record of a public body has been granted must, if the record— (a) exists in the language that the requester prefers, be given access in that language; or (b) does not exist in the language so preferred or the requester has no preference or has not indicated a preference, be given access in any language the record exists in.
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
- If the record exists in the requester's preferred language, it must be given in that language; otherwise, in whatever language it exists in.
- PAIA doesn't require a public body to translate records that don't already exist in the preferred language.
Relevant tool
PopiGuard records language preferences on each request so fulfilment meets s.31 without over-committing.