Section 45
Manifestly frivolous or vexatious requests, or substantial and unreasonable diversion of resources
Part 2 · Access to Records of Public Bodies · Chapter 4 — Grounds for Refusal of Access to Records
The information officer of a public body may refuse a request for access to a record of the body if— (a) the request is manifestly frivolous or vexatious; or (b) the work involved in processing the request would substantially and unreasonably divert the resources of the public body.
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
- A safety valve: requests that are manifestly frivolous or vexatious, or that would substantially and unreasonably drain the body's resources, may be refused.
- The bar is high — 'manifestly' and 'substantially and unreasonably' — so this isn't a shortcut for merely inconvenient requests.
Relevant tool
PopiGuard helps you evidence a genuine s.45 refusal rather than relying on it too readily.