PAIA manual

About this manual

This manual is published under section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000. It sets out what records we hold and how to request access to them.

Who to contact

Requests go to the Information Officer, Mpho Malcom Miya, at privacy@meridianbroker.co.za. A request must be in writing and must give enough detail to identify the record and the requester, and to reach the requester with an answer.

Records we hold

Broadly, and subject to the grounds for refusal in the Act:

• Company records: incorporation documents, statutory registers, and records held under the Companies Act.
• Financial records: accounting records, tax records and records held under the Income Tax and Value Added Tax Acts.
• Employment records: contracts, payroll and records held under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and related legislation.
• Customer records: subscription agreements, billing records and support correspondence with brokerages.
• Operational records: the platform's own technical and security documentation.

Records belonging to a brokerage

Client records inside a brokerage's Meridian account belong to that brokerage, and we process them as an operator on their instruction. A PAIA request for those records is properly directed to the brokerage that holds them rather than to us. We will say so, and point the requester to the right party.

How a request is handled

We acknowledge a request, and answer within thirty days of receiving it in the prescribed form. Where the Act allows an extension we will say so and give the reason. Where access is refused we will state the ground relied on and explain the right to appeal.

The prescribed fees under the Act apply. We will tell a requester what is payable before doing the work.

The Regulator

The Information Regulator (South Africa) oversees both PAIA and POPIA and can be reached at enquiries@inforegulator.org.za. A requester may complain to the Regulator about how a request was handled.