ARTICLE
14 May 2026

PAIA Annual Report Deadline: 30 June 2026

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Fairbridges

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Fairbridges is a leading African law firm providing expert corporate and commercial legal services across South Africa and beyond. With offices in Cape Town and Johannesburg, we assist both local and multinational companies - our areas of expertise include commercial legal advisory, transactional work, commercial drafting, competition law (regulatory filings and litigation), intellectual property law, insurance and medical malpractice, healthcare regulatory advice, and commercial litigation. Our firm’s history (we were established in 1812) provides us with a rich legacy of institutional knowledge and a commitment to service excellence. This deep-rooted experience enables us to offer clients tailored, professional, and high-quality legal services at competitive rates. At Fairbridges, we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt to the evolving legal environment, embrace innovation and uphold the highest standards of the legal profession.
South Africa's Information Regulator has opened its eServices portal for the 2025/26 PAIA reporting period, requiring all public and private bodies to file annual reports on access-to-information requests by 30 June 2026.
South Africa Government, Public Sector
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The Information Regulator’s eServices portal opened on 1 May 2026 and will close at 23:59 on 30 June 2026 for the 2025/26 PAIA reporting period. Every public and private body must file its annual report on access-to-information requests for the year ended 31 March 2026.

No extensions will be granted once the portal shuts, and non-compliance can trigger enforcement action and penalties under sections 32 (public bodies) and 83(4) (private bodies) of PAIA.

Four quick steps to stay compliant

1. Register (or re-register) your Information Officer and Deputies on the eServices portal.

Unregistered officers cannot file the report, even if they were previously registered on paper.

2. Update your PAIA request register now.

Make sure it records each request received between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, the outcome, response time and any refusals – this data populates the online form.

3. Prepare your supporting documents early.

You will need the tally of requests, grounds for refusals, fees charged and whether any internal appeals or court reviews were lodged.

4. Submit through the portal by 30 June 2026.

Keep proof of submission and diarise the 2027 window to avoid last-minute scrambles next year.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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