service delivery unrest
27 September 2007
South African towns and cities have, in recent months been engulfed by waves
of protests against apparent lack of, or slow pace service delivery,
insufficient public access to information held by public institutions and lack
of knowledge about the use of Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA)
legislation, have been identified as one of the possible root causes of these
protests, which at times turned violent.
By creating public access to important information as provided for within
the Act, the state can create a better understanding of its service delivery
policies and processes, and it can in many respects also work to the advantage
of people as they will know how far have municipalities, provincial and
national government progressed, in dealing with their most pressing issues;
jobs, water, housing, employment, roads, crime, education.
The South African Human Rights Commission has embarked on a campaign to
advance and create awareness of the right to access information. The promotion
of access to information legislation is an integral tool in informing and
promoting participation, in the type of society we hope to fashion and
sustain.
The commission will be holding a one-day Information Officers Indaba
tomorrow, Friday, 28 September 2007, on the 'International Right to Know Day,'
where various speakers such, Richard Calland from Open Democracy Advice Centre
will interrogate the use of PAIA. The day will eventually culminate in the
Golden Key Award Ceremony, where deserving Deputy Information Officers at
public and private bodies will be honoured with Golden Key Awards, for
meritorious conduct in the implementation of PAIA. This collaborative effort
between the Open Democracy Advice Centre (ODAC) and the commission focuses
primarily on Deputy Information officers from municipalities, provincial
governments and national government departments.
It is envisaged this Indaba will allow for critical exploration of the
challenges faced in implementing PAIA and ultimately facilitate the practical
implementation of its provisions, eventually optimising the provision of
information on service delivery.
The information officers' forum will be held from 08h30 to 16h45 and the
Golden Key Award ceremony from 17h00 to 19h00 are being held at the Castle
Kyalami, No 66 Pine Road in Kyalami, Gauteng.
Enquiries:
Sello Hatang
Cell: 082 939 0316
Vincent Moaga
Cell: 073 562 9866
Issued by: South African Human Rights Commission
27 September 2007
