PAIA Manual — Section 51

A. Introduction and Purpose

This manual is published by SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established), the operator of NikahRegister.co.za, in accordance with Section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). Note: authority over this register may transfer to the National Nikah Register NPO upon its formal establishment, at which point the NPO will assume the role of responsible private body under PAIA and POPIA.

PAIA gives every person the right to access records held by private bodies where such information is required for the exercise or protection of any right. This manual explains what records SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) holds, which records are available without a formal request, and how to formally request access to records.

Full name of private body: SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established), operator of NikahRegister.co.za

Nature of business: Islamic community Nikah (marriage) registration and verification service, operated on a non-commercial basis for the benefit of the South African Muslim community.

B. Contact Details — Information Officer

In the absence of the Information Officer, any deputy designated by SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) will act in their capacity. Contact the Information Officer to identify the current deputy.

C. Guide on Use of PAIA (Section 10)

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has compiled a guide to assist persons wishing to exercise their rights under PAIA. This guide is available from:

• www.sahrc.org.za — South African Human Rights Commission
• www.inforegulator.org.za — Information Regulator of South Africa

The guide is available in all eleven official languages of South Africa and in Braille. SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) will direct any person seeking this guide to the SAHRC or Information Regulator upon request.

D. Records Available Without a Formal PAIA Request

The following records and information are available to the public without submitting a formal PAIA request:

• This PAIA Manual — available at NikahRegister.co.za/public/paia.php
• Privacy Policy — available at NikahRegister.co.za/public/privacy.php
• Terms of Use — available at NikahRegister.co.za/public/terms.php
• About the Register — general information about SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) and NikahRegister.co.za
• Nikah Verification — existence-only confirmation (yes/no) of a registered Nikah, accessible through the verification module to registered users with a valid reference number. No personal details are disclosed through verification.
• Contact details of the Information Officer — as set out in Section B above
• Information Regulator contact details — see Section H below

E. Records Held by SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) / NikahRegister.co.za

SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) holds the following categories of records. All records containing personal information are subject to the protections of POPIA and may only be accessed by persons entitled thereto:

F. How to Submit a PAIA Request

To formally request access to records held by SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established), follow these steps:

• Step 1 — Obtain Form C: Download the prescribed PAIA Request Form (Form C) from the Information Regulator's website: www.inforegulator.org.za/paia/forms
• Step 2 — Complete Form C: Complete all relevant sections of Form C, including: your full name and contact details; a description of the records you require; the right you are seeking to exercise or protect; the form in which you require access (copy, inspection, etc.); whether you require the record in a particular language.
• Step 3 — Submit your request: Submit the completed Form C to the Information Officer by email or post (see Section B). Include proof of identity (certified copy of ID or passport).
• Step 4 — Pay the request fee: A non-refundable request fee of R50.00 is payable upon submission (see Section J). Indigent persons may apply for exemption — contact the Information Officer.
• Step 5 — SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) responds: SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) will acknowledge your request within 5 business days and provide a substantive decision within 30 days. This period may be extended by a further 30 days in exceptional circumstances, with written notice to you.

G. Grounds for Refusal of Access

SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) may refuse access to records on the following grounds as provided in PAIA:

• Third party personal information (s.63): Records containing personal information about third parties where disclosure would constitute an unjustifiable invasion of their privacy
• Protection of commercial information (s.64): Records containing confidential commercial information
• Protection of research information (s.69): Records relating to ongoing research
• Safety of individuals (s.66): Records whose disclosure could endanger the life or physical safety of any person
• Privileged information (s.67): Records protected by legal professional privilege
• Records not held by SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) (s.23): Records that do not exist or are not held by SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established)

Where access is refused in part, SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) will provide access to those parts of the record to which the ground of refusal does not apply, where it is reasonably possible to do so.

H. Remedies if Access is Refused

If SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) refuses your request for access, or fails to respond within the required period, you have the following remedies:

• Internal appeal: You may submit a written appeal to SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established)'s senior management and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) within 60 days of the decision. SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) will respond within 30 days.
• Complaint to the Information Regulator: You may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa under s.74 of POPIA or s.78 of PAIA.
• Application to court (s.82): You may apply to the relevant Division of the High Court for access to the record.

I. Data Subject Rights — POPIA

In addition to your rights under PAIA, you have rights as a data subject under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). These include the right to access, correct, delete, and object to the processing of your personal information, as set out in full in our Privacy Policy.

Data subject rights requests under POPIA may be submitted informally by email to the Information Officer and do not require Form C. SAMNET (South African Muslim Network) and/or the National Nikah Register NPO (when established) will acknowledge within 5 business days and respond within 30 days.

J. Prescribed Fees

The following fees apply to PAIA requests, as prescribed by regulation:

Fees are payable by EFT or cash. Banking details will be provided upon submission of a request. Fees are prescribed by the Minister of Justice and may be updated by regulation — current fees as of April 2026.