Strengthening public sector records management through the Information Regulator in South Africa

Abstract

The Information Regulator in South Africa is charged with the responsibility to regulate access to information. The implementation of the access to information legislation is heavily dependent on proper records management in the public sector; however, there is consensus among researchers that records are poorly managed in the public sector. The purpose of the study is to describe how records management in the public sector in South Africa can be strengthened through the Information Regulator. This qualitative study utilised document analysis and literature review for data collection. The study was limited to one mandate of the Information Regulator, which is the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). The PAIA was analysed to contextualise the correlation between the Act and records management in the public sector. The study found that the successful implementation of specific sections of the PAIA is dependent on proper records management. While it is acknowledged that the Information Regulator is making inroads into records management space, the study recommends that extra effort needs to be made to strengthen collaboration with the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa, which is charged with a statutory regulatory role for records management in public bodies. A framework was developed to outline the role that the Information Regulator can play to strengthen records management service in the public sector.