PAIA Manual — The Chemistry Solutions Company (Pty) Ltd

Sep 18, 2026 · @Someone

Prepared in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2 of 2000 (PAIA), read with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

1. Introduction and Purpose

The Chemistry Solutions Company (Pty) Ltd (“TCSC”, “the Company”) is a private body as defined in PAIA. Section 51 of PAIA requires every private body to compile and make available a manual describing how a person may request access to its records in order to exercise or protect a right.

This manual sets out:

TCSC’s contact details and its designated Information Officer;
the categories of records TCSC holds, and which are available without a formal request;
the procedure, timeframes and fees for requesting access to a record; and
how TCSC processes personal information under POPIA, and how a data subject may exercise their rights.

Not every record listed in this manual will necessarily be released — a request may be refused on grounds set out in Chapter 4 of PAIA (for example, to protect a third party’s privacy, commercial confidentiality, or legal privilege).

2. Contact Details and Information Officer

Item	Detail
Company	The Chemistry Solutions Company (Pty) Ltd
Registration number	2020/011869/07
VAT number	4730300516
CSD supplier number	MAAA0869755
Physical / postal address	36 Clifton Road, Muizenberg, Cape Town, 7945
Telephone	074 272 0227
Email	admin@thechemistrysolutionscompany.com
Information Officer	Lesley Mukwada, Founder and Director
Deputy Information Officer	None currently designated

As head of the Company, the Information Officer is automatically the Information Officer for PAIA and POPIA purposes unless a deputy is formally designated. All PAIA requests and POPIA queries should be directed to the Information Officer at the contact details above.

3. The Guide on How to Use PAIA

Section 10 of PAIA requires the Information Regulator to publish a guide, in each official language, containing information to assist a person to exercise their rights under PAIA and POPIA. Copies of the Guide are available from:

Item	Detail
Body	Information Regulator (South Africa)
Physical address	27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
Postal address	P.O. Box 31533, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2017
Telephone	+27 10 023 5200 / +27 10 023 5246
Toll-free	+27 80 001 7160
Website	www.inforegulator.org.za
Email (PAIA enquiries)	PAIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za

Any person who is unsure how to complete a request, or who cannot read or write, may contact the Information Officer for reasonable assistance.

4. Categories of Records Held (Section 51(1)(a))

TCSC holds records in the following categories in the ordinary course of its water quality laboratory, water treatment technology, procurement, and digital-tools business:

Category	Examples
Corporate and statutory records	CIPC registration, CSD registration, tax and VAT records, company policies
Client and contract records	Quotations, RFQ/tender submissions, service agreements, invoices, correspondence
Laboratory and testing records	Sample logs, test results and reports, validation protocols, quality records
Product and technology records	Water Test Kit and Water App design, development and validation documentation, trade secrets
Financial records	Accounting records, bank statements, payroll
Human resources records	Employee and intern records, contracts, CVs
Marketing and communications records	Website and social media content, media interviews, proposals, funding applications
Personal information	Personal information of clients, suppliers, employees, interns and website/app users, processed in terms of POPIA (see section 9)

This list is indicative and not exhaustive. It does not mean that every record listed will be provided on request — access remains subject to the grounds of refusal in Chapter 4 of PAIA.

5. Records Available Without a Formal Request

Some records are made freely available to the public without the need to submit a PAIA request, including:

General company information (services, contact details, credentials);
Published articles, media interviews and public-facing marketing material;
This PAIA manual itself.

These are available on TCSC’s website and other public channels, or on request to the Information Officer at no charge.

6. Records Held in Terms of Other Legislation (Section 51(1)(d))

TCSC also holds records required or contemplated by other legislation applicable to its operations, including (as applicable):

Companies Act 71 of 2008
Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 and Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011
Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991
Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 and Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993
National Water Act 36 of 1998 and related water-quality regulations
Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008

7. Procedure for Requesting Access to Records

Complete Form 2 (Request for Access to Record), or a form substantially similar, available from the Information Regulator’s website (www.inforegulator.org.za) or from TCSC’s Information Officer.
Provide sufficient detail to identify the requester and the record sought, and explain which right the requester is seeking to exercise or protect, and why the record is required for that purpose.
Submit the request to the Information Officer at the contact details in section 2, together with the prescribed request fee (see section 8).
Response time: TCSC must respond within 30 days of receipt of a valid request, which may be extended by a further 30 days in certain circumstances, with written notice to the requester.
Decision: the Information Officer will notify the requester of the decision — granting access (with any further fees payable) or refusing it with reasons — on a form corresponding to Form 3 of the PAIA Regulations.
Grounds for refusal: TCSC may refuse a request on the grounds set out in Chapter 4 of PAIA, including protection of third-party privacy, commercial or trade-secret confidentiality, and legal privilege.
Recourse: a requester whose request is refused, or who is unhappy with the Information Officer’s decision, may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator or apply to court for relief, as provided in PAIA.
Records not found: if, after a reasonable search, a record cannot be found or does not exist, TCSC will notify the requester by affidavit or affirmation.

8. Prescribed Fees

Fees are set by the Regulations Relating to the Promotion of Access to Information (private body scale), as published by the Information Regulator:

Item	Amount
Request fee (payable by every requester)	R140.00
Photocopy or printed black & white copy, per A4 page	R2.00 per page or part thereof
Copy on requester-supplied flash drive or CD	Actual cost
Transcription of visual/audio material, per A4 page	As prescribed
Postage	Actual cost

An access fee (in addition to the request fee) is payable once a request is granted, calculated according to the time and materials needed to locate, copy and dispatch the records. A deposit of one-third of the access fee may be required for time-intensive searches. Personal requesters seeking their own personal information do not pay the request fee. TCSC will provide a written fee estimate before proceeding wherever practicable. Current fees should be confirmed against the Information Regulator’s published fee schedule at www.inforegulator.org.za, as amounts are updated from time to time.

9. Processing of Personal Information (POPIA)

Purpose of processing. TCSC processes personal information to deliver its laboratory and water-treatment services, manage client, supplier and employee relationships, operate the Water App and related digital tools, comply with legal obligations, and for marketing with consent.

Categories of data subjects. Clients, prospective clients, suppliers, employees, interns, job applicants, and users of TCSC’s website and digital products.

Categories of personal information. Contact and identifying details, contractual and billing information, sample and test-related data, employment records, and technical/usage data collected through TCSC’s digital tools.

Recipients. Personal information may be shared with service providers (e.g. hosting, accounting, payment processing), regulatory bodies where required by law, and professional advisors, under appropriate confidentiality safeguards. TCSC does not sell personal information.

Cross-border transfers. Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa (for example, via cloud service providers), this is done in accordance with POPIA’s cross-border transfer requirements.

Security safeguards. TCSC applies reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, and disclosure.

Data subject rights. A data subject may request access to, or correction or deletion of, their personal information, object to its processing, or withdraw consent, by contacting the Information Officer (section 2). TCSC will respond within a reasonable time. A data subject who is unsatisfied may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (contact details in section 3).

10. Availability and Updating of This Manual

This manual is available on TCSC’s website, at TCSC’s physical address free of charge during normal business hours, and on request to the Information Officer. It will be reviewed and updated as and when required under section 51(2) of PAIA.