Access to Information

This page summarises Probipher’s official section 51 PAIA Manual. The full approved manual is made available as a downloadable PDF, at the Woodstock office during business hours and through the Information Officer on request. The current Guide to PAIA may also be consulted at the office.

Download the official Access to Information Manual (PDF). The English-language manual is provided for this private body.

Registered name: Probipher (Pty) Ltd. Registration number: 2020/514792/07. Information Officer: Dr Deon Neveling, Chief Executive Officer, registered with the Information Regulator. No Deputy Information Officer has been appointed.

Physical and postal address: 35 Brickfield Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa. Email: info@probipher.com. Telephone: +27 21 001 7874. Office hours: Monday–Friday, 08:30–16:30.

The Information Regulator publishes a Guide explaining how PAIA works and provides the prescribed request forms. These are available from the Information Regulator’s website at https://inforegulator.org.za/ and its eServices portal at https://eservices.inforegulator.org.za/paiamanuals/.

A request for a record of a private body is generally made using the current prescribed Form 2. The requested record, the right to be exercised or protected, and the relationship between the record and that right should be identified. Special rules may apply to requests for personal information.

Information already published on the Probipher website can ordinarily be viewed without a formal access request. This may include company and contact information, public product descriptions, published research references, public media articles and the Privacy Notice, Terms of Use and this manual.

Public availability does not mean that unpublished research, confidential records, personal information or intellectual property are available without request or without applicable legal protections.

Probipher holds or may hold records of governance and company registration, finance and tax, employees and students, customers and suppliers, product and regulatory affairs, scientific R&D, microbial strains, formulations, trial results and laboratory records, grant funding, collaborators, intellectual property, confidential know-how, information systems and correspondence.

Potentially applicable legislation includes the Companies Act 71 of 2008; PAIA; POPIA; tax and employment legislation; and the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act 36 of 1947, as relevant to particular records.

The listing of record categories does not make them automatically public. Probipher considers each request under PAIA, including statutory protections for third-party privacy, confidential information, intellectual property, research and commercial interests.

Send the current prescribed request form and appropriate supporting information to the Information Officer at info@probipher.com, or the physical address stated above. Please identify the record sought, the form of access requested, and the right for which access is sought where PAIA requires that information.

Probipher may request proof of identity or authority, and will evaluate each request under PAIA, respond within the applicable statutory timeframe, and notify the requester of the decision and any prescribed fees. Where a request cannot lawfully be granted, the response will explain the applicable basis and available remedies.

Request and access fees are governed by the regulations and current prescribed fee schedule, including applicable exemptions. Probipher will not impose an arbitrary fee.

Personal information is processed to handle enquiries, manage contracts, staff and student records, suppliers, research collaborations and funding, meet regulatory duties, and operate and secure website and business systems. General enquiries are reviewed after 24 months of inactivity subject to lawful exceptions.

Probipher uses appropriate confidentiality restrictions, two-factor authentication for business email, restricted access to records, and backups. Service providers may include xneelo, Google Workspace and authorised professional advisers. Probipher does not routinely disclose identifiable personal information to third parties for independent use. Cross-border processing is assessed under section 72 of POPIA.

GA4 is configured and optional analytics collection is blocked until a visitor accepts analytics cookies. The embedded Google Maps display on the Contact Us page loads automatically; Google may receive technical information when that page is opened. Refer to the Privacy Notice and official PAIA Manual for fuller details.

The Information Regulator provides guidance and receives complaints where applicable. Visit https://inforegulator.org.za/ for its current forms, procedures and contact details.

A requester who is dissatisfied with an access decision may have the remedies provided by PAIA, subject to the applicable procedures and time limits. The full PAIA Guide explains these remedies.

Probipher will review this manual periodically and when relevant changes occur to records, contact details, business operations or legal obligations.

For questions about access requests or personal information, contact info@probipher.com.