PAIA Manual of Information

1. Introduction

Dootsa (Pty) Ltd(“Dootsa”, “we”, “us”) is a private body that operates the websites dootsa.com and dootsa.co.zaand related survey, rewards, and insights services (the “Platform”).

PAIA gives the public a right of access to records of private bodies, subject to lawful grounds for refusal. This Manual explains how to request access to Dootsa records, which categories of records we hold, applicable fees, and how to escalate complaints to the Information Regulator.

PAIA vs POPIA: Requests for your own personal information are ordinarily handled as data-subject access requests under POPIA (see our Privacy Policy §10 and Privacy & Data settings). Use this PAIA Manual when you seek access to other Dootsa records as contemplated by PAIA.

2. Company particulars

• Legal name: Dootsa (Pty) Ltd
• Jurisdiction: Republic of South Africa
• Websites: dootsa.com · dootsa.co.za
• Nature of business: Market research, survey platform, panel rewards, and related digital services

3. Information Officer

The Information Officer (and any appointed Deputy Information Officer) is responsible for PAIA and POPIA compliance and for receiving and deciding access requests.

• Email (PAIA / privacy): privacy@dootsa.com
• Email (legal): legal@dootsa.com
• Support (general): help@dootsa.com
• Postal correspondence: Dootsa (Pty) Ltd, Information Officer, South Africa (mark envelope “PAIA Request”)

Prefer email for speed and tracking. Include a clear subject line such as “PAIA access request”.

4. Guide on how to use PAIA

The Information Regulator has published a Guide on how to use PAIA. Copies of the Guide are available from the Information Regulator:

• Website: inforegulator.org.za
• Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za (confirm current addresses on the Regulator's website)

5. Records automatically available

The following information is generally available without a formal PAIA request (subject to website terms and any published access controls):

• Public marketing pages and product descriptions on dootsa.com / dootsa.co.za
• This PAIA Manual, and our Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Cookie Policy
• Public Trust and Compliance positioning and machine-readable posture at /api/public/compliance/posture
• Publicly published insights or findings pages where Dootsa has marked content as public
• Careers and academy vacancy information published on the careers site

6. Records available in terms of other legislation

Where applicable, Dootsa may hold records required under legislation including (non-exhaustive):

• Companies Act 71 of 2008
• Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)
• Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002
• Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (where applicable to rewards and consumer-facing offers)
• Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 and related tax administration requirements
• Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 and Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (staff records)

7. Categories of records held

Subject to PAIA grounds for refusal and POPIA limitations, Dootsa may hold records in the following categories:

7.1 Corporate and governance

• Company registration and statutory returns
• Policies, procedures, and compliance programme documentation
• Contracts with customers, suppliers, and partners (including operator / processing agreements)

7.2 Finance and tax

• Invoices, quotes, payment records, and accounting ledgers
• Tax and SARS-related records where required by law

7.3 Human resources

• Employee and contractor records, payroll metadata, and recruitment applications
• Training and access-control records for staff systems

7.4 Platform operations

• Account and profile records for members, creators, and staff
• Survey definitions, responses, and research artefacts (often anonymised or aggregated for delivery)
• Consent, audit, security, and system logs
• Rewards, redemptions, and fulfilment coordination records
• Support tickets and customer-assist case notes

7.5 Marketing and communications

• Newsletter and campaign metadata where lawful basis or consent applies
• Public website analytics configuration (see Cookie Policy)

8. How to request access

1. Complete the Information Regulator's prescribed PAIA request form (commonly referred to as Form 2 / the request for access to record of a private body). Obtain the current form from inforegulator.org.za.
2. Email the completed form and any supporting identity documents to privacy@dootsa.com with subject line PAIA access request, or post to the address in section 3.
3. Describe the record(s) with reasonable particularity, and state the form of access required (e.g. electronic copy, inspection).
4. Pay any prescribed request fee when notified (see section 9). Dootsa will acknowledge receipt and may request clarification if the request is unclear.

Own personal information: If you only need a copy of data Dootsa holds about you as a data subject, prefer Privacy & Data settings (export / deletion) or email privacy@dootsa.com citing POPIA access — this is usually faster than a formal PAIA Form 2.

9. Fees

Fees for private-body requests are prescribed under PAIA regulations (request fee and access / reproduction fees may apply). We will advise the applicable fee schedule and payment method after receiving a valid request. Certain requesters may qualify for fee exemptions as provided in the regulations.

Fee amounts change over time; the Information Regulator's published schedule prevails.

10. Decision timelines and form of access

• We aim to decide requests within the periods prescribed by PAIA (ordinarily within 30 days of a complete request, subject to lawful extensions).
• You will receive written notice of the decision, including reasons if access is refused in whole or in part.
• Where access is granted, records may be provided electronically by default unless another form of access is reasonably required and practicable.

11. Grounds for refusal

Access may be refused on grounds recognised in PAIA, including (non-exhaustive): protection of privacy of a third party who is a natural person; commercial information of a third party or of Dootsa; confidential information of third parties; safety of individuals and protection of property; research information; privileged legal advice; and other statutory grounds. Where only part of a record is exempt, we will sever exempt portions where reasonably possible.

12. Processing of personal information (POPIA)

Categories of data subjects, purposes of processing, recipients, and security measures are described in our Privacy Policy. Cross-border transfers, retention, and data-subject rights (access, correction, deletion, objection) are also covered there. This Manual does not replace POPIA notices or consent flows used on the Platform.

13. Remedies and complaints

If you are dissatisfied with our response to a PAIA request, you may:

• Ask us to reconsider by writing to privacy@dootsa.com or legal@dootsa.com with your request reference
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator — inforegulator.org.za
• Exercise any other remedy available under PAIA or applicable law

14. Availability of this Manual

• Published on this website at /paia
• Available on request by email to privacy@dootsa.com
• Inspectable during ordinary business hours by prior arrangement with the Information Officer

15. Updates

We may update this Manual from time to time. The version number and dates at the top of this page indicate the latest revision. Material updates will be published at this URL.