Legal
PAIA Manual
Last Updated: 26 March 2026
This PAIA Manual is prepared in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (as amended) for PANELDESK (PTY) LTD.
It explains how members of the public can request access to records held by PanelDesk and sets out the public contact details for access-to-information and privacy-related matters.
1. Key Contact Details
PANELDESK (PTY) LTD is a private company registered in South Africa under registration number 2026 / 183378 / 07.
Public office bearer: Sam Fourie, Director.
Information Officer: Sam Fourie, Director and Information Officer. Registration reference: 2026-004645.
Access-to-information, PAIA, and POPIA contact email: sam@paneldesk.co.za. Public phone: +27 60 282 3056 (WhatsApp calls and messages).
Registered, business, and legal notices address:
2. Guide To PAIA And POPIA
The Information Regulator publishes guidance and prescribed forms for PAIA and POPIA requests, complaints, and related procedures. Requesters may use those guides and direct requests to PanelDesk through the contact details set out above.
Official guidance and forms are available on the Information Regulator's PAIA page, POPIA page, and complaints page.
Where a request relates to personal information, PanelDesk may require sufficient information to identify the requester, the record sought, and where applicable the right to be exercised or protected before processing the request.
3. Categories Of Records Automatically Available
- Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and this PAIA Manual
- Public website pages, including feature, pricing, FAQ, founder, advisor, and contact pages
- Published marketing materials, product descriptions, and other website notices made publicly available
4. Subjects And Categories Of Records Held
Corporate and governance records
Company registration and governance records, statutory records, internal policies, and general business administration records.
Finance and billing records
Invoices, payment records, subscription records, accounting support records, and related billing communications.
Customer, workshop, and service records
Account records, onboarding details, support communications, workshop company profile data, and service configuration or usage records relevant to delivery of PanelDesk.
Legal, compliance, and security records
Contracts, compliance materials, complaint records, audit logs, access-control records, and security incident or investigation records.
People and supplier records
Employee, contractor, and supplier records where applicable, including engagement, payment, and administrative support records.
5. Records Available In Terms Of Other Legislation
Depending on the nature of the request and PanelDesk's legal obligations from time to time, certain records may also be available in terms of other legislation, including:
- Companies Act 71 of 2008, where applicable
- Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, where applicable
- Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, where applicable
- Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, where applicable
- Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, where applicable
- Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001, where applicable
- Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993, where applicable
Availability of records remains subject to the applicable legislation, any lawful grounds of refusal, and whether the legislation is relevant to the requested record.
6. Processing Of Personal Information
6.1 Purpose of processing
PanelDesk processes personal information to operate the website and software service, authenticate users, manage subscriptions and billing, deliver communications, monitor security and reliability, and comply with legal obligations.
6.2 Categories of data subjects
- Website visitors and prospective customers
- Account holders, team members, and workshop representatives
- Workshop customers and vehicle-related data entered into the service by workshops
- Suppliers, service providers, and business counterparties
6.3 Recipients or categories of recipients
- Firebase (Google) for authentication
- MongoDB for application data storage
- AWS S3 for file storage and signed URLs
- Paystack for payment-method setup, payments, and subscriptions where used
- Resend for transactional email delivery
- Vercel for hosting, analytics, and performance insights
6.4 Planned transborder flows
Because PanelDesk uses cloud-based service providers, certain personal information may be processed or stored outside South Africa. PanelDesk applies reasonable contractual and operational safeguards appropriate to those transfers.
6.5 General description of security measures
- Authentication checks and permission-based access controls
- Rate limiting, audit logging, and request validation
- Upload restrictions and scoped storage controls
- Webhook signature verification for billing events
- Deployment and transport security controls appropriate to the service context
7. How To Request Access Or Exercise Privacy Rights
PAIA requests should be directed to the Information Officer using the contact details above. Requesters should use the prescribed PAIA request forms made available by the Information Regulator and should describe the record sought with enough detail for PanelDesk to identify it.
Where applicable, a requester should also identify the right to be exercised or protected and explain why the requested record is required for that purpose. PanelDesk may request proof of identity, clarification, or any lawfully permitted request, search, reproduction, or copy fee before processing a request.
Requests for access to personal information, correction, deletion, objection, or restriction of processing may also be directed to the Information Officer using the same contact details.
Information Regulator guidance, Form 2 request resources, and complaint resources are available on the PAIA page and the complaints page.
8. Availability, Complaints, And Updates
This manual is publicly available on the PanelDesk website and at PanelDesk's principal place of business at the address set out above, and may also be provided on request.
Where a copy of the manual or related records is requested in a manner that permits a lawful fee, PanelDesk may charge the applicable request, reproduction, or copy fee allowed by law.
If a requester believes that a PAIA or POPIA request has not been handled lawfully, the requester may use the Information Regulator's official complaint resources available on the complaints page.
PanelDesk may update this manual from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or business changes. The published version on the website is the current public version.