Prepared in terms of section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA), as amended by the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), and the Regulations relating to the Promotion of Access to Information, 2021.
1. Abbreviations
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Verca | Verca (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2026/240661/07 |
| Information Officer | The person whom the head of Verca has authorised in writing as information officer for the purposes of PAIA and POPIA |
| Deputy Information Officer | A person designated under section 56 of POPIA, read with section 17 of PAIA |
| Platform | Verca Case Accord, the case platform on which Verca administers its matters |
| Regulator | The Information Regulator established under section 39 of POPIA |
| Regulations | The Regulations relating to the Promotion of Access to Information, 2021 |
2. About Verca and this manual
2.1 Verca is a private company that administers commercial arbitrations in the Republic of South Africa. It is a private body as defined in PAIA.
2.2 This manual tells a requester what records Verca holds, which records are available without a request, how to request access to other records, the fees that apply, and how Verca processes personal information.
2.3 Arbitrations administered by Verca are confidential. Many of the records Verca holds belong to parties in a matter, and access to them is governed by the Rules of the matter and protected by the grounds of refusal in PAIA, as explained in clause 9.
3. Contact details
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Information Officer | Sonja Cilliers |
| Deputy Information Officer | Marius Lombard |
| Email for requests | info@vercagroup.co |
| Physical address | Unit 63, Block 4, Lombardy Business Park, 66 Graham Road, Shere, Pretoria, 0084 |
| Postal address | PostNet Suite L07, Private Bag X37, Lynnwood Ridge, 0040 |
| Telephone | 082 467 9123 |
| Website | vercagroup.co |
| Head of Verca (section 51(1)(a) of PAIA) | Through the addresses, telephone number and email address above |
4. The Regulator's Guide on how to use PAIA
4.1 The Regulator has published a Guide under section 10 of PAIA, in each official language and in braille, on how to use PAIA and POPIA. It sets out, among other things, the objects of PAIA and POPIA, how to request a record, the help available from Information Officers and the Regulator, and the remedies available.
4.2 The Guide is available on the Regulator's website, inforegulator.org.za, and a copy may be inspected at Verca's address during office hours. The Regulator can be contacted at Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191; telephone 010 023 5200; email enquiries@inforegulator.org.za.
5. Records available without a request
The following records are available without a formal request, as contemplated in section 52 of PAIA:
| Record | Where available |
|---|---|
| Information about Verca, its procedures, its panel and its fees, as published | Website |
| The Verca Arbitration Rules, the Administrative Protocol, the Terms of Institutional Administration and the Schedule of Fees, once published | Website |
| The model arbitration clause | Website |
| A summary of the privacy notice; the full privacy notice | Website, at vercagroup.co/privacy; the full notice from the Information Officer on request |
| The terms of use of the website | Website |
| The terms of use of the Platform | Platform, to registered users |
| This manual | Website, and at Verca's address |
6. Records held in terms of other legislation
Verca keeps records as required by, among others, the following laws. Where a law gives a person a right of access to a record, access is given in terms of that law.
| Legislation | Records |
|---|---|
| Companies Act 71 of 2008 | Memorandum of Incorporation, registration certificates, securities register, minutes and resolutions, accounting records and annual financial statements |
| Income Tax Act 58 of 1962, Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011 and Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991 | Tax returns, invoices and supporting records |
| Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 | Electronic records and data messages |
| Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 | Records of processing, consents and objections |
| Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001, Skills Development Levies Act 9 of 1999, and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993 | Employment records, to the extent that Verca has employees |
7. Subjects on which Verca holds records
| Subject | Categories of records |
|---|---|
| Company and governance | Incorporation documents, name change documents, resolutions, minutes, securities register, shareholder records |
| Arbitrations | Registration forms, arbitration agreements, pleadings, evidence, correspondence, notices, orders, transcripts and recordings, awards, and the Platform's log of each matter |
| Panel | Applications, admission records, panel terms, tariff agreements, declarations of independence and conflicts, appointments |
| Representatives and clients | Sign-up records, terms of use acceptances, user lists |
| Finance | Invoices, receipts, deposits, payments to arbitrators, bank records, accounting records |
| Contracts | Agreements with suppliers, including the technology provider of the Platform |
| Information technology | Access logs, security records, system documentation |
| Marketing and communications | Website content, enquiries, correspondence |
8. How to request access to a record
8.1 A request must be made on the prescribed form (Form 2 of the Regulations), sent to the Information Officer at the email or physical address in clause 3. The Information Officer will help a requester who needs assistance to complete the form.
8.2 The requester must give enough detail to identify the record and the requester, state the form of access required, and, as section 53(2)(d) of PAIA requires, identify the right the requester wishes to exercise or protect and explain why the record is required for that purpose.
8.3 A person requesting a record on behalf of another must submit proof of the capacity in which the request is made.
8.4 Verca will decide on a request within thirty (30) days of receiving it, as section 56 of PAIA requires, and may extend that period once by up to thirty (30) days in the circumstances set out in section 57. Where a request concerns a record of a third party, Verca will notify the third party as section 71 of PAIA requires.
8.5 A requester who wants access to his or her own personal information may also use this procedure, as section 23 of POPIA provides.
9. Grounds on which access may be refused
Verca may or must refuse access on the grounds set out in Chapter 4 of Part 3 of PAIA, which include that the record:
- contains personal information of a third party who is a natural person (section 63);
- contains commercial information of a third party, such as trade secrets or financial information (section 64);
- would disclose confidential information of a third party in breach of a duty of confidence owed to that third party (section 65), which includes the records of a confidential arbitration;
- would endanger the safety of a person or property (section 66);
- is privileged from production in legal proceedings (section 67);
- contains commercial information of Verca whose disclosure would harm Verca (section 68); or
- contains research information of a third party or of Verca whose disclosure would expose the researcher or the subject of the research to serious disadvantage (section 69).
Access must nevertheless be given where section 70 of PAIA requires it in the public interest. A party to an arbitration has access to the record of that matter through the Platform, as the Rules provide, and need not use this procedure for it.
10. Fees
The following fees are prescribed for private bodies by the Regulations, as published by the Regulator. A requester who requests his or her own personal information does not pay the request fee.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Request fee | R140.00 |
| Photocopy or printed copy of an A4 page | R2.00 per page or part of a page |
| Copy of a record, or of an audio record, on a flash drive or compact disc provided by the requester | R40.00 |
| Copy of a record, or of an audio record, on a compact disc provided by Verca | R60.00 |
| Transcription of an audio record | R24.00 per A4 page |
| Transcription or copy of visual images | As quoted by the service provider |
| Search and preparation of the record, for each hour or part of an hour after the first hour | R145.00, to a maximum of R435.00 |
| Deposit, where the search exceeds six (6) hours | One third of the access fee |
| Postage or electronic transfer | The actual cost |
These fees are those in Annexure B to the Regulations, as published by the Regulator. Verca charges no fee that is not on this list.
11. Remedies
Verca has no internal appeal procedure. A requester or third party who is dissatisfied with a decision of the Information Officer, or whose request is not decided within the period allowed, may lodge a complaint with the Regulator under sections 77A and 77B of PAIA on Form 5 of the Regulations (PAIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za), within one hundred and eighty (180) days. An application to court under section 78 of PAIA may be brought only once the complaint procedure has been exhausted.
12. Processing of personal information
12.1 Purposes. Verca processes personal information to administer arbitrations, give secure access to the Platform, admit and appoint arbitrators, invoice and receive payment, respond to enquiries, keep records of visits to its website, tell people who asked to hear about mediation when it becomes available, and meet its legal obligations.
12.2 Data subjects and information. Parties and their representatives, clients, witnesses and experts named in a matter, arbitrators and applicants to the panel, enquirers, visitors to the website, people who asked to hear about mediation, and suppliers. The categories of information for each are set out in Verca's privacy notice. Case files may contain special personal information, which Verca processes as section 27(1)(b) of POPIA permits.
12.3 Recipients. The arbitrator, Verca's Registrar and case managers, and the parties in a matter; Verca's technology provider as operator; the providers of its website, email, venues and transcription; the artificial intelligence service used for the procedure suggestion; its accountants, auditors, banks and professional advisers; and a court or regulator where the law requires it.
12.4 Transborder flows. Verca's technology provider is registered in Ireland. The records that Verca's website keeps are held by its website provider on servers in Ireland. A description typed into the procedure suggestion on the website is sent to an artificial intelligence service. Each transfer takes place only as section 72 of POPIA permits.
12.5 Security. Access to the Platform by approval only, role-based permissions, individual logins with a one-time code, encryption, an activity log, a written operator agreement under section 21 of POPIA, which Verca requires of every operator, and a procedure for notifying security compromises under section 22 of POPIA.
13. Availability and updating of this manual
13.1 This manual is available on Verca's website, for inspection at Verca's address during office hours, to any person on request, and to the Regulator on request. A copy is free on the website; a printed copy costs the fee for printed pages in clause 10.
13.2 The Information Officer will review and update this manual regularly, and at least once a year.
Issued by the Information Officer, Sonja Cilliers, on the authority of the head of Verca (Pty) Ltd. Date: 29 October 2026.