SECTOR 1 has been no such amendment but also no prosecution of journalists under this provision since then. Nevertheless, the fact that this section still remains on the statute book was a point of concern for some panellists Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 3.7 (2008 = 1.6; 2006 = 1.1) 1.8 Public information is easily guaranteed by law, to all citizens. accessible, South Africa’s constitution guarantees every person the right of access to information. The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2002 gives effect to this right. The act guarantees access to information held by the state and “by another person … required for the exercise or protection of any rights” – with the legal term “another person” in effect applying mainly to commercial enterprises. The provisions of the act look good on paper but are difficult to read and interpret for the ordinary person. Many officials of government or other public institutions do not have a proper or, in some cases, no understanding of the act. Government departments’ recording and filing systems are inefficient and their websites too often provide dated, incorrect or insufficient information. These shortcomings notwithstanding, South Africa can be proud of the fact that there is a great deal of information available on the internet, even though the majority of the population do not have internet access, and the information is often only available in English and sometimes in Afrikaans. Applying for specific documents is cumbersome. Often requests for information are ignored. Many departments did not appoint Information Officers as required 18 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2010