SWAZILAND

n = 20

Yes

No

Additional Information
Communications Officer

s

1. Is there an official designated to take and respond to information requests?
(Please state title of officials in ‘Additional Information’)

After 5 days

2. Did the institution reply within 21 days? (If less than 7 please state in ‘Additional
Information’)

s

3. Did the Institution respond to a request for information?

s

4. Does the authority publish their procedures for dealing with information
requests?

s

5. Did the institution provide all of the information requested? (If partially please
mark ‘No’, indicate in ‘Additional Information’ how much of the information
requested was supplied)

s

6. Did the institution provide written reasons for the refusal of information? (If
information was not refused, please contact institution to find out what the policy
is in this regard – if they supply written reasons for refusal mark ‘Yes’)

s

7. Did the institution disclose information about its operations, budgets, structure etc.

s

8. Did the authority provide information without questioning the aims and
motivations of the applicant?

s

9. Did the institution acknowledge your request for information within 7 days?

s

When a follow-up was made, it was
discovered that the ministry had
misplaced the request

10. Was the information received clear and understandable?

s

No information was received

Total Score: 2/20
Part 2: Request for oral information
Please note that there was no opportunity for an oral information session because the official was consistently unavailable.
Oral questions that would have been asked had the opportunity been given:
1. What is the annual budget for the ministry?
2. Does the ministry have plans to update its website?
3. Does the ministry have a policy on how the public can access information?
n = 20
1. Is there an official designated to take and respond to information requests?
(Please state title of officials in ‘Additional Information’)

No

Additional Information
There is a Communications Officer,
however all information requests are
directed to the Principal Secretary (PS)

s

2. Did the institution reply within 21 days? (If less than 7 please state in ‘Additional
Information’)

s

There was no response within this
period

3. Did the institution respond to your oral request for information?

s

They promised to make time for an
interview, however this did not happen

4. Did the person dealing with your request have a friendly and helpful attitude?

The official promised to attend to the
request but never did

s

5. Did officials provide reasonable advice and assistance when seeking information?

s

The personal secretary to the PS
assisted in reminding the PS about the
request and made appointments

6. Did the institution provide all of the information requested? (If partially please
mark ‘No’, and indicate in ‘Additional Information’ how much of the information
requested was supplied)

s

The written request and oral interview
could not be done as the official was
always busy

7. Did the institution provide written reasons for the refusal of information? (If
information was not refused, please contact institution to find out what the policy is
in this regard – if they supply written reasons for refusal mark ‘Yes’)

s

There was no explanation. The ministry
kept promising to attend to the request

8. Did the institution disclose information about its operations, budgets, structure
etc.

s

There was no opportunity for this

9. Did the institution acknowledge your request for information within 7 days?

s

10. Was the information received clear and understandable?

s

Total Score: 4/20

74

Yes

No response

Select target paragraph3