PAIA Manual

Section 51(1)(a) — Overview of the Entity

This Manual is published in accordance with Section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA) and applies to TheSupportiveMinds, a mental health marketplace providing teletherapy services, educational courses, and therapist-client matching. TheSupportiveMinds is operated as a Partnership by co-founders Liam Bester and Rihaas Rossouw.

Section 51(1)(c) — PAIA Guide

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has compiled a guide on how to use PAIA in accordance with Section 10 of the Act. The guide is available in all official languages and can be obtained from the SAHRC at:

Section 51(1)(d) — Records Held

TheSupportiveMinds holds records in the following categories, which may be subject to access requests under PAIA:

• Client records: Profiles, questionnaire responses, session bookings, and communication logs.
• Therapist records: Verification documents, HPCSA registration details, and session notes.
• Financial records: Payment transactions, invoices, and refund records.
• Operational records: Platform analytics, system logs, and technical data.
• Course records: Enrollment data, course access logs, and Q&A submissions.

Records are held in both physical and electronic form. Some records may be subject to refusal of access under the exemptions set out in Chapter 4 of PAIA, including the protection of third-party personal information and health data protected under POPIA.

Section 51(1)(f) — Fees Payable

A request fee may be payable before the request is processed, and an access fee may be payable for the reproduction of records, in accordance with the prescribed fee schedule under PAIA regulations. We will inform you of any applicable fees before processing your request. No fee is charged for submitting a request to delete your personal data.

Section 51(3) — Grounds for Refusal

Access to certain records may be refused on the following grounds as set out in Chapter 4 of PAIA:

• Protection of personal information of third parties (Section 63).
• Protection of health data subject to POPIA (Section 64).
• Protection of confidential information of a third party (Section 65).
• Protection of safety of individuals and property (Section 66).
• Protection of records privileged from production in legal proceedings (Section 67).

Section 14 — POPIA Compliance

This PAIA Manual is read together with our POPIA Privacy Notice, which details how we collect, process, and safeguard personal information. The Information Officer designated above is also responsible for handling POPIA-related requests, including objections to processing and requests to withdraw consent.

Section 51(4) — Availability of This Manual

This Manual is available on our website and may be provided in printed form upon request to the Information Officer. It is also lodged with the South African Human Rights Commission as required by PAIA.