(i) (j) the individual’s personal views or opinions, except if they are about someone else; personal correspondence, home and family; “personal information bank” means a collection of personal information that is organised or retrievable by the name of an individual or by an identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to that individual and includes personal images; “prescribe” means prescribe by regulations made in terms of section 91; “press card” means a document issued to a journalist in terms of section 79; “public body” means any body prescribed as a public body in terms of the first column of the Second Schedule to this Act; “record” includes books, documents, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers, papers and any other thing on which information is recorded or stored by graphic, electronic, mechanical or other means, but does not include a computer programme or any other mechanism that produces records; “third party”, in relation to a request for access to a record or for correction of personal information, means any person, group of persons or organisation other than the person who made the request; “trade secret” means information, including a formula, pattern, compilation, programme, device, product, method, technique or process, that is used, or may be used, in business or for any commercial advantage and— (a) derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being generally known to the public or to other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use; and (b) is the subject of reasonable efforts to prevent it from becoming generally known; and (c) the disclosure of which would result in harm or improper benefit. (2) Where a mass media owner does not manage the mass media service of which he is the owner, any reference to a mass media owner in sections 46, 66, 67, 71, 73 and 86 shall be construed as a reference to the mass media service. 3 Application of Act in relation to other laws (1) This Act shall apply to matters relating to access to information, protection of privacy and the mass media and shall be construed as being in addition to and not in substitution for any other law which is not in conflict or inconsistent with this Act. (2) If any other law relating to access to information, protection of privacy and the mass media is in conflict or inconsistent with this Act, this Act shall prevail. 4 General application of Act (1) This Act shall apply to all records in the custody or under the control of a public body, but shall not include the records listed in the First Schedule. (2) This Act shall not limit the information available by law to a party to a legal proceeding. PART II ACCESS TO INFORMATION 5 Right to information (1) Subject to section 10, every person shall have a right of access to any record, including a record containing personal information, that is in the custody or under the control of a public body: Provided that such access shall not extend to excluded information. (2) Where information can be extracted from a record that contains excluded information, an applicant may have access to the part of the record that is not excluded information. (3) Nothing contained in this Act shall confer any rights to information or to a record to— (a) a person who is not a citizen of Zimbabwe, or is not regarded as permanently resident in Zimbabwe by virtue of the Immigration Act [Chapter 4:02], or is not the holder of a temporary employment or residence permit or student’s permit issued in terms of that Act; (b) any mass media service which is not registered in terms of this Act, or to a broadcaster who is not licensed in terms of the Broadcasting Services Act [Chapter 12:06]; and (c) any foreign state or agency thereof. 6 Request for record An applicant who requires access to a record that is in the custody or control of a public body shall make a request, in writing, to the public body, giving adequate and precise details to enable the public body to locate the information so requested. 7 Fees for access to records and related services by public body Subject to any exemption prescribed under this Act or any other enactment, an applicant shall be required to pay such fee as may be so prescribed for— (a) obtaining access to any record; and (b) any service rendered in connection with the provision of access to any record by the public body concerned. 8 Duty to assist applicants (1) The head of a public body shall take every reasonable step to assist an applicant and shall, subject to section 11 or 12, respond as soon as is reasonably possible in the circumstances, but not later than 30 days, to each request for access to a record. -4-