defer the release of a record to a requester in terms of Section 24 of PAIA, if that record is intended to be published within 90 days or if the record is required by law to be published but is yet to be. PAIA states in Sections 23 and 55 that if an Information Officer is unable to find the particular records requested, or it is believed that they do not exist, the Information Officer must, after ensuring that all reasonable steps have been located to find the record, submit an affidavit to the requester giving notice that the records in question do not exist or cannot be found. 3.4 What legal remedies do I have when my PAIA request is denied? A requester has the right to take legal steps against the Information Officer, Deputy Information Officer, or Head of the public or private body if the Information Officer decided to: Deny access to a record Extend the time to respond to a request Charge a request fee or an access fee Provide access to a record in a form different from the one originally requested. This section will explain the legal remedies available to requesters who wish to challenge the decisions of the Information Officers. South African Human Rights Commission 38