Records Managers in Governmental Bodies
Areas of responsibility
Broad responsibility
Heads of governmental bodies are ultimately responsible for the records management practices of the governmental bodies under their control. Their responsibilities in terms of the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa Act (Act No. 43 of 1996 as amended) (NARSSA Act) are set out in the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) Regulations and the Records Management Policy Manual.
Records manager
Heads of governmental bodies should, in terms of section 13(5) of the NARSSA Act, designate staff members at the senior management level to whom they can delegate the responsibility to ensure that sound records management practices are implemented and maintained. These officials are the records managers of the bodies.
Users
Sound records management is a collective responsibility which all members of staff have an equal obligation to maintain.
All users should be aware of the policies, procedures, and tools for managing records and they should be capable of applying them consistently to all records. The full co-operation of the users is necessary to file documents into the filing system and to protect records against loss and damage. Without this, there will be no records to manage.
National Archives and Records Service
The NARSSA Act empowers the NARSSA to ensure the proper management and care of all public records. To this end the National Archivist mandated the Records Management Division of the NARSSA to promote sound records management practices in governmental bodies.
Records Manager Registration
In terms of the NARSSA Act, Section 13(5)(a), the head of a governmental body shall, subject to any law governing the employment of personnel of the governmental body concerned and such requirements as may be prescribed, designate an official of the body to be the records manager of the body.
In terms of Section 13(5)(b) the records manager shall be responsible to see to it that the governmental body complies with the requirements of this Act.
Records Managers of governmental bodies are therefore requested to register themselves on the List of Records Managers for Governmental Bodies by using the e-form below so that the NARSSA can easily communicate with them in terms of these requirements.