Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2025

Version: 2.0

1. Introduction

South African Places ("we," "our," or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable data protection laws in South Africa. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website and interact with our services.

1.1 Scope of Services

This Privacy Policy applies to:

  • Our website (southafricaplaces.com)
  • Any other services we provide through our website

Our website is designed to provide useful information about South African places, experiences, and insights. We may display Google AdSense advertisements to support our development efforts, but we are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about data collection.

2. Information Officer

In accordance with POPIA, we have designated an Information Officer to oversee our data protection practices:

3. Personal Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you:

  • Contact us through our contact forms
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Leave comments on our articles
  • Participate in surveys or promotions
  • Manage your cookie preferences

This information may include:

  • Name and email address
  • Contact information
  • Communication preferences
  • Any other information you choose to provide

3.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage, including:

  • IP address and general location
  • Browser type and version
  • Operating system
  • Pages visited and time spent on pages
  • Referring website
  • Device information
  • Cookie preferences and consent status

4. Lawful Processing Conditions (POPIA Compliance)

We process your personal information in accordance with POPIA's lawful processing conditions:

  • Consent: We obtain your explicit consent for processing personal information for specific purposes
  • Contract Performance: Processing necessary to perform our services
  • Legitimate Interest: Processing for our legitimate business interests, balanced against your rights
  • Legal Obligation: Processing required by law
  • Public Interest: Processing in the public interest or for official purposes

5. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Provide and maintain our website services
  • Improve our website and user experience
  • Respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
  • Send you newsletters and updates (with your consent)
  • Analyze website usage and trends
  • Comply with legal obligations under POPIA and other laws
  • Manage cookie preferences and consent
  • Prevent fraud and ensure security

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and comply with your preferences. These technologies help us:

  • Remember your cookie preferences
  • Analyze website traffic (with consent)
  • Provide personalized content (with consent)
  • Display relevant advertisements (with consent)
  • Ensure website functionality

You can manage your cookie preferences through our Cookie Preferences page or your browser settings.

7. Third-Party Services and Data Processors

We may use third-party services that collect, monitor, and analyze data, including:

  • Google AdSense: For displaying advertisements on our website (with consent)
  • Google Analytics: For website analytics (with consent)
  • Social Media Platforms: For sharing and engagement features

These third-party services act as data processors and have their own privacy policies. We ensure they comply with POPIA requirements and have appropriate data protection measures in place.

7.1 Website Advertising

Our website may display Google AdSense advertisements to support our development and maintenance costs. These advertisements:

  • Do not require any personal information from users
  • May use device-level information for ad targeting (handled by Google AdSense)
  • Comply with Google's advertising policies and POPIA requirements
  • Do not store or process personal data within our website
  • AdSense may collect device identifiers and usage data for ad delivery and analytics

Users can control ad personalization through their browser settings and Google account preferences.

8. Data Security and Protection

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against:

  • Unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure
  • Accidental loss or destruction
  • Processing in an unauthorized manner

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Data Retention and Disposal

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to:

  • Fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy
  • Comply with legal obligations under POPIA
  • Resolve disputes and enforce agreements

When personal information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymize it in accordance with POPIA requirements.

10. Your Rights as a Data Subject (POPIA)

Under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • Right to be Notified: To be notified when personal information is collected
  • Right of Access: To access and receive a copy of your personal information
  • Right to Rectification: To correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
  • Right to Erasure: To request deletion of your personal information
  • Right to Restrict Processing: To limit how we process your personal information
  • Right to Data Portability: To receive your personal information in a structured format
  • Right to Object: To object to processing of your personal information
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: To withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
  • Right to Lodge a Complaint: To lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

11. Children's Privacy

Our website is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact our Information Officer immediately.

12. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than South Africa. We ensure that such transfers comply with POPIA requirements and that adequate protection measures are in place, including:

  • Binding corporate rules
  • Standard contractual clauses
  • Adequacy decisions by the Information Regulator

13. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that poses a real risk of harm to data subjects, we will:

  • Notify the Information Regulator within 72 hours
  • Notify affected data subjects without undue delay
  • Take immediate steps to contain and remediate the breach
  • Document all breach-related activities

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by:

  • Posting the updated Privacy Policy on this page
  • Updating the "Last updated" date
  • Sending email notifications for significant changes (where appropriate)

15. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights under POPIA, or need to report a data breach, please contact our Information Officer:

  • Email: [email protected]
  • Address: South Africa
  • Response Time: We will respond to your request within 30 days

16. Information Regulator

You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe we have not handled your personal information in accordance with POPIA:

17. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of South Africa, particularly the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), and any other applicable data protection laws.