Effective date: 30 August 2026 · Last updated: 30 August 2026
How To South Africa (“we”, “us”), operated by Louw van Riet (sole proprietor), based in Paarl, Western Cape, is committed to protecting your personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA). This policy explains what we collect, why, and your rights.
Responsible Party & Information Officer: Louw van Riet · Paarl, Western Cape · privacy@howtosouthafrica.co.za
1. What we collect and why
Email address and name (optional) — when you download a free resource, subscribe to our newsletter, or buy a product. Purpose: delivering your download, sending the email series you signed up for, product delivery and updates, and our newsletter. Lawful basis: your consent (downloads/newsletter) and performance of a contract (purchases).
Order and billing information — when you purchase a toolkit: name, email, and billing details required to process the order. Purpose: processing your purchase, delivering the product, and keeping tax and accounting records. Lawful basis: contract and legal obligation. We do not store your card details. Payments are processed by our payment provider; your card information goes to them directly under their security standards, not to us.
Technical and usage data — standard analytics (pages visited, device type, approximate location by region, referral source) via cookies and similar technologies. Purpose: understanding what content helps people, improving the site, and keeping it secure. Lawful basis: legitimate interest; where required, consent via the cookie notice.
Correspondence — anything you send us via contact forms or email, including error reports. Purpose: responding to you and improving our content.
What we deliberately don’t collect: we never ask for your ID number, SASSA/UIF/SARS login details, or banking details. Anyone requesting those in our name is a scammer — please report it to us.
2. How we use email (and how to stop)
When you download a free resource, you’ll receive the download plus a short related email series, and our newsletter. Every email contains a one-click unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing stops marketing email immediately; we may still send essential service messages (for example, a receipt or a product re-download link you requested).
We use MailerLite as our email service provider; your email address is stored on their systems under their privacy and security commitments. We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to anyone. Ever.
3. Who we share information with (operators)
Only service providers necessary to run the site, each bound to protect your information: our email platform (MailerLite), our payment processor, website hosting, and analytics. Some providers store data outside South Africa; where they do, we rely on providers whose protections are consistent with POPIA’s requirements for cross-border transfers. We’ll disclose information only if the law genuinely requires it.
4. How long we keep it
- Email subscribers: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete you, plus a short suppression record so we don’t email you again
- Order records: as required by tax law (currently at least 5 years)
- Analytics: in aggregated or anonymised form
5. Your rights under POPIA
You may, at any time, ask us to: access the personal information we hold about you and receive a copy; correct inaccurate or outdated information; delete your personal information, subject to records we must keep by law; and object to processing based on legitimate interest, or withdraw consent for anything consent-based (for example, unsubscribe).
To exercise any right, email privacy@howtosouthafrica.co.za with “POPIA request” in the subject. We’ll respond within a reasonable time and verify your identity before acting, to protect your information from impersonators. If you’re not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa): inforeg.org.za · complaints.IR@inforeg.org.za.
6. Cookies
We use essential cookies (to make the site work) and analytics cookies (to understand usage). You can control cookies through your browser settings; blocking essential cookies may break parts of the site, such as checkout.
7. Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to our size to protect your information — encrypted connections (HTTPS), reputable providers, and access limited to those who need it. No system is perfectly secure; if a breach ever materially affects your information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
8. Children
Our content is intended for general audiences and our products are sold to adults. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we’ll delete it.
9. Changes to this policy
We’ll update this page when our practices change, with the “last updated” date revised. Material changes affecting subscribers will be flagged by email.
Contact: privacy@howtosouthafrica.co.za · Paarl, Western Cape