Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal information Grant Assist SA collects, why we collect it, what we do with it, and what you can ask us to do about it. It is written with reference to the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).

We have tried to write it in plain language. If anything is unclear, ask us through the contact page.

What we do not collect

Start here, because it is the part most readers care about.

We never ask for and never store an ID number, banking details, a PIN, a password or a one-time password. Our contact form actively refuses a message containing a long run of digits, so an ID or account number cannot be submitted through it even by accident.

We do not run advertising networks, analytics services, social media pixels or any other visitor tracking. This website loads no scripts, fonts or images from any other company. Comments are closed, so there is nowhere to post personal information publicly.

What we do collect

Three things, and only when you choose to give them to us or because a web server records them automatically.

• Newsletter. If you subscribe, we store the email address you enter and the date you subscribed. Nothing else.
• Contact form. If you write to us, we store the name, email address, subject and message you send. The message is also emailed to us so we can reply.
• Server logs. Our hosting provider records standard technical information for every visit, including your IP address, browser type, the pages requested and the time. This happens for every website you visit and is used to run and secure the server.

Why we collect it

The newsletter address is used to send you the updates you asked for, and nothing else. Contact details are used to answer the message you sent. Server logs are used to keep the site running and to investigate abuse or technical faults.

We do not build profiles of readers, and we do not use your information to work out anything about your circumstances.

Cookies

This website does not use tracking or advertising cookies.

WordPress sets a cookie when a site administrator signs in to manage the website. While the site is not yet public, a cookie is also used to let invited people preview it. Neither is used to track readers.

Who else sees your information

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for anyone else’s marketing.

It is handled by the service providers that operate this website on our behalf, and only as far as they need it to do that. That means our hosting provider, which stores the website and its database, and the email service that delivers messages to us.

We will disclose information where the law requires it, for example in response to a lawful request from a competent authority.

Information kept outside South Africa

Our hosting and email providers may store or process information on servers outside South Africa. Where that happens, POPIA requires the information to receive a comparable level of protection, and we rely on the providers’ own commitments to that effect.

How long we keep it

Newsletter addresses are kept until you ask to be removed.

Contact messages are kept while we deal with the matter and for a reasonable period afterwards in case it comes back, then deleted. Server logs are kept and rotated by our hosting provider on its own schedule.

How it is protected

The website is served over an encrypted connection. Access to the WordPress dashboard, where subscriber addresses and messages are stored, is restricted to the site administrator.

No system is perfectly secure, and we do not claim otherwise. This is one reason we collect as little as we do.

Your rights

Under POPIA you may:

• ask what personal information we hold about you
• ask us to correct anything that is wrong
• ask us to delete it
• object to us processing it
• withdraw your consent, including asking to be removed from the newsletter

Ask through the contact page. We do not charge for this, and you do not need to give a reason to be removed from the newsletter.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, tell us first so we can try to put it right.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa, which supervises POPIA. Their current contact details are published on the Information Regulator’s own website.

Children

This website is written for adults dealing with grant applications. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us information, tell us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We review this policy from time to time and update it when what we do changes. The date at the top of this page is when it last changed, and the version published here is the one that applies.