Privacy Statement.

This website is owned and operated by Van Wyk Auditors. We are committed to protecting the privacy of everyone who uses it, and we value the trust placed in us by our clients, subscribers and all others who work with us. Maintaining that trust requires transparency and accountability in how we handle personal information.

In performing our services in the ordinary course of business, we may collect, use and disclose personal information. Anyone from whom we collect such information can expect it to be lawfully protected as far as reasonably possible, and any use of it is subject to consent, as required by law.

We comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the principles outlined in Sections 50 and 51 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act No. 25 of 2002 (ECTA), which govern your right to have your personal information kept private. This statement sets out how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard the personal information we process.

"Personal information" means all information of a personal nature, or information about an identifiable natural or existing juristic person, in terms of POPIA. "You" refers to any person who makes use of this website.

We may collect personal information while conducting our ordinary business operations, including through this website. In processing it, we ensure compliance with POPIA and use it only for legitimate business purposes. We limit the use and disclosure of personal information to what is permitted under POPIA and to what you have consented to.

Confidentiality matters to us. Unless we have your consent or are permitted under national law, we will not sell, rent or lease your personal information to others, and we will not use or share it in ways unrelated to the circumstances described in this statement.

Except where otherwise permitted by law, we do not collect, use or disclose your personal information without your consent.

We operate this website and conduct our business in accordance with South African legislation. If we ever send personal information outside of South Africa (including where it is hosted offshore), we take all reasonable steps to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, including POPIA. Unless permitted by law or with your consent, we will not transfer your personal information outside the Republic of South Africa.

All personal information retained on our database, including information obtained through this website, is kept in accordance with the retention provisions set out in South African laws and regulations, including POPIA. We retain your personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected and to comply with the law. Your consent to that purpose remains valid after our relationship with you ends.

You have rights in relation to your personal information. You may contact us at any time to ask us to:

• confirm that we hold your personal information;
• provide you access to any records containing your personal information, or a description of the personal information we hold about you; and
• confirm the identity or categories of third parties who have had, or currently have, access to your personal information.

We aim to ensure your personal information is accurately recorded, and we provide individuals with reasonable access to review and correct it. When you make a request, we will take reasonable steps to confirm your identity. There may be times when we cannot grant access — for example where doing so would interfere with the privacy of others or breach confidentiality — and we will always give you reasons if that is the case.

If you believe any personal information we hold is inaccurate, irrelevant, outdated, incomplete or misleading, you may ask us to correct it. If you believe it is excessive or was unlawfully obtained, you may ask us to destroy or delete it, and you may do the same if you think we have retained it for longer than necessary. Please note that withdrawing consent for us to use some of your personal information may affect the quality and level of service we can provide.

When you contact us, please include your name, address, any email address you have provided, and a description of the circumstances under which you provided the information. We will make reasonable efforts to incorporate changes as soon as practicable.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:

• By email: inforeg@justice.gov.za
• By post: SALU Building, 316 Thabo Sehume Street, Pretoria
• By telephone: 012 406 4818
• By fax: 086 500 3351

We take the security and protection of personal information seriously. We maintain physical, technical and organisational safeguards to protect the data we collect, and we have adopted procedures to secure the storage of personal information and protect it during any transfer to or from us.

Your personal information is accessible only to those employees, agents or contractors who need it for business purposes, on a strictly need-to-know basis. All personal information we collect is moved to an environment on our network with controls in place to limit access and secure the data.

Where we ask you to provide personal information through this website, we do so through pages that use the industry-standard secure transport protocol, which encrypts your information as it travels from your computer to ours. We also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access to, or making alterations to, data we maintain.

Our security model complies with generally accepted information security practices and includes firewall technology, password controls, encryption processes and antivirus software, alongside physical security measures. Every employee and supplier of Van Wyk Auditors must adhere to our security policy.

We define children as individuals under the age of 18. This website is not intended for use by children, and we do not knowingly collect information about children through it. We encourage parents and guardians to take an active role in their children's online activities. You must be at least 18 to access or use any products or services offered through this website.

This website uses cookies in a limited way. Cookies are small files containing information that a website uses to track a visit. We use session cookies to better understand how the website is used so we can improve its performance, and a cookie may be set on your computer to recognise you when you return and to record the pages you visit and the preferences you choose.

We use this information for statistical purposes and to study how the website is used so that we may improve your experience. No personal information is stored in cookies. You can decline cookies at any time by adjusting the preferences in your web browser.

With your consent, we may use your personal information to promote and market additional products, services and special offers from us or our affiliates that may be of interest to you. We will use your personal information for direct marketing only if you have given your consent or the law permits it.

If you register for emails and later change your mind, you may opt out at any time by contacting us using the details on our contact page, by responding to a newsletter and asking to be unsubscribed, or by calling us and asking to be removed from the list. If you do not provide consent, some features of the website may not be available to you.

Our compliance with this privacy statement is monitored on a regular basis. We reserve the right to modify it with or without notice, and the version posted on this website at any time is the version then in effect. You agree to review this statement whenever you visit the website.

Questions, concerns or complaints related to this privacy statement or our treatment of personal information should be directed to us using the contact details on this website.