Privacy Policy

1. Responsible Party

The Organisation is the Responsible Party as defined under POPIA and is responsible for ensuring that personal information is processed lawfully and in line with this Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identity information – full name, ID number, date of birth, gender.
• Contact information – email address, phone number, postal address.
• Academic information – institutions attended, qualifications, transcripts, grades.
• Financial information – bank details for award disbursements.
• Supporting documents – ID copies, proof of registration, and other documents you upload.
• Usage data – log files, IP addresses, session data, and device information collected automatically when you use the Platform.
• Consent records – date, time, IP address, and version of documents you accepted.

3. Purpose of Processing

We process your personal information for the following purposes:

• To evaluate and administer bursary and scholarship applications.
• To communicate with you about your application, award, or contract.
• To verify your identity and the authenticity of your supporting documents.
• To disburse financial awards and manage related contracts.
• To comply with our legal obligations under POPIA and other applicable legislation.
• To maintain audit logs and ensure platform security.
• To allow you to exercise your data subject rights (access, correction, erasure, etc.).

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the following grounds:

• Consent – you have given explicit consent by accepting this Policy.
• Contract – processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are party (e.g. an award agreement).
• Legitimate interest – for security, fraud prevention, and audit purposes.
• Legal obligation – where required by South African law.

5. Sharing of Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share it with:

• Programme sponsors – to evaluate and approve awards (limited to application details).
• Reviewers – to assess your application as part of the selection committee.
• Verification officers – to confirm the authenticity of your documents.
• Service providers – hosting, email, and cloud infrastructure providers acting as operators under POPIA, bound by data processing agreements.
• Regulatory bodies – where required by law or court order.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in this Policy and to comply with our legal obligations. When your data is no longer required it will be securely deleted or anonymised. You may request erasure at any time through the Data Subject Request feature in the Platform.

7. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These include encrypted storage, access controls, and audit logging. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject you have the right to:

• Access – request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction – request that inaccurate or incomplete information be corrected.
• Erasure – request deletion of your personal information ("right to be forgotten"), subject to legal retention obligations.
• Objection – object to the processing of your information for direct marketing.
• Portability – request a machine-readable export of your personal information.
• Withdraw consent – withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, use the Privacy / DSR section in the Platform or contact our Information Officer directly.

9. Cookies & Tracking

The Platform uses session cookies that are essential for authentication and security. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies, but this may affect Platform functionality.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Where changes are material, we will notify you by email and require you to re-accept the updated Policy before continuing to use the Platform. The version number and effective date at the top of this page will reflect the current version.

11. Contact & Complaints

If you have any questions about this Policy or wish to lodge a complaint, please contact our Information Officer through the Platform's support channel. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforegulator.org.za).