Privacy Policy for Ubuntu Entrepreneurs

Effective Date: October 26, 2026

Illustration of data privacy and security measures

This Privacy Policy describes how Ubuntu Entrepreneurs (hereinafter "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and shares personal information of users of our website, UbuntuEntrepreneurs.co.za (the "Site"). Ubuntu Entrepreneurs is dedicated to empowering South African small businesses and connecting them with customers. This Privacy Policy aims to inform you about how we handle your personal data transparently and in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.

1. Information We Collect

We collect the following types of information:

Personal Information: This includes your name, email address, phone number, and physical address when you register an account, submit a business listing, contact us, or subscribe to our newsletter.
Business Information: If you are a business owner, we collect information about your business, such as its name, address, contact details, description, products/services offered, and website URL.
Usage Data: We collect information about how you use our Site, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and the dates/times of your visits.
Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing activity on our Site. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for more details.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

To Provide and Improve Our Services: We use your information to operate, maintain, and improve our Site, and to provide you with access to its features and functionality.
To Personalize Your Experience: We use your information to personalize your experience on our Site, such as by recommending businesses or products/services that may be of interest to you.
To Communicate with You: We use your information to communicate with you, such as by sending you newsletters, updates, and promotional materials. We may also contact you in response to your inquiries or to provide customer support.
To Process Business Listings: If you submit a business listing, we use your information to review, approve, and publish your listing on our Site.
To Analyze Usage Data: We use usage data to analyze trends, track user activity, and improve the performance and usability of our Site.
To Comply with Legal Obligations: We may use your information to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal processes.

3. Sharing Your Information

We may share your information with the following third parties:

Service Providers: We share information with third-party service providers who assist us with various aspects of our business, such as website hosting, data analytics, email marketing, and customer support. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and only use it for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
Business Owners: If you contact a business owner through our Site, we will share your contact information with them so that they can respond to your inquiry.
Legal Authorities: We may disclose your information to legal authorities if required to do so by law or legal process.
Business Transfers: In the event that we sell or transfer all or a portion of our business or assets, your information may be transferred to the buyer or transferee.

4. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing activity on our Site. Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. We use cookies for the following purposes:

To Authenticate Users: We use cookies to authenticate users and prevent fraud.
To Personalize Your Experience: We use cookies to remember your preferences and personalize your experience on our Site.
To Analyze Usage Data: We use cookies to track user activity and improve the performance and usability of our Site.
For Advertising Purposes: We may use cookies to display targeted advertisements to you on our Site or on third-party websites.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. However, please note that disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our Site. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for more details.

5. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These measures include:

Encryption: We use encryption to protect your information when it is transmitted over the Internet.
Firewalls: We use firewalls to protect our servers from unauthorized access.
Access Controls: We restrict access to your information to authorized personnel only.
Regular Security Audits: We conduct regular security audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

6. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Access: You have the right to access the personal information that we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information that we hold about you.
Right to Erasure: You have the right to request that we erase your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Restriction of Processing: You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
Right to Object: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
Right to Withdraw Consent: If we are processing your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer at dpo@ubuntuentrepreneurs.co.za or call us at 021 815 2400. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide you with our services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. When we no longer need your personal information, we will securely delete or anonymize it.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Site is not directed to children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 16. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under the age of 16, we will take steps to delete the information as soon as possible.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post any changes on our Site and update the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Ubuntu Entrepreneurs
12 Spin Street
Cape Town City Centre
Cape Town, 8000
South Africa

Email: privacy@ubuntuentrepreneurs.co.za
Phone: 021 815 2400

Data Protection Officer: Zola Nduku