MzansAfrica Privacy Policy (POPIA Compliance)

MzansAfrica ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and integrity of your personal information. This Privacy Policy sets out how MzansAfrica processes Personal Information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of the Republic of South Africa.

For the purposes of POPIA, MzansAfrica acts as the Responsible Party for personal information collected through the MzansAfrica mobile application and web services.

• Responsible Party: MzansAfrica Operations
• Country of Operation: Republic of South Africa
• Information Officer: Mr. Bishop Ngobo
• Information Officer Email: privacy@mzansiafrica.app
• Support Email: support@mzansiafrica.app
• Registered Address: 125 Florence Nzama Street, Convention House, Durban, 4001
• Telephone: +27 31 301 2836

In terms of Section 1 of POPIA, "Personal Information" refers to information relating to an identifiable, living natural person, or an existing juristic person (business). MzansAfrica collects and processes the following:

• Identity Data: Full names, title and profile pictures or logos. MzansAfrica does not ask for, collect or store ID numbers, passport numbers or copies of identity documents from any subscriber.
• Contact Data: Email address, mobile phone number, WhatsApp contact number, and physical/suburb address.
• Location & Geolocation Data: Real-time or static GPS location data (with your explicit permission) to display nearby job opportunities, localized services, and contractor distance calculations.
• Subscription & Transaction Data: Subscription tier statuses, transaction reference keys, billing histories, and electronic receipts. Credit card and financial details are processed securely through PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways like Paystack or SnapScan and are not stored directly on MzansAfrica servers.
• Technical & Usage Data: IP addresses, device identifiers, operating system versions, app interaction logs, and performance metrics.

MzansAfrica collects and processes personal information for lawful, explicit, and defined purposes in accordance with Sections 9 & 10 of POPIA, including:

• Account registration, authentication, and user profile management.
• Connecting localized job-seekers, consumers, micro-enterprises, and service providers.
• Enabling in-app feature functionality, such as generating quotes, issuing invoices, and sending service notifications.
• Managing pay-as-you-go subscriptions, processing transactions, and issuing billing records.
• Protecting platform security, preventing fraud, and enforcing user safety standards.
• Complying with applicable South African laws, regulations, and reporting duties.

5.1. Direct marketing communications (via email, SMS, push notifications, or messaging channels) will only be sent in compliance with Section 69 of POPIA—either with your prior opt-in consent or where you are an existing customer who has previously used MzansAfrica services.

5.2. Opt-Out Right: You may opt out of receiving promotional and direct marketing messages at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link in any communication or adjusting your notification preferences within the MzansAfrica app settings.

MzansAfrica does not sell or lease your personal information to third parties. We may disclose personal information to trusted third-party service providers acting as Operators under Section 20 of POPIA (such as cloud hosting infrastructure, payment gateways, and SMS/push notification carriers) strictly to execute platform operations.

All Operators are bound by formal data processing and confidentiality agreements requiring appropriate technical and organizational safeguards in line with POPIA.

In compliance with Section 19 of POPIA, MzansAfrica maintains strict technical and organizational security measures to secure the integrity and confidentiality of personal information under our control. These measures include:

• Data encryption in transit (SSL/TLS) and at rest.
• Role-based access controls and authentication protocols.
• Regular security assessments and platform auditing.

In the event of a security compromise or data breach involving personal information, MzansAfrica will notify affected data subjects and the South African Information Regulator in accordance with Section 22 of POPIA.

Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill the operational purposes for which it was collected or as required by South African legal, tax, and reporting obligations. Once personal information is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, de-identified, or destroyed in accordance with Section 14 of POPIA.

Under POPIA, you have the following legal rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access (Section 23): Request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of such records.
• Right to Correction/Deletion (Section 24): Request the correction, update, or deletion of inaccurate, irrelevant, out-of-date, incomplete, or unlawfully obtained personal information.
• Right to Object (Section 11(3)): Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds, unless processing is required by law.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw your consent at any time without penalty.

If you believe that MzansAfrica has processed your personal information in violation of POPIA, or if you wish to lodge a formal complaint, you have the right to contact the South African Information Regulator:

• Physical Address: JD House, 27 Stiemans Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
• Postal Address: P.O. Box 31533, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2017
• General Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
• POPIA Complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
• Website: inforegulator.org.za