Privacy Policy

Garden Route Hands (Pty) Ltd (registration number TBC) ("Garden Route Hands", "we", "us" or "our") respects your right to privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and any other applicable South African law.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, how long we keep it, how we protect it, and what rights you have. It applies to Clients, Workers, prospective Clients and Workers, visitors to our website, and anyone else who interacts with us.

By using our website at www.gardenroutehands.co.za, submitting a Booking, applying as a Worker, or otherwise providing your personal information to us, you confirm that you have read and understood this Policy.

The responsible party for the processing of your personal information is Garden Route Hands (Pty) Ltd, with its registered office at 47 First Street, George, Western Cape.

Our Information Officer is T Lambrechts. The Information Officer is responsible for ensuring our compliance with POPIA and for handling any queries or complaints about how we process your personal information.

You can reach our Information Officer by email at gardenroutehands@gmail.com or by telephone on 063 480 5670.

From Clients, we collect your full name, email address, contact number, residential and service address, booking history and preferences, communications with us, and information relating to payments made through our payment processor (PayFast). We do not store full card details on our systems.

From Workers and prospective Workers, we collect identity information (including South African identity number), contact details, residential address, references, supporting documents submitted as part of the vetting process, interview notes, banking details for payment of fees, and records of bookings completed.

From all users of the website, we may automatically collect technical information including IP address, browser type, device identifiers, pages viewed, and the dates and times of visits. This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies as set out below.

From third parties, we may collect information from references you have provided, from PayFast in connection with payments, and from other service providers we engage to deliver the Service.

We do not knowingly collect special personal information (such as health, religion, or biometric data) unless it is necessary for a specific purpose and you have consented to its collection.

We collect personal information directly from you when you register an account, submit a Booking, apply to join the platform as a Worker, communicate with us by email, WhatsApp, SMS or telephone, complete a form on our website, or lodge a complaint or claim.

We also collect information automatically when you use our website (through cookies and analytics tools), and from third parties such as PayFast, your references, and any service providers we engage.

Where you provide us with personal information about another person (for example, an emergency contact or a referee), you confirm that you have their consent to share their information with us for the purpose described.

We process your personal information for the following purposes: to create and manage your account; to receive, confirm, schedule, and fulfil Bookings; to assign Workers and to communicate Booking details to you and to the Worker; to process payments, refunds and claims; to vet and approve Workers before they receive Booking assignments; to communicate with you about your account, Bookings, payments, and any complaints or claims; to provide customer support; to investigate complaints and claims (including claims under our Breakage and Theft Cover); to detect, prevent and address fraud, abuse, and security incidents; to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations; to defend ourselves against claims; and, only where you have opted in, to send you marketing communications.

We will not process your personal information for any purpose that is incompatible with the purposes set out above without first informing you and, where required, obtaining your consent.

We process your personal information on one or more of the following lawful bases recognised under POPIA: the conclusion or performance of a contract to which you are a party (for example, fulfilling a Booking you have made); compliance with a legal obligation imposed on us; the protection of a legitimate interest of yours, of us, or of a third party (such as fraud prevention or pursuing payment); and your consent, where consent is the appropriate basis (for example, for direct marketing).

Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

We share your personal information only where necessary, and only with parties bound to keep it confidential. The categories of recipient include the assigned Worker (we share your name, contact details, service address and any access instructions necessary to perform the Service); PayFast and other approved payment processors, who process your payments; service providers we engage to host our website, send communications, provide analytics, and provide IT support; our professional advisors, including attorneys, accountants, and auditors, where necessary; and law enforcement, regulators, courts, or other public authorities where we are required by law to do so or where it is necessary to protect our rights or the rights of others.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

We require Clients and Workers to use information shared with them through the platform only for the purpose of the relevant Booking. Misuse of such information may result in suspension of your account and may constitute a breach of POPIA on your part.

We retain your personal information only for as long as we have a lawful purpose to do so. Different categories of information are retained for different periods.

Account and Booking records are retained for the duration of your account and for a period of five (5) years after the closure of your account, in line with tax and commercial record-keeping requirements.

Payment and financial records are retained for at least five (5) years from the date of the transaction, as required by the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011.

Claims, complaints, and investigation records (including under our Breakage and Theft Cover) are retained for at least three (3) years after the matter is closed.

Worker vetting records are retained for as long as the Worker is on the platform and for three (3) years thereafter.

Marketing consents and opt-outs are retained indefinitely so we can prove compliance with your preferences.

After the relevant retention period, your personal information is securely deleted or anonymised, unless we are required by law to retain it for longer or unless retention is necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of a legal claim.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access, alteration, and disclosure. These measures include restricted access to systems and records, password protection, secure data storage, encryption of payment data in transit through PayFast, and confidentiality obligations on our staff and service providers.

No system is completely secure, however, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. You play an important role in protecting your information: keep your account password confidential, do not share your login details, and notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.

In the event of a security compromise that materially affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably practicable, in accordance with section 22 of POPIA.

Some of the service providers we use (including providers of cloud hosting, email, analytics, and messaging services) may store or process personal information outside the Republic of South Africa.

Where we transfer personal information across borders, we do so in accordance with section 72 of POPIA. This means the transfer takes place only where the recipient is subject to a law, binding corporate rules, or a binding agreement providing an adequate level of protection, or where you have consented, or where the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract with you.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate effectively and to help us understand how visitors use it. Cookies are small data files placed on your device when you visit a website.

We use strictly necessary cookies (required for the site to function, including for security and session management), functional cookies (which remember your preferences), and analytics cookies (which help us measure and improve the performance of the site).

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of the website, including the ability to log in and make Bookings.

We will only send you direct marketing communications (such as newsletters, promotions, and service updates) where you have opted in to receive them, or where the law permits us to do so on the basis of an existing customer relationship and a clear opt-out option.

Every marketing communication we send will include an easy way to opt out. You may also opt out at any time by emailing gardenroutehands@gmail.com.

Opting out of marketing communications does not stop transactional communications relating to your account, Bookings, payments, or claims. These are necessary for us to provide the Service.

POPIA gives you the following rights in relation to your personal information.

Right to be informed. You have the right to be told what personal information we hold about you, where we got it, and how we are using it.

Right of access. You have the right to ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you. We may charge a reasonable fee for providing this, as permitted by POPIA.

Right to correction or deletion. You have the right to ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading, or unlawfully obtained, or to delete information we are no longer entitled to hold.

Right to object. You have the right to object, on reasonable grounds, to the processing of your personal information, except where the processing is required by law.

Right to object to direct marketing. You have an absolute right to object to the processing of your personal information for purposes of direct marketing.

Right not to be subject to automated decision-making. You have the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing that has legal or similarly significant effects on you, subject to the exceptions set out in POPIA.

Right to lodge a complaint. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe we have breached your rights under POPIA.

To exercise any of the rights set out above, contact our Information Officer at gardenroutehands@gmail.com. We may ask you to verify your identity before we act on your request.

We will respond to your request as soon as reasonably possible, and in any event within the time periods required by POPIA.

If you wish to make a formal request for access to or correction of personal information, we follow the procedures set out in the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) and our PAIA Manual. The PAIA Manual is available on request.

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information or a request you have made, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

The Information Regulator can be contacted at JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001, by email at complaints.IR@inforegulator.org.za, or through its website at www.inforegulator.org.za.

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach the Regulator. Please contact us at gardenroutehands@gmail.com.

Our Services are not directed at children under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you become aware that a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us so that we can take appropriate action.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the Services we offer, or the law. The latest version will always be available on our website, and material changes will be brought to your attention by email or through a notice on the website at least fourteen (14) days before they take effect.

Your continued use of our website or Services after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, contact us at:

Garden Route Hands (Pty) Ltd, 47 First Street, George, Western Cape.

Email: gardenroutehands@gmail.com.

Telephone: 063 480 5670.