HOWZIT PORTAL | Legal

POPIA PRIVACY POLICY FOR HOWZIT PORTAL

Last Updated: September 2026

Website: https://www.howzitportal.co.za

Responsible Party: Hashtag Creativa (Pty) Ltd (trading as Howzit Portal)

1. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

Hashtag Creativa (Pty) Ltd ("we", "us", or "our") operates Howzit Portal, South Africa's Business Exposure Platform — an online directory that lists businesses, service providers, and schools across all nine provinces, displays picture advertisements, and connects consumers with listed providers through enquiry and quote-request forms.

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our visitors, inquirers, listed businesses, schools, advertisers, and account holders in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, No. 2 of 2000 (PAIA) — see our PAIA Manual.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it, and the rights you have over it. In this policy, "personal information" has the meaning given to it in POPIA and includes information relating to both natural persons and, where applicable, juristic persons (companies, schools, and other registered entities).

2. THE TYPES OF PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

2.1 Public directory and schools listings (publicly displayed)

Business names, trading names, registration details, categories, physical and postal addresses, landline numbers, official business email addresses (e.g. info@company.co.za), website links, logos, catalogue images, and school information such as school names, school types (crèche, primary, secondary, combined, technical, TVET college, college, university), provinces, towns, addresses, and publicly listed contact details. This information is displayed publicly in our directories and search results.

2.2 Enquiry, lead, and quote-request information (submitted via forms)

When you complete an enquiry or quote-request form on the Platform we collect your name, mobile number, email address (optional), preferred contact method, the category or service you are interested in, your province, and the description of your request. This information is transmitted by email to our administrative team (help@howzitportal.co.za) so that our team can review it and respond to you. Where your request relates to one or more listed providers, your details are also forwarded to those providers so that they can contact you directly with a quote or response.

There is no public self-registration on the Platform. Client accounts are created manually by our administrative team: your information is submitted through the Platform, emailed to our team for review, and if approved, we register your account manually and share your login details with you directly. Login credentials are transmitted to you over a private channel, and we ask that you change your password after first login.

2.3 Account holder details (after manual registration)

Full names, email addresses, mobile numbers, and (hashed) passwords of business owners or authorised representatives whose accounts we have registered manually. Account holders can keep their own listing information current through the Business Center.

2.4 Advertising information

Advertiser contact details (name, business name, email, phone), advert artwork and destination links, placement selections, and advert performance statistics (impressions and clicks, in aggregate). Advertisement records are retained for the duration of the placement plus a reasonable archival period.

2.5 Technical and usage information

IP addresses, browser types, device information, cookies, and browsing activity collected automatically when you visit the Platform. See our Cookie Policy for details.

2.6 Financial information

Where you purchase premium placements, memberships, or advertising, payment is processed by secure third-party payment gateways (such as PayFast, Peach Payments, or Yoco). We do not store raw card credentials on our servers. We retain only the transaction records necessary for accounting, tax, and dispute-resolution purposes.

3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION (PURPOSE AND LAWFUL BASIS)

We process personal information for the following purposes, on the lawful bases recognised by POPIA (consent, contract, legal obligation, legitimate interest, or your specific request):

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for unrelated secondary purposes without your consent.

4. THE 8 CONDITIONS FOR LAWFUL PROCESSING (POPIA SECTION 11)

Howzit Portal adheres to the eight conditions for lawful processing established under POPIA:

  1. Accountability: We take full responsibility for the personal information we process. Our Information Officer manages compliance, staff awareness, and data protection.
  2. Processing limitation: Personal information is collected lawfully, fairly, and transparently, and only for the purposes described in this policy. Enquiry and quote forms include a consent confirmation so you know exactly where your details are going before you submit.
  3. Purpose specification: We collect information specifically to operate a functional, searchable directory, route enquiries to providers, manage accounts registered by our team, and run the advertising service. Data is retained only as long as necessary for those purposes or as required by law.
  4. Further processing limitation: Your data will never be repurposed, sold, leased, or cross-referenced for unrelated secondary marketing without your explicit, fresh consent.
  5. Information quality: We take reasonable steps to keep records accurate and complete. Account holders can update their information through the Business Center, and any person may request correction of inaccurate records.
  6. Openness: We are transparent about the categories of data we hold, our tracking practices, and the operational intent of the Platform, as set out in this policy and our PAIA Manual.
  7. Security safeguards: We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures, including HTTPS/SSL encryption, hashed passwords, access controls, and regular backups. In the event of a data breach compromising personal information, we will notify affected data subjects and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible, within the statutory 72-hour expectation.
  8. Data subject participation: You have the right to request access to, correction, or deletion of your personal information, and to object to processing, as described in Section 7.

5. SOURCED, IMPORTED, OR PUBLICLY COMPILED LISTINGS

To maintain a comprehensive directory for South African consumers, we compile listings (including schools information) from information supplied by listed entities and from publicly available sources. If your business or school was listed without your direct input:

6. CHILDREN AND SCHOOL LISTINGS

Our schools directory lists school-level contact information (school names, types, locations, and official public contact details), not personal information about learners. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child's personal information has reached us, contact the Information Officer immediately and we will delete it.

7. YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS (POPIA SECTIONS 23–25)

Under POPIA you have the right to:

Requests can be submitted to our Information Officer at help@howzitportal.co.za. We will respond within a reasonable period and may require proof of identity before disclosing personal information (to protect your data from unlawful disclosure).

8. DIRECT MARKETING

Unsolicited electronic marketing from us is subject to POPIA Section 69 and the ECT Act: we may market to you by electronic communication only where you have consented, or where you are an existing customer in respect of similar products or services and given an easy opt-out in every message. You can opt out of marketing at any time using the unsubscribe link or by emailing help@howzitportal.co.za.

9. COOKIES AND THIRD-PARTY TRACKING

We use essential cookies to make the Platform work, and analytics cookies to understand aggregate usage. See our Cookie Policy for the full list and how to control cookies. You may refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings, though some interactive features may then be limited. We display a cookie notice on your first visit so you can make an informed choice.

10. DATA TRANSFERS AND PROCESSORS

Personal information is stored on servers located in South Africa wherever practicable. Where we use service providers (payment gateways, email delivery, hosting) that process data on our behalf, we select reputable processors and bind them to confidentiality and security obligations consistent with POPIA.

11. RETENTION PERIODS

Enquiry and lead records are retained for a reasonable period after resolution for service improvement and dispute purposes. Account records are retained while the account is active and for the statutory archival period afterwards. Advertising records are retained for the placement period plus an archival period. Personal information no longer needed for a lawful purpose is deleted or de-identified.

12. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We review and update this policy regularly. Material changes will be published on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date, and where practicable notified to account holders by email.

13. CONTACT THE INFORMATION OFFICER

For any formal inquiries, access requests, corrections, or deletion requests, please contact the Information Officer for Hashtag Creativa (Pty) Ltd:

This Privacy Policy is provided for information and does not constitute legal advice. Statutory references are to the laws of the Republic of South Africa as at the Last Updated date.