Privacy Policy

Chaungeni Technologies ("we", "us", "our") is the responsible party in terms of POPIA. We determine the purpose and means of processing your personal information. We operate as an IT services, repair, and hardware sales business based in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa.

• Physical address: 09 John Chard, Brandwag, Bloemfontein, 9301
• Email: tech@chaungeni.co.za
• Phone: 082 233 8003
• Website: chaungeni.co.za

We collect only the personal information necessary for the specific purposes described in this policy (the POPIA principle of purpose limitation). The following table sets out the categories of information we process:

Under POPIA Section 11, personal information may only be processed if at least one of the following lawful grounds applies. We process your information on the following bases:

5.1 Service Delivery

Processing orders, scheduling repairs, tracking job progress, generating and sending invoices, and communicating with you about your service or order.

5.2 Business Operations

Internal record-keeping, financial reporting, tax compliance, quality control, and employee management where relevant to your interaction with us.

5.3 Legal Compliance

Complying with applicable South African legislation including SARS obligations, the Consumer Protection Act, POPIA, COIDA, and reporting obligations to SAPS where criminal conduct is suspected.

5.4 Security & Fraud Prevention

IMEI verification, detection and prevention of fraudulent transactions, protection of customer and company assets, and cybersecurity monitoring on managed services networks.

5.5 Service Improvement

Anonymised analytics data to understand how our website is used, which products are popular, and how we can improve our service offering. This data does not identify you individually.

5.6 What We Do NOT Do

• We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties
• We do not share your information with advertisers
• We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making that significantly affects your rights without your knowledge

We may share your personal information with carefully selected third parties (operators) in limited circumstances. All operators are contractually bound to process data only for the purpose we specify and in compliance with POPIA.

POPIA Section 72 restricts the transfer of personal information outside South Africa unless adequate protection is in place. The following cross-border transfers may occur as part of our service delivery:

• PayFast: Payment transaction data may route through international servers as part of card processing. PayFast maintains PCI-DSS Level 1 certification internationally.
• Google Analytics: Anonymised website usage data is processed on Google's international infrastructure. IP addresses are anonymised before transmission.
• Cloud backup storage: For MSP clients using cloud backup, encrypted data may be stored on servers located outside South Africa. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest before leaving South African networks.

We retain personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. The following retention schedule applies:

Upon expiry of the applicable retention period, personal information is securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be attributed to any identifiable individual.

We implement reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

In the event of a security compromise (data breach) that involves your personal information, we will comply with POPIA Section 22 as follows:

• Contain the breach: We will take immediate steps to limit the damage and prevent further unauthorised access.
• Notify the Information Regulator: We will report the breach to the Information Regulator of South Africa as soon as reasonably possible.
• Notify affected data subjects: Where the breach creates a real risk of harm to you, we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible via email, SMS, or phone — depending on the contact information we hold.
• Notify in writing: The notification will include the nature of the breach, the information compromised, the steps we are taking, and recommendations for your own protective steps.

POPIA gives you the following rights regarding your personal information held by us:

How to Exercise Your Rights

Submit a written request to our Information Officer at tech@chaungeni.co.za. We will respond within 30 days. We may request proof of identity before processing your request. Exercising your rights is free of charge unless requests are excessive or manifestly unfounded, in which case a reasonable administrative fee may apply.

12.1 What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. They help websites function properly and provide information about user behaviour to website owners.

12.2 Cookies We Use

12.3 Managing Cookies

You can disable or delete cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling functional cookies may affect the performance of our website (e.g. shopping cart functionality). For Google Analytics opt-out, visit Google's opt-out tool.

13.1 Marketing to Existing Customers

We may send marketing communications (promotions, new products, service updates) to existing customers via email, WhatsApp, or SMS. This is done on the basis of legitimate interest. You may opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

• Clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email
• Replying STOP to any marketing SMS or WhatsApp message
• Emailing tech@chaungeni.co.za with "Unsubscribe" in the subject line

13.2 Marketing to New Contacts

We will only send unsolicited marketing to new contacts if we have obtained your prior consent in accordance with POPIA Section 69 and the ECT Act. Cold marketing without consent is not a practice we engage in.

13.3 Opt-Out Rights

Your right to opt out of direct marketing is absolute under POPIA. Once you opt out, we will process your request within 5 business days and will not contact you for marketing purposes thereafter.

When you submit a device for repair, you are issued a unique tracking code that allows you to check the status of your repair on our website. Please be aware of the following:

• Your tracking code is linked to your personal and device information. Treat it as confidential.
• Do not share your tracking code with unauthorised persons. Anyone with your tracking code can view your repair status and personal details.
• Chaungeni Technologies is not liable for any unauthorised access to your repair information resulting from the sharing of your tracking code by you or by someone acting on your behalf.
• If you believe your tracking code has been compromised, contact us immediately at tech@chaungeni.co.za so we can invalidate and reissue it.

Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. POPIA provides specific and heightened protection for the personal information of children, and we comply fully with those provisions.

If you are under 18, please do not submit personal information to us without the knowledge and consent of your parent or legal guardian. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a minor, we will take prompt steps to delete that information.

If you believe we may have collected personal information from a child without appropriate consent, please contact our Information Officer immediately.

The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) requires private bodies to prepare a manual that provides a description of the records held and the process for requesting access to those records.

Our PAIA Section 51 Manual is available on request from our Information Officer and includes:

• A description of the subjects on which we hold records and the categories of records held per subject
• The procedure for requesting access to records
• The fees payable for record access requests
• The grounds on which access may be refused

To request our PAIA manual or to submit a record access request, contact our Information Officer at tech@chaungeni.co.za. Requests will be processed in accordance with the prescribed PAIA timelines.

If you are dissatisfied with how we have handled your personal information or a complaint you raised with us, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa, established under POPIA Section 39.

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. When we make material changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Post a notice on our website for at least 30 days
• Where the change is significant, notify existing customers via email

Your continued use of our services after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.