Privacy Policy
Last Updated: September 9, 2026
1. Introduction
ACVV Helen Bellinganhof ("we", "us", or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or interact with our services. It is developed in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") [citation:2][citation:4].
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By accessing or using our website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.
2. Definitions
Throughout this Privacy Policy, the following terms have these meanings:
- Personal Information: Information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person [citation:4]. This includes but is not limited to: name, contact details, email address, phone number, IP address, and any other information that can identify you.
- Processing: Any operation or activity concerning personal information, including collection, receipt, recording, organization, collation, storage, updating, modification, retrieval, alteration, consultation, use, dissemination, distribution, merging, linking, restriction, degradation, erasure, or destruction [citation:4].
- Data Subject: You, as the person to whom the personal information relates [citation:4].
- Responsible Party: ACVV Helen Bellinganhof, which determines the purpose and means for processing personal information.
- Information Regulator: The body established under POPIA to monitor and enforce compliance with the Act [citation:4].
4. How We Collect Information
We collect your personal information in the following ways [citation:4]:
- Directly from you: When you fill out forms on our website, contact us via email or phone, or otherwise interact with us.
- Automatically: Through cookies and other tracking technologies when you browse our website.
- From third parties: In limited circumstances, we may receive information from service providers or public sources, always in accordance with applicable law.
5. Purpose of Collection
We collect and process your personal information for the following purposes [citation:2]:
- To respond to your inquiries and provide information you request.
- To communicate with you about our services, events, and updates.
- To improve our website, services, and user experience.
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
- For internal record-keeping and administrative purposes.
- To protect our rights and property, and ensure the security of our website.
We will not process your personal information for any purpose other than those specified above without obtaining your prior consent [citation:2].
6. Legal Basis for Processing
Under POPIA, we process your personal information based on one or more of the following lawful grounds [citation:1][citation:7]:
- Consent: Where you have given us clear consent to process your personal information for a specific purpose (e.g., when you submit a contact form).
- Contractual necessity: Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you.
- Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
- Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and interests.
7. Sharing of Information
We may share your personal information in the following circumstances [citation:2][citation:4]:
- With service providers: We may engage third-party companies to assist us in operating our website or conducting our business (e.g., web hosting, email services). These providers are contractually bound to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
- For legal reasons: We may disclose information if required to do so by law, court order, or other governmental authority [citation:2].
- To protect rights: We may disclose information when necessary to prevent fraud, enforce our terms, or protect the rights, property, or safety of ACVV Helen Bellinganhof, our users, or others.
We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes without your explicit consent [citation:2].
8. Security Measures
We take the security of your personal information seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information against [citation:2][citation:4]:
- Unauthorized access or disclosure
- Accidental loss, destruction, or damage
- Unlawful processing
These measures include secure servers, firewalls, encryption where appropriate, and restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis. We regularly review our security practices to ensure they remain effective [citation:4].
Important: While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to promptly addressing any security incidents in accordance with POPIA requirements [citation:4].
9. Data Retention
We will retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, or reporting requirements [citation:4].
Specifically:
- Contact form submissions are retained for up to 5 years, unless a longer period is required by law [citation:2].
- After this period, your personal information will be securely deleted or anonymized so that it can no longer be linked to you.
- We may retain de-identified information for statistical and historical purposes indefinitely [citation:2].
10. Your Rights
Under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information [citation:2][citation:4][citation:8]:
- Right to Access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to Correction: You may request that we correct or update inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information.
- Right to Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal and operational limitations.
- Right to Object: You may object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit how we use your information.
- Right to Data Portability: You may request that we provide your information in a structured, commonly used format.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time.
- Right to Lodge a Complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been infringed [citation:4].
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 15. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with POPIA requirements.
11. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience [citation:4].
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help us remember your preferences and understand how you use our site.
Types of cookies we use:
- Essential cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly (e.g., session management).
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g., Google Analytics).
- Functional cookies: Remember your preferences to enhance your experience.
Managing cookies:
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can refuse cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to decline cookies. However, please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.
12. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to other websites (e.g., social media platforms, partner organizations). Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any website you visit [citation:2].
13. Children's Privacy
Our website is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as possible [citation:3].
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. The most current version will always be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date [citation:2].
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy [citation:9].
16. PAIA Manual
In accordance with the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 ("PAIA"), we have developed a PAIA Manual that outlines the procedure for requesting access to information held by ACVV Helen Bellinganhof [citation:2][citation:8].
To request access to information under PAIA, please contact our Information Officer using the details above. Requests must be made in writing and may be subject to applicable fees as prescribed under PAIA.
© 2026 ACVV Helen Bellinganhof. All rights reserved.
This Privacy Policy was created in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
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