South Africa
PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy Policy

Monitoring capital, holding South African power to account

Privacy Policy — Africa Capital Watch

Last updated: May 11, 2026

Introduction
Africa Capital Watch (the “Site”, “we”, “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to africacapitalwatch.com. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal data and describes your rights under applicable data-protection laws, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Data controller
Africa Capital Watch is the data controller responsible for your personal data. Location: Cape Town, South Africa. For privacy enquiries and requests you may use our contact form at https://africacapitalwatch.com/contact/ or email [email protected].

What personal data we collect
We collect only the personal data necessary to operate the Site and provide services requested by you. Types of data we process include: - Identifiers: name, email address, username when you register for an account, subscribe to newsletters, comment, or contact us.
- Technical and usage data: IP address (pseudonymised where possible), browser and device information, pages visited, referral data and other analytics.
- Communications: messages you send via the contact form, comment content, and email correspondence.
- Transactional data: billing and payment records where applicable (invoicing, donation or subscription information).
- Optional additional data: résumé or application materials for recruitment, if you apply for a role.

How and why we use your data (purposes and lawful bases)
We process personal data for the following purposes and rely on these lawful bases under the GDPR:

  • To provide services and manage accounts (performance of a contract): creating and administering user accounts, delivering newsletters you sign up for, and processing subscriptions or payments.
  • To obtain consent (consent): where you opt in to marketing or non-essential cookies, we process your data based on your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.
  • For legitimate interests: analytics, fraud prevention, site security, improving the Site and personalising content. We balance these interests against your rights and do not use them as a basis for intrusive profiling without explicit consent. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • To comply with legal obligations: retention of accounting and tax records, responding to legal claims or regulatory requests.

Cookies and tracking technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the Site, remember preferences, analyze traffic and show relevant content. Types of cookies we use: - Necessary cookies: enable basic site functions and security. These cannot be disabled via our cookie banner.
- Preference cookies: remember language and presentation settings.
- Analytics cookies: gather anonymous statistics about page visits and site performance (e.g., Google Analytics).
- Advertising cookies: used by third parties to deliver and measure targeted advertising.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings and opt-out tools provided by third-party services (for example Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on). Blocking certain cookies may affect Site functionality.

Third parties and international transfers
We use third-party service providers to host the Site, deliver email, process payments, and provide analytics and advertising services. These providers may be located and process data outside South Africa or the European Economic Area. Where transfers to jurisdictions without an adequacy decision occur, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses, adequacy decisions, or explicit consent. We aim to select providers that implement adequate technical and organisational measures, but we cannot control their internal practices. If you have concerns about transfers, contact us at https://africacapitalwatch.com/contact/ or [email protected].

Data retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described: - Account and profile data: retained while your account is active and for up to 12 months after account deletion to allow recovery and comply with backup policies.
- Newsletter subscriptions: retained until you unsubscribe.
- Comments and user-generated content: retained until you request removal or we remove the content for policy reasons.
- Analytics and logs: aggregated data retained generally for up to 25 months; raw logs may be retained in pseudonymised form for up to 12 months.
- Financial and legal records: retained for up to seven years where required by law or for legitimate business purposes.

Your rights
Subject to local law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data: - Right of access: request a copy of personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to erasure: request deletion of your personal data where there is no lawful reason for continued processing.
- Right to restriction: request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability: receive your data in a structured, commonly used format where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
- Right to object: object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
- Right to withdraw consent: withdraw consent for processing that was based on consent.
- Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your jurisdiction (for example the South African Information Regulator or an EU Member State authority) if you believe your rights have been infringed.

To exercise any right, send a request via our contact form at https://africacapitalwatch.com/contact/ or by email to [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity and will respond within one month of receipt. We may extend this period in complex cases and will inform you of any extension.

Security
We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure. Measures include access controls, encryption (where applicable), and regular security assessments. No internet transmission is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security of data.

Children’s privacy
The Site is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 without parental or guardian consent. If you believe we have collected personal data from a child without appropriate consent, contact us and we will take steps to delete the information.

Automated decision-making and profiling
We do not engage in automated decision-making with legal or similarly significant effects. Where any such processing is planned, we will notify affected individuals and obtain consent if required.

Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on the Site with an updated “Last updated” date.

Contact and complaints
For privacy questions, requests or complaints, please use our contact form at https://africacapitalwatch.com/contact/ or email [email protected]. You may also lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority if you are not satisfied with our response.