PRIVACY POLICY
1. INTRODUCTION
Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information in accordance with the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and any other applicable legislation.
This Privacy Policy explains how Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal information obtained from Applicants, customers, suppliers and any other persons whose personal information is processed by Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town.
By providing personal information to Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town, the Applicant consents to the processing of such information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
2. DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this Privacy Policy:
2.1 “Personal Information” shall have the meaning assigned to it in terms of POPIA and includes, but is not limited to, information relating to an identifiable, living natural person and, where applicable, an identifiable existing juristic person.
2.2 “Processing” shall mean any operation or activity or set of operations concerning Personal Information, including collection, receipt, recording, storage, updating, retrieval, use, distribution or destruction of Personal Information.
2.3 “Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town” shall mean Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town and its directors, employees, authorised agents and contractors.
2.4 “Applicant” shall mean any person or entity providing Personal Information to Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town.
3. COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
3.1 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town may collect Personal Information directly from the Applicant when the Applicant completes credit applications, places orders, requests quotations, enters into agreements, communicates with Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town, makes payments, submits enquiries, or provides supporting documentation.
3.2 The Personal Information collected may include, but is not limited to, full names and surnames, identity numbers, registration numbers, contact details, physical and postal addresses, banking details, financial information, credit references, trade references, account information and correspondence records.
3.3 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town may also collect Personal Information from third parties, including credit bureaus, financial institutions, trade references, publicly available sources and regulatory authorities, where permitted by law.
4. PURPOSE OF PROCESSING PERSONAL INFORMATION
4.1 Personal Information will be processed for lawful purposes related to the business operations of Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town. Such purposes include, but are not limited to, assessing credit applications, processing orders and transactions, supplying goods and services, maintaining customer accounts, processing payments, conducting credit checks, verifying identity and financial standing, complying with legal and regulatory obligations, communicating with Applicants, managing contractual relationships, enforcing contractual rights and maintaining business records.
4.2 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall process Personal Information only to the extent necessary to fulfil the purposes described above.
5. CONSENT
5.1 By submitting Personal Information to Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town, the Applicant consents to the collection, use and processing of such Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
5.2 Where required by law, Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall obtain additional consent prior to processing Personal Information for specific purposes.
5.3 The Applicant may withdraw consent at any time, subject to applicable legal or contractual restrictions.
6. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
6.1 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town may disclose Personal Information to third parties where necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. Such third parties may include credit bureaus, financial institutions, auditors, legal advisors, debt collection agencies, suppliers, service providers, transport and logistics providers, regulatory authorities and government departments.
6.2 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall ensure that any third party receiving Personal Information is subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations where applicable.
6.3 Personal Information shall not be sold or disclosed for unrelated commercial purposes without the consent of the Applicant, unless such disclosure is required by law.
7. STORAGE AND SECURITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
7.1 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall take reasonable technical and organisational measures to safeguard Personal Information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, unauthorised disclosure, alteration or destruction.
7.2 Personal Information may be stored electronically, in physical records, on secure servers or within controlled business systems used by Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town.
7.3 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall regularly review its security measures to ensure the continued protection of Personal Information.
8. RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
8.1 Personal Information shall be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.
8.2 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town may retain Personal Information for longer periods where such retention is required by applicable legislation, is necessary for legal proceedings, is necessary to enforce contractual rights, or is required for accounting or tax purposes.
8.3 Once Personal Information is no longer required, Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify such information.
9. ACCURACY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
9.1 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall take reasonable steps to ensure that Personal Information is accurate, complete and up to date.
9.2 The Applicant shall notify Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town of any changes to Personal Information previously provided.
10. RIGHTS OF THE APPLICANT
Subject to applicable law, the Applicant shall have the right to request access to Personal Information held by Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town, to request correction or updating of inaccurate or incomplete Personal Information, to request deletion of Personal Information where such information is no longer required, to object to the processing of Personal Information where permitted by law, and to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
Requests relating to Personal Information must be submitted in writing to Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town.
11. CROSS-BORDER TRANSFER OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
11.1 Personal Information may be transferred to service providers or third parties located outside the Republic of South Africa where necessary for business purposes.
11.2 Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall ensure that such transfers are subject to appropriate safeguards in accordance with POPIA.
12. COOKIES AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS
12.1 Where Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town operates electronic platforms or websites, cookies and similar technologies may be used to enhance user experience, analyse usage patterns and improve system performance.
12.2 Users may configure browser settings to refuse cookies, subject to system limitations.
13. DATA BREACHES
13.1 In the event of a security breach involving Personal Information, Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town shall take reasonable steps to investigate the breach, contain the breach, notify affected parties where required, and notify the Information Regulator where required.
14. AMENDMENTS TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY
Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or business practices.
The most recent version of this Privacy Policy shall apply and shall be made available upon request.
15. CONTACT DETAILS
All enquiries relating to this Privacy Policy or requests regarding Personal Information may be directed to Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town using the contact details provided in the credit application documentation.
16. ACCEPTANCE OF PRIVACY POLICY
By providing Personal Information to Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town and entering into any agreement or transaction with Steel and Pipes for Africa Cape Town, the Applicant acknowledges that he, she or it has read and understood this Privacy Policy and agrees to the processing of Personal Information in accordance with its terms.