FEDSAS Privacy Policy 

FEDSAS recognises the importance of protecting personal information, and subscribes to the principles outlined in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 as well as the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPI”), which governs the right to have one’s personal information kept private. With this policy FEDSAS commits itself to compliance with POPI.

This policy applies to the collection, use and disclosure of the personal information of website visitors/users when accessing FEDSAS services, as well as to all the products, services, websites and applications offered by FEDSAS.

FEDSAS defines personal information as content that relates to an identifiable, living, natural person and, where applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person. This includes, though is not limited to, identifying information such as:

• names and surnames; 
• e-mail addresses; 
• physical addresses;
• mobile and other phone numbers;
• identity numbers and/or dates of birth;
• personal data provided to FEDSAS or obtained from an online quotation; and
• data obtained through e-mail enquiries or from a personal facility.

Should you choose to provide FEDSAS with additional personal information, you agree to provide accurate and current information, and not to impersonate or misrepresent any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with anyone or anything.

FEDSAS collects personal information from the following legitimate sources:

• You personally 
• The documentation that we request and you provide
• Information that is publicly available, including court and tribunal reports and decisions

Depending on the circumstances, we may choose not to collect information from some or any of these sources.

POPI authorises FEDSAS to collect your personal information for lawful purposes. To access/collect/process personal information, FEDSAS acts as the “responsible party” on your behalf, requesting access to information.

FEDSAS respects the privacy of its customers, service providers and members, and will only use personal information as appropriate in the normal course of business to provide the products and services you have requested. We process personal information:

• to communicate with you regarding general services that we think may be of interest to you;
• to communicate with you regarding FEDSAS services or products that we think may be of interest to you; and
• to provide you with marketing materials that promote FEDSAS goods or services, unless you specifically request us not to.

FEDSAS will also use your personal information to verify your identity when you contact us online.

By clicking on “Submit/update” on our website when filling in membership information, or when submitting a hard copy of a membership application form, you consent to the collection and processing of your details for the lawful purposes mentioned above. If you submit data on a third party’s behalf, the third party will be deemed to have unequivocally consented to the provision of such personal information, and its processing and use. 

We will ensure that all our employees, third-party service providers and partners (including their employees and third-party service providers) who have access to your personal information are bound by appropriate, legally binding confidentiality and non-use agreements.

FEDSAS does not and will not sell or provide personal information to third parties for independent use. Yet we may share personal information with our business partners if such information is required to provide the product or service you have requested. However, our business partners will use any information only as directed by FEDSAS. We ensure the protection of your personal information by only entering into agreements with third parties that have POPI compliance policies of their own. Compliance with POPI ensures that the personal information we have disclosed is used only for the specific lawful purpose we have requested on your behalf.

We will provide you with access to your personal information to view and/or update your details. We value the information that you choose to provide to us, and will therefore take reasonable steps to protect it from loss, misuse, interference, unauthorised access, unauthorised disclosure or unauthorised alteration.

Information in respect of website users or members is stored in databases with built-in safeguards to ensure privacy and confidentiality. Where reasonably practicable, FEDSAS uses the latest available technology to prevent any unauthorised access to your personal information when registering or transacting on our website. We will notify you immediately when there are reasonable grounds to believe that your personal information held by FEDSAS has been accessed or acquired by any unauthorised person.

When you use our online services or facilities, gain access to your personal information, or transact online, FEDSAS requires a username and password to verify your identity and enable access to our secured environment. Please keep this information secret and do not disclose it to any unauthorised person. We also recommend that you change your password on a monthly basis, or immediately in the event that your password is compromised in any way.

Upon your request, we will promptly return or destroy any and all of your personal information in our possession or under our control. We will not retain your personal information for a longer period than it was originally required for, unless we are required by law to do so, or you have consented to us retaining such information for a longer period.

How to register a complaint should we fail to comply with POPI 

You may register a complaint:

• by writing to our deputy information officer at lo@fedsas.org.za; and/or
• with the Information Regulator by completing the prescribed form (if you reside in South Africa).[1]

There is no charge for lodging a complaint.

Upon receiving the complaint, we will acknowledge receipt in writing. After appropriate investigation and as soon as possible once a decision has been reached, our corporate manager will send you a written outline of the decision and the reasons for arriving at the outcome.

Policy review cycle: Three years in the first instance, and every fifth year thereafter