Privacy Policy for Cape Bioregion Coalition

Last Updated: 08/09/26

1. Introduction

The Cape Bioregion Coalition (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, register on our site, make a donation, or interact with us. This policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa .

2. Who We Are

For the purposes of POPIA, the Cape Bioregion Coalition is the Responsible Party for the processing of your personal information as described in this policy.

3. What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Information You Provide Directly: When you fill out our registration form, make a donation, or contact us, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, and any other information you choose to provide.

  • Payment Information: All payment processing is handled by our secure third-party payment gateway, PayFast. We do not store your credit card or banking details on our servers. PayFast is responsible for securely processing your payment information in compliance with PCI DSS standards .

  • Automatically Collected Information: When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain non-personal information, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, and browsing behaviour. This helps us understand how visitors interact with our site.

  • Image Data: The images used on our website are sourced from platforms like Pexels, Unsplash, and Freepik. We do not intentionally collect or process any personal information (such as location data) that may be embedded in these images. We rely on the licenses provided by these platforms for image use.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following specific, lawful purposes:

  • To respond to your enquiries and provide the information or services you request.

  • To process donations made through our website.

  • To maintain and manage our registration and supporter database.

  • To send you updates, newsletters, or other communications that you have consented to receive.

  • To improve our website, marketing efforts, and user experience through analytics.

  • To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

5. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

  • With Service Providers: We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, processing payments (PayFast), conducting analytics (Google Analytics), or sending communications. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and process it only for the purposes we specify .

  • As Required by Law: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests from public authorities.

6. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and to analyse website traffic.

  • Google Analytics: We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors engage with our website. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about your use of the site (including your IP address). This information is transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States . We have configured Google Analytics to use IP anonymization to protect your privacy.

  • Your Cookie Choices: You will be presented with a cookie banner when you first visit our website. You have the right to accept or decline optional cookies. Essential cookies required for the basic functioning of the site will be set automatically. You can also manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

For more information on how Google uses data, please visit Google’s Privacy Policy.

7. International Data Transfers

By using Google Analytics, your personal information (such as your IP address) may be transferred to and processed in the United States . When we transfer personal information outside of South Africa, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with POPIA requirements .

8. Data Retention and Deletion

We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Once your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

  • Your Right to Deletion: You have the right to request that we delete the personal information we hold about you at any time. To request deletion, please contact our Information Officer using the details in Section 12.

9. Data Security

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. This includes using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt data transmitted between your browser and our website.

10. Your Rights Under POPIA

Under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

  • The right to be notified that your information is being collected .

  • The right to access the personal information we hold about you.

  • The right to request the correction or deletion of your personal information.

  • The right to object to the processing of your personal information.

  • The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa .

11. Data Breach Notification

Should a security breach occur that compromises your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible, in accordance with POPIA requirements .

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or would like to contact our Information Officer, Matt Purkis, please reach out to us at:

Cape Bioregion Coalition
Email: mattp@projectbiome.org
Phone: +27 64 538 1093

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date at the top. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Information Regulator (South Africa):
Website: https://inforegulator.org.za
Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
Telephone: 010 023 5200