Privacy
Policy.

Section 01

Who we are

Rape-Axe (Pty) Ltd ("Rape-Axe", "we", "us", "our") is a South African company registered in terms of the Companies Act 71 of 2008. We operate the website rapeaxe.org.za and related digital properties (collectively, the "Site").

We are committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and all applicable South African legislation.

Our Information Officer can be contacted at legal@rapeaxe.org.za.

Section 02

Information we collect

We collect information in the following ways:

• Information you provide directly - when you complete a contact form, make a donation, sign up for our newsletter, or communicate with us by email. This may include your name, email address, telephone number, and any message content.
• Donation information - when you donate, our payment processor collects your payment details. We do not store full card numbers on our servers.
• Automatically collected information - when you visit the Site, we automatically receive your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages visited. This is collected via cookies and similar technologies (see Section 8).
• Communications - if you contact us by email or through the Site, we retain those communications to respond to your enquiry and improve our services.

We do not collect sensitive information such as health records, racial or ethnic origin, or political opinions unless you voluntarily provide this information in direct communications with us.

Section 03

How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to your enquiries and provide support;
• Process donations and issue receipts;
• Send newsletters and campaign updates (only where you have opted in);
• Operate, maintain, and improve the Site;
• Analyse usage patterns to better understand how the Site is used;
• Comply with legal obligations under South African law;
• Protect the security and integrity of the Site and our operations.

We will never use your information to send unsolicited commercial communications unrelated to Rape-Axe, or sell it to third parties for marketing purposes.

Section 04

Legal basis for processing

Under POPIA, we process your personal information on the following grounds:

• Consent - where you have given us clear permission, for example by subscribing to our newsletter;
• Contractual necessity - where processing is necessary to fulfil a request you have made, such as processing a donation;
• Legitimate interests - where we have a legitimate reason to process your data that does not override your rights, such as analysing Site traffic to improve performance;
• Legal obligation - where we are required by law to retain or process certain information.

Section 05

Sharing your information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share information with:

• Service providers - trusted third parties who assist us in operating the Site, processing payments, sending communications, or measuring Site usage (e.g., our hosting provider, email platform, payment processor, and Google Analytics). These parties are contractually obligated to keep your information confidential and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Legal authorities - where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Rape-Axe, our users, or the public.
• Professional advisors - such as lawyers or auditors, where necessary and subject to confidentiality obligations.

Any third parties with whom we share your data are required to implement appropriate security measures.

Section 06

Data retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specifically:

• Contact form submissions are retained for up to 24 months to allow for follow-up communications;
• Donation records are retained for 5 years in compliance with South African tax and accounting requirements;
• Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion;
• Website analytics data is retained in aggregated, anonymised form for up to 26 months.

When your data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

Section 07

Your rights

Under POPIA and applicable law, you have the right to:

• Access - request a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• Correction - request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Deletion - request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal retention obligations;
• Objection - object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances;
• Withdrawal of consent - where processing is based on your consent, withdraw that consent at any time;
• Complaint - lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at legal@rapeaxe.org.za. We will respond within 30 days.

Section 08

Cookies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate and improve the Site. Cookies are small text files placed on your device.

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies - required for the Site to function. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies - we use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use the Site (e.g., pages visited, time spent, and actions such as starting a donation). Data is aggregated and does not identify you by name.
• Preference cookies - remember your settings and preferences for future visits.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site. By continuing to use the Site without disabling cookies, you consent to our use of them as described here.

Section 09

Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encrypted data transmission (HTTPS/TLS) across the Site;
• Secure hosting infrastructure with access controls;
• Regular security assessments and updates;
• Limited staff access to personal data on a need-to-know basis.

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your information, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately at legal@rapeaxe.org.za.

Section 10

International transfers

Some of our service providers are located outside South Africa. Where we transfer your personal information internationally, we ensure that adequate safeguards are in place - including contractual protections equivalent to those required under POPIA - so that your data remains protected to the same standard regardless of where it is processed.

Section 11

Children

The Site is not directed at children under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us at legal@rapeaxe.org.za and we will delete it promptly.

Section 12

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to notify you - for example, by posting a notice on the Site or contacting subscribers directly.

Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Section 13

Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please do not hesitate to get in touch.