1. Introduction

Stewardship Consulting SA (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2025/093885/07, (‘we’, ‘our’, ‘the Company’), is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of all users of our website stewardshipconsultingsa.co.za (‘the Website’). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our Website, contact us, or engage with our services.

This Privacy Policy is issued in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (‘POPIA’), which governs the processing of personal information in South Africa. By using our Website, you consent to the collection and use of your personal information as described in this Policy.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

Contact forms: Full name, company name, email address, phone number, number of employees, message content.
Free Compliance Audit booking form: Name, company, email, phone, number of employees, current payroll arrangement.
Email newsletter sign-up: Name and email address.
Service enquiries (email / WhatsApp): Any personal information you choose to share.

2.2 Information collected automatically

Website usage data: Pages visited, time on page, navigation paths, referring website, device type, browser type, approximate geographic location (country/city level only).
IP address: Collected by our hosting provider and Google Analytics for security and analytics purposes.
Cookies: As described in our Cookie Policy (/cookie-policy).

3. How We Use Your Personal Information

Purpose	Detail and Lawful Basis
To respond to your contact form or enquiry	We use your name and contact details to reply to you. Lawful basis: Performance of a pre-contractual arrangement.
To deliver the Free Compliance Audit	We use your business information to conduct the audit and prepare your written Risk Summary. Lawful basis: Your specific consent (given on the booking form).
To send our newsletter (Compliance Digest)	We use your email address to send monthly compliance insights. Lawful basis: Your consent (given at sign-up). You may unsubscribe at any time.
To improve our Website	We use anonymised analytics data (Google Analytics 4) to understand how visitors use our Website. Lawful basis: Legitimate interest.
To comply with legal obligations	We may retain records of communications for the period required by the Tax Administration Act and other applicable legislation. Lawful basis: Legal obligation.

4. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your information with:

Google LLC: Google Analytics 4 (anonymised usage data). Google Ads (conversion tracking). Google is bound by its own privacy policy and complies with GDPR and equivalent data protection standards.
Our email platform (Mailchimp or equivalent): To send the Compliance Digest newsletter. Mailchimp complies with GDPR.
Microsoft Corporation: Our email and document management is hosted on Microsoft 365. Microsoft complies with international data protection standards.
Our hosting provider (Afrihost / Hetzner / CloudAfrica): Website hosting. SA-based server. Provider bound by a data processing agreement.
Professional advisors and auditors: To the extent required by law or professional standards, and only to the minimum extent necessary.

All third-party processors are subject to written data processing agreements confirming their compliance with equivalent data protection obligations.

5. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject, you have the following rights, which we will give effect to within 30 calendar days of a written request:

The right to access personal information we hold about you.
The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to request deletion of information that is no longer necessary or lawfully held.
The right to object to the processing of your personal information.
The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (inforeg@justice.gov.za).

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at info@stewardshipconsultingsa.co.za or download our Data Subject Access Request Form from the website.

6. Data Retention

Contact form enquiries: Retained for 3 years from the date of enquiry.
Newsletter subscriber data: Retained until you unsubscribe.
Compliance Audit records: Retained for 5 years in accordance with the Tax Administration Act.
Website analytics data: Retained by Google Analytics for 26 months (standard GA4 setting).

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal information, including: encrypted website (HTTPS/SSL), secure server hosting in South Africa, access-controlled cloud storage (Microsoft 365), and regular security assessments. No internet transmission is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security — but we take every reasonable precaution.

8. Cookies

Our Website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience and to collect analytics data. Please see our Cookie Policy (/cookie-policy) for full details of the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences.

9. Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., SARS.gov.za, CIPC, LinkedIn). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The ‘Last Updated’ date at the top of this page will reflect any changes. Continued use of the Website after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy. We will notify newsletter subscribers of material changes by email.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact:

Stewardship Consulting SA (Pty) Ltd | 377 Rivonia Boulevard, Rivonia, Johannesburg, 2128

Email: info@stewardshipconsultingsa.co.za | Phone: 066 574 9311