Privacy Policy

Effective Date: October 26, 2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Ubuntu Business Directory, a platform dedicated to connecting consumers with local businesses in South Africa. At Ubuntu Connect (Pty) Ltd, located at 12 Mendi Msimang Street, Durban, 4001, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and safeguard your data when you use our website (www.ubuntubusinessdirectory.co.za) and services. Our Data Protection Officer, Ms. Thandiwe Zuma, can be reached at thandiwe.zuma@ubuntubusinessdirectory.co.za or +27 53 600 3915 for any privacy-related concerns.

2. Information We Collect

We collect various types of information to provide and improve our services:

• Personal Information: This includes your name, email address, phone number, postal address, and any other information you provide when registering an account, listing a business, submitting a review, or contacting us.
• Business Information: If you are a business owner, we collect details about your business, such as its name, address, contact information, description, services offered, operating hours, and customer reviews.
• Usage Data: We collect information about how you use our website, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, pages visited, and the time and date of your visit. We use Google Analytics to track this data. Please refer to Google's privacy policy for details on how they handle your information.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, personalize content, and analyze website traffic. Please see our Cookies Policy for more details.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Providing and Improving Services: To operate and maintain our website, personalize your experience, provide customer support, and improve our services based on user feedback and data analysis.
• Communication: To communicate with you about your account, business listings, updates, promotions, and other relevant information. We may send you emails, newsletters, or SMS messages. You can opt-out of these communications at any time.
• Marketing: To promote local businesses and connect them with potential customers. We may use your information to target advertising and marketing campaigns.
• Analytics: To analyze website usage and trends, monitor the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns, and identify areas for improvement.
• Legal Compliance: To comply with applicable laws and regulations, respond to legal requests, and protect our rights and interests.

4. Data Security

We take data security seriously and implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• Encryption: We use industry-standard encryption technologies to protect sensitive data during transmission and storage.
• Access Controls: We restrict access to personal information to authorized personnel only.
• Regular Security Audits: We conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential security risks.
• Employee Training: We train our employees on data protection best practices and security procedures.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. For example, we may retain your business listing information as long as your business is active on our platform. We will securely delete or anonymize your data when it is no longer needed.

6. Sharing Your Information

We may share your information with the following third parties:

• Service Providers: We engage third-party service providers to assist us with various aspects of our business, such as hosting, payment processing, analytics, and marketing. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we specify.
• Business Partners: We may share your information with our business partners to offer you joint products or services.
• Legal Authorities: We may disclose your information to legal authorities if required by law or in response to a valid legal request.

We will not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes without your explicit consent.

7. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You have the right to access the personal information we hold about you.
• Rectification: You have the right to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
• Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information, subject to certain exceptions.
• Restriction of Processing: You have the right to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Data Portability: You have the right to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
• Objection: You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes or on grounds relating to your particular situation.
• Withdrawal of Consent: If we are processing your personal information based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer at thandiwe.zuma@ubuntubusinessdirectory.co.za or +27 82 567 1153.

8. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are not intended for children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately, and we will take steps to remove the information.

9. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will post the updated Privacy Policy on our website and indicate the effective date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

Ubuntu Connect (Pty) Ltd
12 Mendi Msimang Street
Durban, 4001
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Email: info@ubuntubusinessdirectory.co.za
Phone: +27 76 918 9879

11. Data Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach that compromises your personal information, we will notify you and the relevant regulatory authorities as required by applicable laws. Our notification will include the nature of the breach, the data affected, the steps we have taken to mitigate the breach, and measures you can take to protect yourself. We maintain a detailed incident response plan to ensure timely and effective handling of any data breach incidents.