Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Biltong Boeties ("we", "us") is a South African online store selling biltong, droëwors and related snacks. We are the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy, and we process it in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

2. The information we collect

• Order and delivery details: your name, email address, mobile number and delivery address, plus what you ordered.
• Payment information: the payment method you choose, confirmation that payment was made, and the payment reference our gateway returns to us. Card details are captured and processed by our payment provider, PayFast, on their own secure page — they never reach us and we never store them.
• Order details: the products, pack weights and quantities you buy, your delivery method and what you paid.
• Communication records: messages you send us by email or through our contact, wholesale and corporate forms.
• Review submissions: your name, the product and pack weight you reviewed, your star rating and your comment. Approved reviews are published on our website with your name, so we ask for your specific consent before you submit one.
• Gift voucher requests: the recipient's name, the personal message you write and your contact details.
• Marketing preferences: whether you have opted in to the Boeties Club newsletter.
• Technical information: basic device and usage information collected by our website and cookies, such as your browser type and the pages you visit.

3. How we use your information

• To process, pack, deliver and track your order.
• To confirm payments and issue refunds, vouchers or replacements.
• To answer your questions and give you customer support.
• To run our product review system — moderating submissions and publishing approved reviews with your name, star rating and comment.
• To record the consent you give us, so we can show what you agreed to and when.
• To send order updates, and marketing only where you've opted in.
• To keep accurate sales, tax and accounting records as the law requires.
• To prevent fraud and misuse of our store and website.

4. Who we share it with

We never sell your personal information. We share it only where it's needed to run your order:

• Courier companies — your name, address and mobile number so they can deliver your parcel.
• Payment providers — to process and confirm your payment.
• Service providers — the website hosting, email and data storage providers that keep our store running, bound to protect your information.
• Professional advisers — our accountants and auditors, where required.
• Authorities — where we're legally obliged to disclose information.

Some of our service providers may store information on servers outside South Africa. Where that happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure your information is protected to a standard comparable to POPIA.

5. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to keep your cart and your session working, and to understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, but parts of the store — like your cart — may stop working properly.

6. How long we keep it

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for operational, legal and tax purposes:

• Order, payment and invoice records: at least 5 years, as required for tax purposes.
• Enquiries and support messages: up to 24 months after the matter is closed.
• Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe.
• Gift voucher records: 12 months after the voucher expires.
• Published reviews: until you ask us to remove them.
• Consent records: for as long as we process the information, and for a reasonable period afterwards so we can prove that consent was given.

When we no longer need information, we delete or anonymise it securely.

7. How we protect your information

We are committed to protecting the personal information you share with us against unauthorised access, loss, damage or destruction, and to storing it only for as long as we have an operational, legal or tax reason to keep it (see section 6).

We use safeguards that fit the information we hold: encrypted connections (HTTPS) across the site, restricted access so only the people who need your details to pack and deliver your order can see them, confidentiality obligations for anyone who works with our data, and safe disposal of information we no longer need. Card details never reach us — they're handled by our payment provider. No system is perfectly secure, so if you ever suspect your information has been compromised, please tell us immediately.

8. Your rights under POPIA

You may ask us to:

• confirm what personal information we hold about you, and give you a copy of it;
• correct or update information that is wrong, incomplete or out of date;
• delete or destroy information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep;
• stop processing your information, or withdraw consent you gave us earlier — including marketing consent;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests;
• object to direct marketing at any time, free of charge — simply untick the marketing box, unsubscribe from any email we send you, or ask us to stop.

Email hello@biltongboeties.co.za, addressed to our Information Officer, and we'll respond within a reasonable time, usually within 30 days. A first access or correction request is free of charge. If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information or your request, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at complaints.IR@justice.gov.za or via inforeg.org.za.

Our POPIA compliance page sets out our lawful basis for processing, our Information Officer's details and every consent notice we use on the site.

9. Marketing

We only send marketing emails if you've opted in to the Boeties Club newsletter, and every one of those emails has an unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing won't stop order confirmations and delivery updates — those are part of buying from us. You can also ask us to stop at any time by emailing us.

10. Children

Our store is meant for adults, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us their details, contact us and we'll remove them.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our store or the law changes. The date at the top shows the latest version, and any big changes will be posted on this page.