Privacy Policy

1. Who is responsible

Melkbos Buzz (sole proprietor, owner Marissa Pelser) is the responsible party for personal information collected through melkbosbuzz.co.za and our services, and handles it in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). Marissa Pelser acts as information officer.

2. What we collect

Order and enquiry details: business name, contact person, phone/WhatsApp number, email, website or social links, the package you chose and any notes.

Files you upload or send, such as logos, photographs and artwork.

Messages you send us by WhatsApp, email or social media.

Basic technical information when you visit the site, such as browser type, pages viewed and approximate location, which may be collected through hosting logs and privacy-friendly analytics. Anonymous poll or vote responses are stored without identifying you.

3. Why we use it

To respond to enquiries, process and deliver bookings, create and publish approved content, send order confirmations and reminders, keep business records, improve the website, and meet legal and tax obligations. We only use information for purposes connected to why you gave it to us, or as the law allows.

4. Cookies and analytics

The website uses a small number of essential cookies or similar storage (for example to keep an administrator signed in) and may use analytics to understand which pages are useful. We do not sell data or use it for third-party advertising profiles. You can block or delete cookies in your browser; essential site features may then not work fully.

5. Payments

Card payments are handled by third-party providers such as Yoco under their own security standards and privacy policies. We do not receive or store full card details. For EFT payments we see only what appears on our bank statement and any proof of payment you send us.

6. WhatsApp and email

If you contact us on WhatsApp or by email, those messages are processed by those platforms (for example Meta for WhatsApp) as well as by us. Please avoid sending sensitive personal information through these channels.

7. Direct marketing

We will only send you marketing messages if you are an existing client (about similar services) or have agreed to receive them. Every marketing message will tell you how to opt out, and you can opt out at any time by replying “stop” or emailing us.

8. Who we share it with

We do not sell personal information. We share it only with service providers who help us run Melkbos Buzz — such as website hosting and database providers, email delivery, payment providers and social media platforms used to publish client content — and only as needed for them to provide that service, or where the law requires. Some providers may store data outside South Africa; where they do, we use reputable providers with appropriate protections, as POPIA requires.

9. How long we keep it

We keep order and payment records for as long as needed for the service and for tax and accounting purposes (generally up to five years). Enquiries that do not lead to a booking, and uploaded files no longer needed, are deleted within a reasonable time. Published content may remain in our archive unless you ask us to review it.

10. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information, including restricted, password-protected admin access, private file storage and encrypted connections. No system is completely secure, and we will notify you and the Information Regulator if a security compromise affects your information, as POPIA requires.

11. Your rights

You may ask to see the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, object to certain processing, or withdraw consent for marketing. Email or WhatsApp us and we will respond within a reasonable time; we may need to confirm your identity first. Some records may have to be kept for legal reasons.

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your request, you may complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) via inforegulator.org.za.

12. Children

Our services are aimed at adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without the consent of a parent or guardian.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version and its date will always be on this page.