1. Introduction & Commitment
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Randfontein & Westonaria (SPCA RandWest, "we", "us", or "our") is a registered non-profit organization (NPO no. 002-029) dedicated to animal welfare, protection, and rescue across the West Rand region of Gauteng.
We are fully committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is collected and processed responsibly in accordance with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act, No. 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA).
2. What Personal Information We Collect
Depending on your interaction with SPCA RandWest, we may collect and process the following information:
- Adoption Inquiries & Applications: Full legal name, South African ID number or passport, physical home address (for statutory property inspections), contact telephone numbers, email address, living environment details, and family/pet background.
- Donations & Sponsorships: Donor name, contact details, payment confirmation, and South African Tax Reference / ID number when requested for Section 18A Tax Deductible Receipts.
- Online Shop Orders: Full name, WhatsApp / mobile number, delivery address, order details, and transaction reference.
- Cruelty Reports & Animal Rescues: Information regarding suspected abuse, neglect, or animals in distress, location coordinates/address, and complainant contact details (which may be submitted confidentially or anonymously upon request).
- General Communications: Inquiries sent via our online contact form, email, or official shelter WhatsApp channels.
3. Online Payments & Financial Security (Yoco Integration)
We take donor and customer financial security extremely seriously:
Yoco utilizes bank-grade 256-bit encryption and 3D Secure verification (Mastercard Identity Check and Verified by Visa) for all transactions including Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Instant EFT.
4. How We Use Your Personal Information
Your information is used strictly for legitimate animal welfare and administrative purposes, including:
- Vetting adoption applications and conducting compulsory pre- and post-adoption property inspections in accordance with NSPCA standards.
- Processing charitable donations and issuing formal Section 18A tax deduction receipts.
- Fulfilling online shop orders (calendars, exam stress boxes) and coordinating courier logistics with you.
- Dispatching inspectors and veterinary staff to emergency animal rescue call-outs.
- Maintaining statutory records required by the Department of Social Development, SARS, and the NSPCA.
- Responding to your inquiries and support questions.
5. Information Sharing & Third Parties
We never sell, rent, trade, or monetize your personal information to third-party marketing companies.
Personal information is only shared under the following limited conditions:
- NSPCA: When statutory animal protection compliance or transfer reporting requires information sharing between authorized SPCA bodies.
- Veterinary Partners: To register microchips, issue vaccination cards, and record sterilisation certificates for adopted animals.
- Service Providers: Authorized technical and logistical partners (such as Yoco for payment verification, and couriers for package delivery) who are contractually bound to maintain strict confidentiality.
- Legal Obligations: Where disclosure is required by South African law, court order, or police warrants under the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962.
6. Data Storage & Protection Safeguards
We maintain strict administrative, technical, and physical security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration. Access to our internal management database is restricted exclusively to authorized shelter staff members who have verified administrative credentials.
7. Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject in South Africa, you have the right to:
- Request access to any personal information we hold about you.
- Request the correction, updating, or rectification of inaccurate or outdated information.
- Request the deletion or destruction of your personal information (subject to statutory tax and animal welfare retention requirements).
- Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds.
- Lodge a complaint with the South African Information Regulator (inforegulator.org.za).
8. Contact Our Information Officer
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your POPIA rights, or need assistance regarding your personal information, please contact our shelter management:
SPCA Randfontein & Westonaria
Randfontein Road, Uitvalfontein 244-IQ, Randfontein, 1779
Telephone: 011 412 3114
Email: manager@spcarandwest.co.za or chairman@spcarandwest.co.za