Privacy Policy for #TheTotalShutdown
Last Updated: 06/10/26
1. Introduction
The #TheTotalShutdown (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, register on our site, make a donation, or interact with us. This policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa .
2. Who We Are
For the purposes of POPIA, the #TheTotalShutdown is the Responsible Party for the processing of your personal information as described in this policy.
Website: https://thetotalshutdown.africa/
Email: media@thetotalshutdown.africa
3. What Personal Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal information:
Information You Provide Directly: When you fill out our registration form, make a donation, or contact us, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, and any other information you choose to provide.
Payment Information: All payment processing is handled by our secure third-party payment gateway, PayFast.
We do not store your credit card or banking details on our servers. PayFast is responsible for securely processing your payment information in compliance with PCI DSS standards .
Automatically Collected Information: When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain non-personal information, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, and browsing behaviour. This helps us understand how visitors interact with our site.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following specific, lawful purposes:
To respond to your enquiries and provide the information or services you request. To process donations made through our website. To maintain and manage our registration and supporter database. To send you updates, newsletters, or other communications that you have consented to receive. To improve our website, marketing efforts, and user experience through analytics. To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
5. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties.
We may share your information only in the following circumstances: With Service Providers: We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, processing payments (PayFast), or sending communications. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and process it only for the purposes we specify.
We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal requests from public authorities.
6. Cookies
Our website uses cookies.
Your Cookie Choices: You will be presented with a cookie banner when you first visit our website. You have the right to accept or decline optional cookies. Essential cookies required for the basic functioning of the site will be set automatically. You can also manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.
8. Data Retention and Deletion
We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Once your information is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
Your Right to Deletion: You have the right to request that we delete the personal information we hold about you at any time. To request deletion, please contact our Information Officer using the details in Section 12. 9.
Data Security: We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. This includes using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt data transmitted between your browser and our website.
10. Your Rights Under POPIA
Under POPIA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information: The right to be notified that your information is being collected . The right to access the personal information we hold about you. The right to request the correction or deletion of your personal information. The right to object to the processing of your personal information. The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa .
11. Data Breach Notification
Should a security breach occur that compromises your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible, in accordance with POPIA requirements .
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or would like to contact us please reach out to us at: #TheTotalShutdown
Email: media@thetotalshutdown.africa
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new policy on this page and updating the “Last Updated” date at the top.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Information Regulator (South Africa): Website: https://inforegulator.org.za Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za Telephone: 010 023 5200