This Privacy Policy explains how Semcon Electrical (Pty) Ltd ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information in line with the South African Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").
1. Who we are (Responsible Party)
Semcon Electrical (Pty) Ltd is the "Responsible Party" for the personal information we collect about you.
Our Information Officer is the director, Marco Engelbrecht, contactable at marco@semcon.co.za or +27 72 683 0418. Postal address: Plot 29, Rietfontein, Pretoria, 0186.
2. Personal information we collect
| Category | Examples |
|---|
| Identifying information | Name, surname, contact person, company name, VAT number, registration number |
| Contact information | Email address, mobile and landline numbers, physical address, postal address, site address |
| Financial information | Banking reference (for invoice matching), payment proof images. We do not store credit-card numbers. |
| Service information | Quote line items, site notes, photos of work, signature on accept, internal job notes |
| Technical information | IP address and device information when you use our site (logged by Netlify, our hosting provider) |
3. How we collect information
- Directly from you — when you request a quote, email us, WhatsApp us, or accept a quote via the online link;
- From our hosting provider's logs (Netlify) when you visit a public quote or invoice page;
- From our administrator (Marco) entering or updating your details in our admin system.
4. Why we process your information (purpose)
- Quotation and contracting — to draft, send, and confirm quotes; to record acceptance with your name and signature for legal evidence.
- Service delivery — to schedule and perform the electrical or solar installation work.
- Invoicing and payment — to issue invoices, reconcile EFT payments, and confirm proof of payment.
- Statutory record-keeping — for tax records (typically 5 years per the Tax Administration Act) and Certificate of Compliance retention.
- Communication — to keep you informed about your quote, work-in-progress, deposit confirmation, completion, and follow-up service.
- Limited marketing — only to existing clients about related services they may be interested in. You may opt out at any time.
5. Lawful basis
We process your personal information on one or more of the following lawful bases under POPIA:
- Performance of a contract — for quotations, work, and invoicing requested by you;
- Compliance with a legal obligation — tax, electrical compliance, and CoC record retention;
- Our legitimate interest — recovering unpaid invoices, defending claims, training and quality;
- Your consent — for marketing communications, which you can withdraw at any time.
6. Who we share information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the following categories of recipients, and only as needed:
- Our IT and email service providers — Netlify (hosting), Resend (transactional email), Microsoft / Google (email account hosting). These providers process information on our instruction subject to written undertakings.
- Our accountant and bookkeeper — for tax and bookkeeping purposes.
- Suppliers of materials — limited to the delivery address and Client name where direct delivery is arranged.
- Government and regulatory bodies — SARS, the Department of Employment and Labour (CoC records), or municipalities, where lawfully required.
- Legal advisors and debt collectors — only where necessary to enforce our rights or defend claims.
We do not transfer personal information outside South Africa unless the foreign country provides equivalent protection or you have consented.
7. How long we keep information
| Type of record | Retention period |
|---|
| Quotes (accepted, declined, expired) | 5 years from issue date |
| Invoices and payment records | 5 years from year-end (Tax Administration Act) |
| Certificates of Compliance | 3 years (or longer where required by law) |
| Signed acceptance and signature images | 5 years from acceptance |
| Marketing contact list | Until you opt out |
8. How we keep it safe
- Admin access is password-protected and limited to authorised staff;
- All transmission of data uses HTTPS encryption;
- Backups are kept in encrypted form;
- POP image files and signed acceptances are stored on a private store accessible only to authenticated admin users;
- We review access permissions periodically and remove access when no longer needed;
- If a security breach occurs that affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible, in line with section 22 of POPIA.
9. Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to:
- Be informed that we are collecting and processing your information (this Policy);
- Request access to a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
- Request correction or deletion of inaccurate, irrelevant, or excessive information;
- Object to our processing of your information for direct marketing purposes;
- Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent (this does not affect lawful processing already done);
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.
To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer above.
10. Cookies & analytics
Our public website and the admin dashboard use only essential cookies — for example, the cookie that keeps Marco logged in. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. Netlify, our hosting provider, may collect basic server-side request logs (IP, user-agent, timestamps) for security and operational purposes.
11. Information Regulator
If you believe we have not handled your personal information properly, you may complain to:
The Information Regulator (South Africa)
JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
Web: inforegulator.org.za
12. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version, with the effective date, is always available at /privacy.html. We will notify existing clients of material changes by email.
Heads-up — template content.
This Privacy Policy is a practical template that aligns with POPIA. It is not a substitute for tailored legal advice. Have a South African attorney experienced in privacy law review and adjust it to Semcon Electrical's actual data flows, suppliers, and retention practices before relying on it for compliance.