Privacy Policy
Last updated: 01 September 2026
Robertson Connect ("we", "us") is committed to protecting your personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
1. Who is responsible
Robertson Connect is the responsible party for the personal information described here.
You can contact us through the Support page in your dashboard, or at info@robertsonconnect.co.za, for any privacy request.
2. What we collect
Account information — your email address and authentication details, handled through our authentication provider. We never see or store your password.
Listing information — everything you choose to publish about your business: name, contact details, address, description, photos, hours, owner name, photo and bio. This is published publicly by design.
Payment information — transactions are processed by PayFast. We receive and store a payment reference, amount, status and subscription token. We never receive or store your card number.
Usage information — we record listing views, clicks on contact buttons and similar events so business owners can see how their listing performs. This is stored in aggregate-style event records and is not used to build advertising profiles.
Support correspondence — messages you send us.
3. Cookies and tracking technologies
We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you logged in, remember your preferences, and understand how the site is used (for example, via analytics tools). Some cookies are essential to the site working and can't be disabled; others (such as analytics) you can control through your browser settings or a cookie preference tool on the site.
4. Why we process it
To create and display your listing, to take and manage payment, to review listings before publication, to give owners performance analytics, to prevent abuse and enforce our content standards (see our Terms & Conditions), and to comply with legal obligations.
5. Legal basis
We process information on the basis of your consent, the performance of our contract with you (your listing or subscription), our legitimate interests in running and protecting the directory, and compliance with law.
6. Sharing
We share information only with the service providers needed to run the platform: our hosting and database provider, our payment provider (PayFast), our email provider, and the AI provider used for search interpretation and listing assistance. We do not sell personal information.
7. Cross-border transfers
Some of these providers process data outside South Africa. Where that happens we rely on the provider's contractual data protection commitments as contemplated in section 72 of POPIA.
8. Direct marketing
If you're a registered business or user, we may send you service-related emails (listing status, billing, platform updates) as part of our contract with you — these aren't marketing and you can't opt out of them while your account is active.
If we ever want to send you promotional or marketing content (for example, tips to improve your listing, or news about new features), we'll ask for your separate, explicit consent first, in line with section 69 of POPIA. You can withdraw that consent at any time, free of charge, using the unsubscribe link in the email or by contacting us.
9. Automated decision-making and AI use
Robertson Connect uses AI to help interpret search queries and to assist with listing creation (for example, suggesting descriptions or categories). AI-generated search matches don't make binding decisions about you — they surface possible results, and a human reviews listings before publication. We don't use AI to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about individuals without human involvement.
10. Content standards
All listings, classifieds, job posts and other content submitted to Robertson Connect must comply with South African law and with our acceptable use rules, including our prohibitions on illegal, unlicensed, fraudulent, or exploitative content. These rules — and how we enforce them — are set out in full in our Terms & Conditions.
11. Children's information
Robertson Connect is intended for use by adults (18 and older) creating business listings, job seeker profiles, or classifieds. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can remove it.
12. Retention
We keep listing and account information while your account is active, and transaction records for as long as required by tax and financial legislation.
13. Your rights
Under POPIA you may request access to the personal information we hold, ask for correction or deletion, object to processing, and lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator. Requests for access are handled under our PAIA manual, available at [link to PAIA manual].
14. Lodging a complaint with the Information Regulator
If you believe we haven't handled your personal information properly, you can lodge a complaint directly with South Africa's Information Regulator:
Website: inforegulator.org.za
Complaints email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
General enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
15. Data breach notification
If a security compromise occurs that has affected or may affect your personal information, we will notify the Information Regulator and the affected individuals as required under section 22 of POPIA, without unreasonable delay.
16. Security
Access to data is restricted through database-level access rules, payments are handled off-site by PayFast, and administrative functions are limited to authorised accounts.
17. Publicly published information
Listing information you choose to publish — including your business name, contact details, address, description, photos, owner name, photo and bio — is publicly visible to anyone browsing Robertson Connect, and may be indexed by search engines. Please only include information you're comfortable making public. You can request that we remove or amend published listing information at any time by contacting us.
18. Third-party links
Listings may include links to third-party websites, social media pages, or contact platforms (such as WhatsApp). We aren't responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party destinations — please review their own policies separately.
19. Changes
We may update this policy. The date shown on this page reflects the most recent update.