POPIA Act Policy

1. Responsible Party & Information Officer

Online Academy Mall is the responsible party for personal information processed on the platform. Our Information Officer can be contacted at [email protected] for any POPIA-related request or complaint.

2. Personal Information We Process

• Account details: name, surname, email, phone number and role.
• Learner details provided by parents/guardians (name, grade, subjects).
• Teacher application details: qualifications, CV, ID, police clearance and banking details.
• Seller application details: business information, ID, proof of banking.
• Enrolment, order and payment records (payment card details are handled by our payment provider, not stored by us).

3. The Eight Conditions for Lawful Processing

• Accountability — we take responsibility for compliance.
• Processing limitation — we only collect what is necessary, lawfully and with consent or another legal basis.
• Purpose specification — information is collected for specific, explicit purposes.
• Further processing limitation — we do not use information for unrelated purposes.
• Information quality — we take reasonable steps to keep information accurate.
• Openness — we inform you when we collect your information.
• Security safeguards — we protect information with technical and organisational measures.
• Data subject participation — you may access and correct your information.

4. Children's Personal Information

Personal information of children (under 18) is only processed with the prior consent of a competent person, usually the parent or legal guardian, as required by section 35 of POPIA. Child learner accounts are created and managed by parents/guardians, and children do not need to provide their own email address.

5. Special Personal Information

Information such as religious beliefs (e.g. for Islamic education services) or criminal records (police clearance for teachers) is only processed where you have consented or where it is necessary to ensure learner safety, and access is restricted to authorised administrators.

6. Sharing of Information

We only share personal information with the teacher or seller you choose to engage, our payment provider, and service providers that host and secure the platform — all under confidentiality obligations. We never sell personal information.

7. Verification Documents

Teacher and seller verification documents are stored securely and can only be viewed by the document owner and authorised platform administrators.

8. Retention

Information is kept only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected or as required by law (e.g. tax and financial records), after which it is securely deleted or de-identified.

9. Your Rights

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction or deletion of inaccurate or outdated information.
• Object to processing, including direct marketing.
• Withdraw consent at any time (this may limit your use of some services).
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforeg.org.za).

10. Security Breaches

If we have reasonable grounds to believe your personal information has been accessed by an unauthorised person, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by section 22 of POPIA.