Privacy Policy

Loekaal operates a digital event ecosystem and online marketplace that connects event organisers and consumers with venues, vendors, artists, performers and other event service providers in South Africa.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, how long we keep it and what rights you have. It applies to the Loekaal website, mobile application and all related services (the "Platform").

This Policy forms part of our Terms and Conditions of Use.

We process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECTA") and, where applicable, the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 ("CPA").

Loekaal is the responsible party (data controller) in respect of the personal information described in this Policy.

You can reach us at the email address shown on the Contact page, or through the Contact page on the Platform.

Information Officer: [word aangestel]

• Account information: name, surname, email address, mobile number, password credentials, language preference and profile details.

• Business and verification information: trading name, business description, registration and tax numbers, licences, permits and certificates, identity documents, curricula vitae where a personal service is offered, portfolio photographs and banking details used for payouts.

• Booking information: enquiries, dates, times, item and package selections, quantities, prices, event or delivery addresses, notes, cancellations and payment records.

• Chat and communication information: messages exchanged through the Platform, enquiries, support requests and contact-form submissions.

• Device and technical information: IP address, browser and device type, operating system, log data, error reports and usage analytics.

• Location information: the town, suburb or service area you supply, and addresses provided for Bookings. We do not track continuous device location in the background.

• Cookies and similar technologies: used for session management, security, preferences and aggregated usage measurement.

We collect identity, business and banking documentation from Business Users in order to verify that they are who they claim to be, that they are entitled to trade and that payouts reach the correct account.

Vetting protects consumers against fraud and misrepresentation and helps us meet our legal obligations. Verification documents are stored privately, are not published on any public profile and are accessible only to authorised Loekaal personnel who need them for vetting, payouts, fraud prevention or legal compliance.

Messages sent through the Platform may be screened using automated and AI-assisted tools, supported by human review where a system flags a concern.

This screening is strictly purpose-limited. It targets spam and bulk unsolicited marketing, fraud and phishing, the sharing of contact details in breach of our no-circumvention rules, attempts to move transactions off the Platform, and abusive, threatening or unlawful content.

We do not read private conversations generally, do not use them for advertising profiling and do not disclose their content except as described in this Policy or as required by law.

Keeping enquiries and Bookings on the Platform allows us to verify participants, keep an accurate record of what was agreed, apply payment protection, mediate disputes, act against fraud and sustain the service through the fees disclosed to Users.

Once a Booking is confirmed, the contact details reasonably required to fulfil that Booking may be exchanged freely.

• To create and administer your account and authenticate you securely.

• To operate the marketplace: publish listings, match enquiries, process Bookings, calculate fees and commissions, enable payments and payouts, and issue confirmations and receipts.

• To verify and vet Business Users and to maintain trust and safety on the Platform.

• To improve the Platform: diagnose faults, measure usage, test features and develop new functionality.

• To communicate with you about your account, enquiries, Bookings, service changes and support requests.

• To meet legal, tax, accounting, regulatory and law-enforcement obligations, to prevent and investigate fraud and abuse, and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

The Platform uses AI-assisted features for planning suggestions, recommendations, content drafting and moderation. To provide these features, limited information — such as your query, the relevant listing catalogue and availability data — is processed by our AI service providers under contract.

AI output may be inaccurate or incomplete and should be verified before you rely on it.

We do not use your content or personal information to train third-party or public AI models without giving you notice, obtaining your consent where required and having a lawful basis for doing so.

We process personal information where it is necessary to conclude or perform a contract with you, where processing is required to comply with a legal obligation, where it serves our legitimate interests or those of a third party (such as fraud prevention, platform security and service improvement) in a way that does not unreasonably prejudice you, and where you have given consent — which you may withdraw at any time.

We do not sell personal information.

We share personal information with operators (processors) that provide services to us under written contract and appropriate security obligations, including cloud hosting and database providers, authentication providers, payment and payout processors, email and messaging providers, AI service providers, mapping providers and analytics and error-monitoring providers.

We also share information with the other party to a Booking to the extent needed to fulfil it, with professional advisers, and with regulators, law-enforcement agencies or courts where required or permitted by law.

Business User profiles, including trading name, description, category, service area, portfolio images, price items and reviews, are publicly visible.

When a Booking is made, the Consumer's name, the selected item, date, time, quantity, event or delivery address and any note are shared with the relevant Business User so that the Booking can be fulfilled. Verification documents and banking details are never shared with other Users.

We may send you service-related messages that are necessary for the operation of your account, such as Booking confirmations and security notices.

Direct marketing is sent only where permitted by law. You may opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the message or by contacting us.

The Platform integrates with and links to third-party services. Their processing of your personal information is governed by their own privacy policies, over which we have no control. Please review them before use.

Some of our service providers store or process information outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we do so in accordance with section 72 of POPIA, ensuring that the recipient is subject to a law, binding corporate rules or a binding agreement that provides an adequate level of protection.

We apply appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information, including encryption in transit, access controls and row-level security on our databases, private storage for verification documents, hashed credentials, logging and monitoring, and restricting staff access to what is necessary.

No system is completely secure. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for notifying us of any suspected compromise.

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law.

Booking, payment and tax records are generally retained for at least five years as required by South African tax and company legislation. Verification documents are retained for the duration of the business relationship and a reasonable period thereafter. Account information is deleted or anonymised after closure once no legal or legitimate retention purpose remains.

Subject to POPIA, you have the right to be told what personal information we hold about you, to request access to it, to request correction or deletion of information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully obtained, to object to processing based on legitimate interests, to withdraw consent, to opt out of direct marketing, and to lodge a complaint.

To exercise these rights, contact us at the email address shown on the Contact page using the prescribed POPIA request form where applicable. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and will respond within a reasonable time.

You may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa), JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, or by email to the Regulator's complaints address published on its website.

The Platform is not intended for persons under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without the consent of a competent person. If you believe a child's information has been provided to us, contact us and we will delete it.

Business Users act as responsible parties in their own right in respect of the customer information they receive through the Platform.

They must use that information only to fulfil the relevant Booking, keep it secure, not add customers to marketing lists without a lawful basis, and comply with POPIA independently.

Information you choose to publish — listing text, photographs, business descriptions and reviews — is public and may be indexed by search engines. Do not publish personal information you would not want to be public.

If a security compromise affects your personal information, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected Users as soon as reasonably possible after becoming aware of it, as required by section 22 of POPIA, and will describe the nature of the compromise and the steps we recommend you take.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The current version, with its effective date, is always available on the Platform. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform or by email.

For any privacy question, access request or complaint, contact us using the details below or through the Contact page on the Platform.