Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026-08-02

Urban Farming SA ("we", "us") operates https://urbanfarmingsa.co.za. This policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), and related South African law. It should be read with our POPIA statement, Terms of Service, and Cookie Policy.

This policy is provided for transparency. It is not a substitute for legal advice. We may update it when our practices or the law change; the date above will be revised when we do.

1. Responsible party

• Trading name: Urban Farming SA
• Registration number: to be published once CIPC details are confirmed
• VAT number: not yet registered / not published
• Physical address: 03 Lovedale Avenue, Silverfields, Krugersdorp, 1739, South Africa
• General contact: info@urbanfarmingsa.co.za

2. Information Officer

Information Officer: Pieter Venter
Email: info@urbanfarmingsa.co.za
Postal / physical correspondence: 03 Lovedale Avenue, Silverfields, Krugersdorp, 1739, South Africa

Use this contact for access, correction, deletion, objection, and other POPIA / PAIA requests. We aim to respond within a reasonable period (generally within 30 days).

3. Personal information we collect

• Account and identity: name, email address, phone number, and authentication identifiers
• Farmer profile data: address, province/city, geo-coordinates (if provided), offerings, growing methods, pesticide/herbicide disclosures, collection schedule, profile photo / selfie, and payout details (bank or Capitec Send Cash cellphone number)
• Order and fulfilment data: cart contents, order history, collection PIN / references, digital download records, and support messages
• Payment data: payment status and references via PayFast. We do not store full card numbers on our servers
• Technical data: IP address, device/browser type, approximate location derived from IP where used for security, and cookie / local-storage preferences (see Cookie Policy)

We do not intentionally collect special personal information (as defined in POPIA) unless you voluntarily provide it in free-text fields. Please do not submit unnecessary sensitive information.

4. Lawful bases and purposes

Depending on the activity, we rely on one or more of the following POPIA bases:

• Contract / steps prior to contract: creating accounts, listing products, processing orders, arranging collection, paying farmers, and providing e-book downloads
• Legitimate interests: securing the platform, preventing fraud and duplicate payouts, improving the marketplace, and basic service analytics where permitted
• Legal obligation: tax, accounting, consumer-protection, and regulatory record-keeping where applicable
• Consent: optional analytics cookies and any non-essential marketing communications (you may withdraw consent where relied upon)

We use personal information to:

• Operate the marketplace between buyers and urban farmers
• Process payments and weekly farmer payouts
• Send transactional notices by email and WhatsApp (order paid, ready for collection, etc.)
• Respond to support requests and resolve disputes
• Comply with South African law

5. Sharing and operators

We share buyer name, phone, and order items with the relevant farmer so collection can take place. We do not sell personal information.

We use operators (processors) including:

• Supabase — database, authentication, and file storage
• Vercel — website hosting
• PayFast — payment processing
• Resend and/or SMTP mail hosting — transactional email
• Twilio — WhatsApp transactional messages

Operators may only process personal information on our instructions and for the purposes described in this policy, subject to appropriate contracts or terms.

6. Cross-border transfers

Some operators host or process data outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred outside the Republic, we take steps consistent with POPIA section 72, including using reputable providers and contractual or other safeguards that aim to provide an adequate level of protection.

7. Retention

• Orders and payouts: retained for accounting, dispute resolution, and legal compliance (typically at least five years for financial records, or longer if a dispute is ongoing)
• Farmer bank / payout details: while the farmer account is active and for a reasonable period afterward for final remittances and audit
• Support messages: for as long as needed to resolve the query and improve service
• Technical logs: for a shorter operational period unless needed for security investigation

When no longer needed, we delete or anonymise personal information where practicable.

8. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures, including HTTPS, access controls, database row-level security, and private storage for paid e-book files. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; please use a strong unique password for your account.

9. Your rights

Subject to POPIA, you may:

• Request access to your personal information
• Request correction or deletion
• Object to certain processing
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa)

Details and contacts are in our POPIA statement. Information Regulator: inforegulator.org.za

10. Children

The marketplace is intended for persons 18 years or older (or legally emancipated minors where applicable). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children for marketplace accounts. If you believe we have, contact the Information Officer so we can delete it.

11. Security compromises

If we become aware of a security compromise involving personal information that creates a risk of harm, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as required by POPIA, and take reasonable steps to contain the incident.

12. Cookies

We use essential cookies and local storage for authentication and cart functionality. Optional analytics run only if you accept them. See our Cookie Policy.

13. Contact

Information Officer: Pieter Venter
Email: info@urbanfarmingsa.co.za
Address: 03 Lovedale Avenue, Silverfields, Krugersdorp, 1739, South Africa
Or use our contact form.