Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Active Business and Civil Society Party ("ABCSP", "we", "us" or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use our website at abcsp.online, why we collect it, how we keep it safe, and your rights under South African law.

2. Information we collect

We only collect information that is necessary for the purposes described below. This may include:

• Membership information: your full name, South African cell number, email address, and any other details you provide when you join ABCSP as a member.
• Political office applications: if you choose to apply for a political office, you may upload a CV and motivation statement. This information is visible only to authorised ABCSP administrators.
• Contact messages: name, email address, and the content of messages you send through the contact form.
• Donation and order information: payment references, donation amounts, and purchase details needed to process contributions and merchandise orders.
• Technical information: browser type, IP address, device information, and cookies used to keep the site secure and improve your experience.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Register you as a member and issue your membership number.
• Verify your email address and communicate with you about your membership.
• Process donations, orders, and fundraising activities.
• Respond to your enquiries submitted through the contact form.
• Evaluate political office applications fairly and transparently.
• Keep the website secure, detect fraud, and comply with applicable laws.
• Send you party news, events, and updates where you have agreed to receive them.

4. Legal basis for processing

We process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African legislation. Our processing is based on your consent, the performance of a contract or membership agreement, compliance with legal obligations, or our legitimate interests in running a political organisation transparently and securely.

5. How we keep your information safe

We use industry-standard security measures, including encrypted connections, secure authentication, access controls, and regular monitoring. Only authorised administrators can access sensitive records such as CVs and donation details. While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no online system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6. Sharing your information

We do not sell your personal information. We only share it with trusted service providers who help us operate the website, process payments, or send communications, and only when they agree to keep your information confidential. We may also disclose information if required by law or to protect our rights and the safety of our members.

7. Cookies and tracking

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors use our website. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, although some features may not work correctly without them.

8. Your rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction or updating of your information.
• Request deletion of your personal information, where the law allows.
• Object to the processing of your information for direct marketing.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been violated.

9. Retention

We keep your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. When it is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

10. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review it periodically.

12. Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us at info@abcsp.online.