Privacy notice
Helderberg Social is a volunteer-run community site. We collect as little as we can, keep it only as long as it is useful, and never sell or share it. This page is the plain-language version of what that means under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
Browsing the site
The pages are static files. We run no advertising and no tracking cookies. Each page sends our own server one tiny message saying which page was opened, so we can see which parts of the site are used. It carries no name, no cookie, no identifier and no referrer; the server counts one visitor per day by hashing your connection address with a key that changes daily, so it cannot be traced back to you or joined across days. Your browser keeps a short-lived copy of the events list in its own session storage so pages load faster; it is cleared when you close the tab. The site loads fonts from Google Fonts, the map library from cdnjs and map tiles from OpenStreetMap; those services see your IP address when your browser fetches from them, under their own privacy terms.
Email and WhatsApp updates
What we keep: your email address or, if you chose WhatsApp, your phone number; how often you want updates, how far ahead, and the towns and interests you chose.
WhatsApp: updates on WhatsApp are sent through Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform, so your number and the messages pass through Meta under WhatsApp's business terms. We send nothing until you tap Confirm on the first message. Replies are handled automatically and not read by a person; reply STOP or tap Unsubscribe at any time and your number is deleted.
Why: to send you the digest you asked for. Nothing else. We only start sending after you click the confirmation link we email you (double opt-in).
How long: until you unsubscribe. An address or number that is never confirmed is deleted after three days. Every email has an unsubscribe link and every WhatsApp update an Unsubscribe button; using either deletes your record outright.
Adding a listing or event
What we keep: the listing or event details you give us, plus your name and email address so we can confirm the submission came from you and ask about details.
What is published: the listing or event only. Your name and email address are never shown on the site.
How long: your name and email are removed from our records 90 days after we approve or decline the submission. Submissions that are never confirmed by email are deleted after three days.
Member accounts
What we keep: if you create an account to post events, your name, email address and a scrambled form of your password (we cannot read it back), the date you joined and last signed in, a masked form of the address you signed up from, and the events you post. Sign-ins are remembered with a cookie that only works on the account pages.
What is published: the events only, once we have checked them. Your name and email address are never shown on the site.
What we send you: a confirmation link when you register, a reset link if you ask for one, and a note when an event of yours is published or declined. No newsletters unless you subscribe separately.
How long: for as long as you keep the account. You can delete it yourself under Account: that removes your details, your sign-ins and any event that is not yet published. Events that were already published stay on the site with your name and email removed from them. Accounts that are never confirmed by email are deleted after three days.
Keeping the site safe
When you use a form we record a one-way hash of your IP address together with the time, so we can rate-limit abuse. The hash cannot be turned back into an address. The mail we send to an address is counted for the same reason. Those records are kept for a few weeks.
Where it lives and who sees it
Subscriptions and submissions are stored on a server we operate in South Africa. Only the volunteer who moderates the site has access. We do not share personal information with anyone, and we do not use it for anything other than what is described here. Emails are sent through a transactional email provider that processes your address only to deliver the message.
Your rights
You can ask what we hold about you, have it corrected, or have it deleted. The quickest route is the unsubscribe link in any email, which removes you entirely. For anything else, contact the site's information officer at the form on the site. You can also complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforegulator.org.za.
Last updated 4 September 2026.