Our Privacy Policy explains how we obtain, use and disclose your personal information, in accordance with the requirements of the Protection of Personal Information Act (“POPIA”).
At SME South Africa (including 356 Oak Holdings and associated businesses) we are committed to protecting your privacy and to ensure that your personal information is collected and used properly, lawfully and transparently.
About the Company
SME South Africa (Pty) Ltd (“SME SA”)
The information we collect
We collect and process your personal information mainly to contact you for the purposes of understanding your requirements, and delivering services accordingly. For this purpose we will collect contact details including your name and organisation.
We collect information directly from you where you provide us with your personal details. Where possible, we will inform you what information you are required to provide to us and what information is optional.
Website usage information may be collected using “cookies” which allows us to collect standard internet visitor usage information.
How we use your information
We will use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected and agreed with you. In addition, where necessary your information may be retained for legal or research purposes.
For example:
- To gather contact information;
- To confirm and verify your identity or to verify that you are an authorised user for security purposes;
- For the detection and prevention of fraud, crime, money laundering or other malpractice;
- To conduct market or customer satisfaction research or for statistical analysis;
- For audit and record keeping purposes;
- In connection with legal proceedings.
- We use and analyse the information so that we can assess Your eligibility for the Product in any manner required. This includes conducting due diligence (such as credit checks and background checks) as well as sharing your information with our affiliates and other companies that may be used to provide financial services to you.
- We will send you relevant marketing communication which You may opt out of at any time
Purpose, Use and Storage of Personal Information
- Ascertain whether you qualify for our services.
- process your application for finance, including conducting criminal, commercial, credit and personal background checks;
- Provide you with finance and related support (if your application is approved), including sharing your personal information with financial institutions and our affiliates (including Merchant Capital Advisory Services (Pty) Ltd;
- Monitor your credit card sales and related business activities;
- Provide administrative services and for customer service-related purposes;
- Send marketing and promotional content to you ourselves or via our affiliates;
- Improve, customise and optimise our services; enable us to conduct internal research and statistical analysis; Administer any customer loyalty benefits from time to time; Improve our understanding of the marketplace and how you use our services;
- Improve, customise and optimise our services; enable us to conduct internal research and statistical analysis; /Administer any customer loyalty benefits from time to time; /Improve our understanding of the marketplace and how you use our services
- Your information will be stored for a minimum of five years or as long as we are legally required to, whichever is longer. Further, should your application not be successful or you fail to repay any loan amount, you hereby consent to us storing such information for as long as we deem appropriate to use it against any future finance applications that you may apply for.
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE, AUTHORISE AND AGREE THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO US IN THIS APPLICATION AND THE VERIFYING THEREOF MAY BE USED FOR ANY PURPOSE THAT IS NECESSARY AND RELATED TO YOUR APPLICATION, INCLUDING SHARING OF YOUR INFORMATION WITH THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE:
- Traders and lenders will facilitate the provision of the financial product (if the application is successful) and may also conduct their verification. Other companies or individuals (not associated with us) who also facilitate the provision of financial products. You consent that these companies or individuals will process and further process the information shared to facilitate the provision of the financial product.
- An insurer or a re-insurer related to the provision of the financial product.
- Any person with whom we propose to enter into contractual relations to conclude the financial product to you, such as a security trustee or other party under a securitisation scheme
- Any party to whom we intend to cede, transfer or otherwise dispose of, or will cede, transfer or otherwise dispose of, Our rights under this Application and the Terms and Conditions and all documents incorporated therein.
- Any credit bureau, to verify and confirm details and in respect of your creditworthiness as a result of its knowledge of your history in the servicing of other agreements; and / Any credit bureau, to verify and confirm details in respect of your directors and/ or authorised representative’s creditworthiness, as a result of its knowledge of their history in the servicing of other agreements.
- Any person who may have a lawful entitlement to the information; persons who have related and relevant products which might interest you and who may wish to market them to you.
Disclosure of information
We may disclose your personal information to our service providers who deliver products or services to you. We have agreements in place to ensure that they comply with the privacy requirements required by the Protection of Personal Information Act.
We may also disclose your information:
- Where we have a duty or a right to disclose in terms of law or industry codes;
- Where we believe it is necessary to protect our rights.
Information Security
We are legally obliged to provide adequate protection for the personal information we hold and to stop unauthorized access and use of personal information. We will, on an on-going basis, continue to review our security controls and related processes to ensure that your personal information remains secure.
Our security policies and procedures cover:
- Physical security;
- Computer and network security;
- Access to personal information;
- Secure communications;
- Security in contracting out activities or functions;
- Retention and disposal of information;
- Acceptable usage of personal information;
- Governance and regulatory issues;
- Monitoring access and usage of private information;
- Investigating and reacting to security incidents.
When we contract with third parties, we impose appropriate security, privacy and confidentiality obligations on them to ensure that personal information that we remain responsible for, is kept secure.
We will ensure that anyone to whom we pass your personal information agrees to treat your information with the same level of protection as we are obliged to.
Your Rights: Access to information
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. To do this, simply contact us at the numbers/addresses as provided on our website and specify what information you require. We will need a copy of your ID document to confirm your identity before providing details of your personal information.
Please note that any such access request may be subject to a payment of a legally allowable fee.
Correction of your information
You have the right to ask us to update, correct or delete your personal information. We will require a copy of your ID document to confirm your identity before making changes to personal information we may hold about you. We would appreciate it if you would keep your personal information accurate.
Definition of personal information
According to the Act ‘‘personal information’’ means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where it is applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person. Further to the POPI Act, COR Concepts also includes the following items as personal information:
- All addresses including residential, postal and email addresses.
- Change of name – for which we require copies of the marriage certificate or official change of name document issued by the state department.
How to contact us
If you have any queries about this notice; you need further information about our privacy practices; wish to withdraw consent; exercise preferences or access or correct your personal information, please contact us at the numbers/addresses listed on our website or email info@smesouthafrica.co.za
Declaration and Informed Consent
By signing up to use the service, I/ the Data Subject confirm that my / the Data Subject’s Personal Information provided is:
- Accurate, up to date, not misleading and is complete in all respects, save where same may change and then in such an event, I/ the Data Subject undertake to advise SME SA or its Associates/ Third party developers and Suppliers (hereafter referred to collectively as “the Parties”), of these changes.
- I, / the Data Subject, in providing the required Personal Information to SME SA and / or the Parties, consent and give permission to the Parties to process and further process my /the Data Subject’s Personal Information as and where required and acknowledge that I/ the Data Subject understand the purposes for which the Personal Information is required and for which it will be used.
- Furthermore, should any of the Personal Information which has been provided by myself concern or pertain to a legal entity whom I represent, I confirm that I have the necessary authority to act on behalf of such legal entity/ Data Subject and that I have the right to provide the Personal Information and / or the required consent to use said Personal Information, on behalf of the legal entity.
- Furthermore, should any of the Personal Information belong to any of my dependents and/or beneficiaries who are underage, I in my capacity as their legal guardian and competent person give the Parties the appropriate permission to process their Personal Information for the purposes for which these details were given.
