How we handle your personal information
This notice explains what personal information the Competency Academy collects through this website, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have under South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
Last updated 6 October 2026
Who we are
SH (PTY) LTD, trading as Competency Academy, is the responsible party for the personal information described in this notice.
Our Information Officer is Njabulo Magudulela, contactable at hello@competencyacademy.co.za or on +27 73 621 9027.
What we collect and why
| Information | Why we collect it | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email address, organisation and organisation type | To identify you and respond to your enquiry | Your consent, given when you submit the enquiry form |
| The nature of your enquiry and your message | To understand what you need and route it to the right person | Your consent |
| When you book a workshop: your name, job title, email address, mobile number and organisation, and the same details for each delegate you book for | To make and manage the booking, and to contact you and the delegates about it | Your consent, and because it is needed to carry out the booking you asked for |
| Dietary and access requirements, where you choose to give them | So the venue can cater for and accommodate each delegate | Your consent |
| Who is paying, and the name and email address of the person a quote or invoice goes to | To issue the quote or invoice and match the payment to the booking | It is needed to carry out the booking, and to meet our tax and accounting duties |
| Pages viewed, approximate location, device and browser type | To understand how the site is used so we can improve it | Your consent, given through the cookie banner |
A dietary or access requirement given with a booking can reveal something about a person’s health or beliefs, which POPIA treats as special personal information. Giving one is optional, and we use it only to arrange the workshop. We collect no other special personal information, we do not sell personal information, and we do not use your details for automated decision-making or profiling.
Sending an enquiry
The enquiry form on our Talk to us page submits directly to this website over an encrypted connection. Your message is not stored in a database; it is turned into an email and delivered straight to our mailbox by Resend, our email delivery provider, which holds it only for as long as is needed to deliver it. From that point your enquiry lives in our mailbox and is retained as described in the table above.
Providing your details is voluntary. If you would rather not use the form, you can email us directly at hello@competencyacademy.co.za.
Booking a workshop
The booking form on our Book a seat page submits directly to this website over an encrypted connection. Unlike an enquiry, a booking is stored: in a database run for us by Neon, our database provider, so that we can count the seats left on a session, hold yours, issue your quote or invoice and give the venue a list of delegates. Only our own staff can read it, behind a password.
The booking is also turned into emails delivered by Resend — one to our mailbox, one to you confirming the booking, and one to each other delegate telling them they have been booked. Later emails about the booking (a quote or invoice, payment received, a seat released) are sent the same way. The delegates’ emails do not include payment details.
If you book for other people, you are giving us their details on their behalf, and the form asks you to confirm you have told them. We pass each delegate’s name and any dietary or access requirement to the workshop venue so it can prepare for them. Payments are made by EFT directly to our bank; this website never asks for or handles card or bank login details.
Analytics
With your consent, we use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site. No analytics cookie is set unless you accept in the banner, and you can change your mind at any time — see our Cookie Notice for how.
We enable IP anonymisation, and we do not use Google Analytics for advertising, remarketing or audience-building. Google may process this data outside South Africa; where that happens it is done under contractual safeguards.
How long we keep your information
We keep enquiry correspondence for as long as needed to deal with your request and for a reasonable period afterwards so we can pick up the conversation again — normally no more than 36 months from our last contact with you, unless a longer period is required for a contract or by law. Booking, quote, invoice and payment records are kept for five years, as tax law requires. Analytics data is retained for 14 months.
Who we share it with
We share personal information only with the service providers needed to run the site and respond to you — our form-delivery provider, our email provider, our website host, our database provider, the venue of a workshop you are booked on, and our analytics provider. Each is bound to process the information only on our instructions. We do not share your details with any other third party without your permission, unless we are required to by law.
Security
The site is served over HTTPS and submissions are encrypted in transit. We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access and misuse. If a breach affects your information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.
Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to:
- ask what personal information we hold about you, and request a copy;
- ask us to correct or delete information that is inaccurate, irrelevant or out of date;
- object to our processing of your information;
- withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out;
- complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe we have not handled your information lawfully.
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@competencyacademy.co.za. We will respond within a reasonable period and at most 30 days.
The Information Regulator
Information Regulator (South Africa) — JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001. Complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za.
Changes to this notice
We may update this notice as the site changes. The date at the top shows when it was last revised.