Clarens.co.za is committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and all applicable South African data protection legislation.
Who we are
Clarens.co.za ("we", "us", "our") is a tourism information and accommodation directory operated from Clarens, Free State, South Africa. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information when you use our website at clarens.co.za.
Information we collect
We collect the following categories of personal information:
- Contact enquiries: Your name, email address, and message when you use our contact form.
- Newsletter subscriptions: Your email address when you subscribe to our newsletter.
- Usage data: Anonymous information about how you interact with our website, including pages visited, time spent on site, and referring URLs. This data is collected through industry-standard analytics tools and does not identify you personally.
- Technical data: Your IP address, browser type, and device type for security and performance purposes.
We do not collect payment card details or process payments directly. Any accommodation bookings are handled by third-party platforms (Booking.com, Nightsbridge) subject to their own privacy policies.
How we use your information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To respond to your enquiries and provide customer support.
- To send you our newsletter and updates about Clarens events, accommodation and activities - only if you have subscribed.
- To improve our website content and user experience.
- To comply with legal obligations.
- To protect against fraud and maintain the security of our website.
Lawful basis for processing
We process your personal information on the following legal bases under POPIA:
- Consent: Where you have freely given consent (e.g., subscribing to our newsletter).
- Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not outweighed by your rights (e.g., responding to enquiries, website security).
- Legal obligation: Where processing is required to comply with applicable law.
Third-party services
Our website integrates with the following third-party services, each of which has its own privacy policy:
- Booking.com - accommodation search and booking platform. Affiliate links are used; your interactions on Booking.com are governed by Booking.com's privacy policy.
- Nightsbridge - direct property booking system used by certain accommodation providers.
- Google Maps - used to display location information. Subject to Google's privacy policy.
- Resend - email delivery service used to send confirmation and notification emails.
Data retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Policy:
- Contact enquiries: up to 12 months after our last correspondence.
- Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
- Usage logs: up to 24 months in aggregated or anonymised form.
Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Request deletion of your personal information (subject to our legal obligations).
- Object to processing of your information.
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at www.justice.gov.za/inforeg/.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@clarens.co.za.
Cookies
Our website uses essential cookies required for the site to function. We do not use tracking or advertising cookies. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of essential cookies.
Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. However, no internet transmission is completely secure and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your data.
Changes to this Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the updated Policy on this page with a revised date. Your continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us: