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POPI Act

Privacy Policy

How we collect, use and protect your personal information

Last updated: 30 October 2026

Please read this policy carefully before browsing this website or using our services. It applies to all users of the website and members of Whalers Athletic Club ("Whalers AC", "we", "us") unless a section expressly states otherwise.

Protection of Personal Information Act

  1. In this policy, "Personal Information" has the meaning given to it in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA" or "the Act"). We subscribe to the principles for processing personal information set out in the Act.
  2. We endeavour to ensure the quality, accuracy and confidentiality of the Personal Information we hold, and we aim to balance the club's legitimate interests with your reasonable expectation of privacy.
  3. We take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access to, or disclosure of, your Personal Information. However, it is impossible to guarantee that it will be 100% secure.

Information We Collect

  1. We only collect the Personal Information you choose to give us, along with the website usage information described under "Website Analytics and Log Files":
    • Contact form: your name, email address, phone number (optional) and message.
    • Membership application: your name, email address, cell number, date of birth, ID or passport number, occupation, member type, emergency contact details and medical aid name and number.
  2. Messages sent through the contact form are stored securely in our website database, which is hosted by Cloudflare outside South Africa, and are emailed to us. The form uses Cloudflare Turnstile to block spam, which checks your browser and connection.
  3. The membership form is not stored on this website. It opens your own email app with a message addressed to us, and we receive your details only if you send it.
  4. We will not collect, use or disclose special personal information (such as information about your health, race or ethnic origin, or political or religious beliefs) except with your specific consent or where the law permits it. Medical aid and emergency contact details are requested only so that we can assist you in an emergency.

How We Use Your Information

  1. We use your Personal Information to:
    • process your membership and administer the club;
    • register Junior and Senior members with Athletics South Africa and arrange ASA licences;
    • respond to your enquiries;
    • assist you in an emergency; and
    • understand how our website is used, so that we can improve it.
  2. We will not use your email address for unsolicited mail.
  3. Where we need your specific consent for a future use of your information, we will ask for it.
  4. Runner names, categories and times from time trials and club races may be published on our Results page. Contact us if you would prefer not to appear there.

Junior Members

  1. Whalers AC offers Junior Membership to people under 18. A parent or legal guardian must complete the membership application and consent to the processing of the child's Personal Information.

Website Analytics and Log Files

  1. We use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use this website. Clarity captures how you interact with our pages, including pages visited, clicks, scrolling and mouse movement, through session recordings and heatmaps. It also collects information such as your device and browser type, operating system, screen size, approximate location and the website that referred you.
  2. We mask the contents of our contact and membership forms, so what you type there is not captured in Clarity. Clarity uses cookies that store a unique pseudonymous identifier, as described under "Cookies".
  3. Clarity data is collected and processed by Microsoft on our behalf, and may be used by Microsoft as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement. Read more about Clarity's cookies.
  4. Our hosting provider may also log technical information when you visit, such as your IP address, browser, the pages you view and the date and time of your visit. We use this information only to run, secure and improve the website.
  5. This information does not usually identify you by itself, but it may be able to identify you if combined with other Personal Information you give us.

Disclosure of Personal Information

  1. We will not sell or rent your Personal Information to anyone.
  2. Your Personal Information is accessed by club committee members and representatives on a need-to-know basis, subject to reasonable confidentiality obligations.
  3. We share it outside the club only where necessary:
    • with Athletics South Africa and its affiliated provincial body, for licensing and race entry;
    • with service providers who help us run the club and this website, including website hosting, email and analytics (Microsoft Clarity); and
    • where the law requires it, or in an emergency to protect your health or safety.
  4. Some of these service providers may store or process information outside South Africa. Where this happens, we rely on the protections and grounds allowed by section 72 of the Act.

Security and Retention

  1. We have reasonable technical and organisational measures in place to protect your Personal Information against loss, misuse, destruction and unauthorised access or disclosure, and we continue to improve them in line with legal and technological developments.
  2. Your information will not be kept for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law. Contact form messages are deleted from our website database after 12 months.

Your Rights Under POPIA

  1. You have the right to:
    • ask whether we hold Personal Information about you, and request a copy of it;
    • ask us to correct or delete information that is inaccurate, out of date or that we no longer need;
    • object to the processing of your information, and withdraw any consent you have given; and
    • object to direct marketing at any time.
  2. To exercise these rights, contact our Club Secretary at info@whalersac.co.za.

Cookies

  1. A cookie is a small piece of information stored on your computer or smartphone by your web browser. We use cookies through Microsoft Clarity:
    • Session cookies (such as _clsk) connect the pages you view during a visit into a single session. They expire after a short time.
    • Persistent cookies (such as _clck, and Microsoft's CLID and MUID) store a unique identifier so that repeat visits can be recognised. They remain on your device until they expire or you delete them.
  2. These cookies are not required for the website to work. You can block or delete them in your browser settings at any time.

Links to Other Websites

  1. This website links to third party websites, including social media platforms, payment services and the Athletics South Africa registration site. If you follow one of these links, that website's own terms and policies apply. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content or privacy practices.
  2. Please evaluate the security and trustworthiness of any third party website before giving it your personal information. We accept no responsibility for any loss or damage resulting from your disclosure of personal information to third parties.

Electronic Communications and Transactions Act

  1. Data messages, as defined in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECT Act"), will be deemed to have been received by us when we respond to them. Data messages we send to you will be deemed to have been received as set out in section 23(b) of the ECT Act.
  2. Electronic signatures, encryption or authentication are not required for valid electronic communication between you and us.
  3. You warrant that data messages sent to us from any device you use or own were sent or authorised by you personally.
  4. Information provided in terms of section 43(1) of the ECT Act:

Complaints

  1. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your Personal Information, please contact us first at info@whalersac.co.za so that we can try to resolve it.
  2. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator: