Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

The Transforming Minds Tutoring Programme (TMTP) is a non-profit educational initiative based in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. We operate the website at www.transformingmindstus.co.za and deliver in-person tutoring services at locations in Delft South and Bellville.

For purposes of POPIA, TMTP acts as the Responsible Party — the organisation that determines the purpose and means of processing your personal information.

Contact details for data matters:
Email: transformingminds541@gmail.com
Phone: (083) 742-7233

2. Personal Information We Collect

We collect only the minimum personal information necessary to operate our programme and website effectively.

2.1 Information you provide directly

• Students: Full name, email address, contact number, grade level, subjects selected, and identity documents (ID card, birth certificate, or passport).
• Parents / Guardians: Full name, email address, and contact number (where provided).
• Newsletter subscribers: Email address and the page or source from which you subscribed.
• General enquiries: Name, email address, and the content of your message.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• IP address and general geographic location (country / city).
• Browser type and operating system.
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referral source.
• Cookie identifiers (see our Cookie Policy for details).

2.3 Special personal information

Identity documents submitted during enrolment may contain special categories of personal information (e.g., race or national origin visible in a photo ID). We collect these documents solely for identity verification and student welfare purposes, and we handle them with heightened care in line with Section 26 of POPIA.

3. How We Use Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party for commercial purposes.

4. Sharing Your Information

We share personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: Third-party tools we use to operate our programme (e.g., our website hosting provider, content management system, and email delivery service). These operators are contractually bound to process data only on our instructions and in accordance with POPIA.
• Tutors and programme staff: Only the information necessary for a tutor to work effectively with a student (name, grade, subjects) is shared internally.
• Legal authorities: Where we are required by law, court order, or in response to a legitimate lawful request from a public authority.
• Child protection: Where disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of a child or any other person (see our Child Safeguarding Policy).

5. Data Storage and Security

Your personal information is stored on secure servers. Uploaded identity documents are stored in a private, access-controlled cloud storage bucket and are not publicly accessible. We apply industry-standard security measures including encrypted transmission (HTTPS), access controls, and regular security reviews.

No system is completely secure. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.

6. Retention Periods

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal information where we no longer have a lawful basis to retain it.
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interest, including direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
• Right to complain: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforegulator.org.za if you believe we have violated your rights.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at transformingminds541@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

A significant proportion of our students are minors under the age of 18. Where a student is under 18, we require parental or guardian consent before collecting and processing their personal information. Consent is collected during the enrolment process.

We take additional care with the personal information of minors and apply the principles set out in our Child Safeguarding Policy. We never publish identifiable images or information about minors on our website or social media without explicit written consent from a parent or guardian.

9. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to function correctly and to help us understand how visitors use the site. For full details, please read our Cookie Policy.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites (e.g., Google Maps). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy notices.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will notify active programme participants of significant changes by email and will post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. Continued use of our services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or concerns, please contact:
Transforming Minds Tutoring Programme
Email: transformingmindstutoring@gmail.com
Phone: (083) 742-7233
Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa