Privacy Policy

1. Commitment to Privacy & Responsible Party

UsizoClaims (Pty) Ltd (Registration Number: 2026/766240/07) ("UsizoClaims", "we", "us", or "our") respects your right to privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in strict compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) No. 4 of 2013 and the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) No. 2 of 2000.

This Privacy Policy informs you how we collect, use, store, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you visit https://usizoclaims.com or utilize our digital accident assessment and attorney matching platform.

2. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on your role (claimant, attorney, or general website visitor), we may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

• General Identifiers: Full legal name, South African National ID number or passport number, date of birth, residential address, telephone number, and email address.
• Accident & Incident Information: Date, time, and location of the road accident, description of the incident, SAPS police station, accident report (OAR) numbers, vehicle registration numbers, and witness details.
• Special Personal Information (Medical & Health Records): Under Sections 26 and 32 of POPIA, information concerning your physical health or medical injuries is classified as Special Personal Information. We collect medical records, hospital notes, RAF 1 medical reports, radiology findings, and specialist reports solely with your express, informed consent to evaluate claim eligibility.
• Financial & Employment Information: Proof of income, salary slips, and tax assessment records (where past or future loss of earnings is assessed).
• Legal Practitioner Credentials: Law firm name, CIPC registration, practice number, LPC bar admission number, and professional contact details.
• Payment & Transaction Records: Transaction reference numbers, payment amounts, date of transactions, and subscription statuses. All card payments are processed securely via Paystack. We do not store full credit card numbers or CVV codes.

3. Purpose and Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information strictly for legitimate purposes, including:

1. Conducting Initial RAF Assessments: Evaluating the merits and basic eligibility of your motor vehicle accident claim under the Road Accident Fund Act No. 56 of 1996.
2. Document Organization: Organizing and digitizing statutory RAF forms (such as RAF 1 and RAF 4) to prepare an organized claim dossier.
3. Attorney Matching (With Your Consent): Connecting you with an independent, qualified legal practitioner if you choose to pursue formal legal representation.
4. Platform Administration: Managing your account, processing subscription payments via Paystack, verifying attorney identities, and issuing invoices.
5. Legal Compliance: Fulfilling our obligations under POPIA, FICA, ECTA, and other South African statutory frameworks.

4. Data Sharing & Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to marketing brokers. Your data is only shared in the following limited circumstances:

• Qualified Attorneys: If you explicitly authorize attorney connection, your organized accident summary and uploaded documentation will be made accessible to the matched legal practitioner.
• Payment Service Providers: Paystack Payments (Pty) Ltd processes payments on our behalf under strict PCI-DSS Level 1 compliance.
• Cloud Infrastructure Providers: Secure enterprise hosting, encrypted cloud storage, and database services operating with SOC 2 / ISO 27001 certifications.
• Statutory & Law Enforcement Bodies: Where required by valid court order, legal process, or statutory duty under South African law.

5. Cross-Border Data Transfers

In certain cases, our cloud infrastructure providers may host servers outside South Africa. In accordance with Section 72 of POPIA, we ensure that any cross-border data transfer is subject to binding agreements or foreign laws that provide an adequate level of protection substantially similar to POPIA.

6. Data Security Safeguards

In terms of Section 19 of POPIA, UsizoClaims (Pty) Ltd implements appropriate, reasonable technical and organizational security measures to prevent loss of, damage to, or unauthorized destruction of personal information. Measures include:

• TLS 1.3 in-transit encryption and AES-256 at-rest storage encryption.
• Strict role-based access controls and multi-factor authentication for administrators.
• Regular security auditing, vulnerability assessments, and automated backups.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by South African statutory retention requirements (such as the Companies Act and Tax Administration Act). When personal information is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymized, or destroyed.

8. Your Rights as a Data Subject

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you.
• Request access to and a copy of the personal information we hold.
• Request the correction, updating, or deletion of inaccurate or outdated information.
• Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds.
• Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior lawful processing).
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:
  Website: https://inforegulator.org.za
  Email: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za