The Tiso Foundation Charitable Trust, Trust Number IT 2962/02(T), is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of all persons who interact with the Foundation, including applicants, students, beneficiaries, donors, funders, partners, service providers, website users and other stakeholders.
This Privacy Policy explains how the Foundation collects, uses, stores, discloses and protects personal information in connection with its website, charitable and educational activities, bursary and scholarship programmes, skills development initiatives, donation processes and related operations.
For purposes of this Privacy Policy, references to the “Foundation”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean the Tiso Foundation Charitable Trust and, where applicable, Tiso Skills Fund Proprietary Limited. References to “you” or “your” mean any person whose personal information is processed by the Foundation.
This Privacy Policy has been prepared in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and should be read together with the Foundation’s PAIA Manual, Terms of Use, Cookie Policy and Donation Terms and Conditions.
The Foundation recognises the importance of protecting personal information and is committed to processing personal information lawfully, responsibly and in a manner that respects the privacy rights of data subjects.
The Foundation seeks to comply with the conditions for lawful processing under POPIA and to implement appropriate measures to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity and security of personal information entrusted to it. Personal information will be processed only for lawful and legitimate purposes connected with the Foundation’s activities, programmes, governance obligations and operations.
The Foundation collects and processes personal information that is reasonably required for its charitable, educational, developmental, fundraising, governance, administrative and legal purposes.
Depending on the nature of a person’s interaction with the Foundation, this may include identity and contact information, educational and academic information, application and programme participation information, donor information, payment confirmation information, correspondence, information submitted through the Foundation’s website, and technical information generated through use of the website.
Where lawful and appropriate, the Foundation may also process special personal information or information relating to children. This may include information relating to race, gender, disability, financial need, academic performance, family circumstances, parents, guardians or dependants, where such information is necessary for eligibility assessment, programme administration, beneficiary support, reporting, safeguarding, compliance or other legitimate Foundation purposes.
The Foundation will take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information it processes is adequate, relevant and not excessive having regard to the purpose for which it is collected and processed.
The Foundation may collect personal information directly from you when you use the Foundation’s website, submit an application, make a donation, communicate with the Foundation, attend an event, enter into an agreement with the Foundation, apply for employment or otherwise provide information to the Foundation.
The Foundation may also collect personal information from lawful third-party sources where this is necessary or appropriate for the Foundation’s activities. Such sources may include educational institutions, parents or guardians, donors, funders, programme partners, service providers, referees, public records, regulators or other persons who are authorised to provide the relevant information.
Where you provide the Foundation with personal information relating to another person, you must ensure that you are authorised to do so and that the relevant person is aware of the disclosure, unless there is a lawful basis for not doing so.
The Foundation processes personal information for purposes connected with its charitable, educational, developmental, fundraising, governance and administrative activities.
These purposes include assessing and administering applications for bursaries, scholarships, apprenticeships, skills development initiatives and other programmes; communicating with applicants, students, beneficiaries, donors, funders, partners and stakeholders; administering and supporting beneficiaries; monitoring programme participation and academic progress; processing and recording donations; managing donor and funder relationships; measuring and reporting on programme outcomes and impact; complying with legal, tax, accounting, audit and regulatory obligations; and protecting the rights, property and legitimate interests of the Foundation.
The Foundation may also process personal information for safeguarding, student welfare, mentoring, career development, placement opportunities, programme improvement, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, research, analysis and historical record purposes, provided that such processing is lawful and appropriate.
Where possible and appropriate, the Foundation may use aggregated, anonymised or de-identified information for reporting, research, impact measurement and programme evaluation.
The Foundation will only process personal information where it has a lawful basis to do so under POPIA or any other applicable law.
Depending on the circumstances, the Foundation may process personal information on the basis of consent, contractual necessity, legal obligation, the protection of a legitimate interest of the data subject, or the legitimate interests of the Foundation or a third party to whom the information is supplied.
The Foundation may also process personal information where this is necessary for the administration of its programmes, the provision of bursaries, scholarships or other support, compliance with donor or funder requirements, the achievement of its educational and charitable objectives, or the proper governance and administration of the Foundation.
Where the Foundation relies on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. The withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn and will not affect any processing that the Foundation is entitled or required to continue under another lawful basis.
The Foundation may collect and process personal information relating to donors and prospective donors for purposes connected with fundraising, donor administration, receipting, reporting, relationship management, compliance and the proper administration of the Foundation’s activities.
Where donations are made through the Foundation’s website, payment processing may be facilitated by PayFast or another authorised third-party payment service provider. Such payment service provider may collect and process personal information in accordance with its own terms, privacy policy and legal obligations. The Foundation may receive information necessary to confirm, record and administer the donation, including information required for receipting, reconciliation, fraud prevention, reporting, donor administration or tax purposes.
The Foundation does not intentionally store full payment card details on its website. Further provisions relating to donations, payment processing, refunds, chargebacks and donation receipts are contained in the Foundation’s Donation Terms and Conditions.
The Foundation’s website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, improve user experience, understand how the website is used and maintain the security and performance of the website.
Further information regarding the Foundation’s use of cookies and similar technologies is contained in the Foundation’s Cookie Policy.
The Foundation does not sell personal information.
The Foundation may disclose personal information where this is necessary or appropriate for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, where you have consented to the disclosure, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
Personal information may be disclosed to trustees, directors, employees, consultants, contractors, authorised representatives, educational institutions, donors, funders, programme partners, service providers, payment service providers, IT and website service providers, auditors, legal advisers, tax advisers, banks, regulators, public authorities, law enforcement authorities and other persons where the disclosure is necessary for legitimate Foundation purposes or legal compliance.
The Foundation may disclose applicant, student or beneficiary information to donors, funders, educational institutions, programme partners or service providers where this is necessary for the administration, funding, monitoring, reporting or support of a programme. The Foundation will seek to ensure that such disclosures are appropriate, lawful and limited to what is reasonably necessary.
Where the Foundation appoints third-party service providers to process personal information on its behalf, the Foundation will take reasonable steps to ensure that those service providers are subject to appropriate confidentiality, privacy and security obligations.
Certain service providers, software platforms, cloud infrastructure providers, communication tools, website hosting providers or payment processors used by the Foundation may be located outside South Africa or may process or store personal information outside South Africa.
Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, the Foundation will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer takes place in accordance with POPIA and that appropriate safeguards are in place.
The Foundation takes reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access, unlawful processing, destruction, alteration or disclosure.
Although the Foundation takes reasonable precautions to protect personal information, no website, electronic communication, internet transmission or information storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Users should take appropriate care when submitting information electronically and should avoid sending unnecessary or highly sensitive information through insecure channels.
If the Foundation becomes aware of a security compromise involving personal information, it will take reasonable steps to assess the incident, contain or mitigate potential harm and notify affected persons and the Information Regulator where required by law.
The Foundation will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or subsequently processed, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.
The Foundation may retain personal information for purposes of programme administration, donor administration, tax and accounting compliance, audit and governance requirements, reporting obligations, legal proceedings, dispute resolution, fraud prevention, historical records, impact measurement and other lawful purposes.
The Foundation may retain information relating to successful applicants, beneficiaries, students, donors, service providers and partners for such period as may be required for contractual, reporting, audit, donor, tax, legal, governance or operational purposes. The Foundation may also retain information relating to unsuccessful applicants for a reasonable period where this is necessary for audit, reporting, compliance, record-keeping, dispute resolution, programme assessment or other lawful purposes.
When personal information is no longer required, the Foundation will take reasonable steps to delete, destroy, de-identify or anonymise it, subject to applicable law and legitimate retention requirements.
The Foundation may communicate with applicants, students, beneficiaries, donors, funders, partners, stakeholders and other persons in connection with its programmes, initiatives, educational and developmental activities, events, fundraising activities, reports, opportunities and other matters relevant to the activities of the Foundation.
Where required by law, the Foundation will obtain the necessary consent before sending promotional or fundraising communications. Any person who no longer wishes to receive promotional or fundraising communications from the Foundation may opt out at any time by contacting the Foundation or utilising any unsubscribe facility made available by the Foundation.
Opting out of promotional or fundraising communications will not prevent the Foundation from sending administrative, transactional, programme-related, legal, donor-related or other necessary communications.
Subject to applicable law, you may request confirmation of whether the Foundation holds personal information about you and may request access to such personal information.
You may also request the correction or deletion of personal information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, outdated, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully obtained. In certain circumstances, you may object to the processing of your personal information or request the destruction or deletion of personal information that the Foundation is no longer authorised to retain.
Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent, subject to any lawful basis on which the Foundation may continue to process the information.
Requests relating to personal information should be submitted to the Foundation’s Information Officer. Further information regarding the exercise of data subject rights is contained in the Foundation’s PAIA Manual.
The Foundation’s website may contain links to third-party websites, payment platforms, social media platforms or other external services. These third-party websites and platforms are not operated or controlled by the Foundation.
The Foundation is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, security measures or terms applicable to any third-party website or platform. Users should review the applicable privacy policies and terms before submitting personal information to such third parties.
If you have any questions, requests or complaints relating to this Privacy Policy or the Foundation’s processing of personal information, you should contact the Foundation’s Information Officer.
The Foundation’s contact details are as follows:
Tiso Foundation Charitable Trust
Bayport House
3 Alice Lane
Sandton
2196
Telephone: +27 11 784 4111
Information Officer:
Michelle Kimmie
Telephone: 082 853 8296
Email: mkimmie@tiso.co.za
Alternative Email: informationofficer@tiso.co.za
If you are not satisfied with the Foundation’s response, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.
Information Regulator (South Africa)
Woodmead North Office Park
54 Maxwell Drive
Woodmead
Johannesburg
2191
Telephone: 010 023 5200
Toll Free: 0800 017 160
Website: https://inforegulator.org.za
Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
PAIA Complaints: PAIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
POPIA Complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
The Foundation may amend this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in applicable law, regulatory requirements, technology, its operations, its website, its programmes, its donation processes or its privacy practices.
Any updated version of this Privacy Policy will be published on the Foundation’s website and will apply from the date of publication unless otherwise stated.
Last updated: August 2026
