Comprehensive POPIA-Compliant Privacy Policy & Data Protection Notice

Effective Date: 17 August 2026

Applicable Jurisdiction: Republic of South Africa (POPIA & CPA)

Website URL: https://petfood-city.co.za/

GMC Status: Fully Compliant Standard

 

1. Introduction & Scope

Pet Food City (“we,” “us,” “our,” or “the Store”) respects your right to privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, process, store, disclose, and safeguard your personal data when you visit our website at https://petfood-city.co.za/, interact with our online store, or purchase our products.

By accessing or using our website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the practices described in this Privacy Policy in compliance with South African law.

2. Responsible Party & Contact Information

For the purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), Pet Food City acts as the designated “Responsible Party.” If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact our Information Officer:

Business Name: Pet Food City

Information Officer Email: info@petfood-city.co.za / support@petfood-city.co.za

Physical Store Address: 512 Taljaard St, Daspoort, Pretoria, 0019

Telephone / WhatsApp Support: 071 887 0867

Customer Service Hours: Monday – Friday: 08:00 – 17:00 | Saturday: 08:00 – 13:00

3. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information necessary to fulfill online customer orders, process payments, facilitate nationwide delivery services, and maintain website speed and security. The information collected includes:

Identity & Contact Data: Full name, email address, contact telephone number, and physical billing/delivery address.

Transaction & Order Data: Details of products ordered, bag sizes, quantities, order date, total transaction value, and payment status tokens.

Technical & Usage Data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device information, page view history, referring website URLs, and session duration.

Communication Data: Records of customer service inquiries, live chat messages, WhatsApp support messages, and review submissions.

4. How We Collect Your Personal Information

We collect personal data through the following direct and indirect channels:

Direct Submissions: When you register an account, checkout as a guest, complete an online order, sign up for promotional communications, or submit customer support inquiries.

Automated Technologies (Cookies & Tracking): As you navigate through our online store, automated cookies, server logs, and web beacons capture analytical browsing data.

Third-Party Partners: When payments are authorized via secure gateways or shipping details are passed to verified courier partners.

5. Purpose and Lawful Basis for Processing Data

Under POPIA Section 11, we process your personal information only under lawful conditions:

Contractual Fulfillment: Processing delivery addresses, contact numbers, and order specifications to deliver purchased pet products directly to your address.

Legal Obligation: Retaining financial accounting records and sales invoices as mandated by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the Companies Act.

Legitimate Business Interest: Optimizing store performance, monitoring cyber-security, preventing fraudulent checkout attempts, and improving customer service.

Explicit Consent: Sending promotional offers, product updates, or news where you have explicitly opted in. You may opt out or unsubscribe at any time.

6. Payment Security & Financial Data Isolation

Pet Food City does NOT store, process, or transmit raw credit card numbers or banking passwords on our servers. All financial checkout transactions are redirected and processed securely through accredited, PCI-DSS compliant South African payment gateways (e.g., PayFast, Ozow, Yoco, Peach Payments, or secure EFT integrations) utilizing 256-bit SSL encryption technology.

7. Disclosure to Third Parties & Operators

We strictly respect your privacy and never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third-party data brokers. We disclose data strictly to trusted “Operators” who assist us under legal confidentiality agreements:

Logistics & Fulfillment Partners: Accredited South African courier networks (e.g., The Courier Guy, Fastway, RAM) to deliver your orders.

Payment Gateways: Certified financial processors to clear real-time payments.

Technical Infrastructure & Analytics: Web hosting services, Google Analytics, and AI search crawlers (Google, Bing, OpenAI) that maintain store accessibility and catalog indexing.

8. Cookies & Online Tracking Technologies

Our website utilizes standard HTTP cookies, tracking pixels, and browser session storage to enhance store functionality:

Essential Cookies: Mandatory for shopping cart operations, guest checkout, and SSL encryption.

Analytical Cookies: Help us analyze site speed, traffic patterns, and page errors.

Marketing & Ad Cookies: Facilitate Google Shopping Ads, Google Merchant Center conversion tracking, and Meta Pixel analytics.

9. Data Security & Storage Measures

We implement appropriate technical, administrative, and physical security measures to safeguard your personal information against loss, unauthorized access, destruction, or alteration. Safeguards include full SSL certificate site encryption, continuous firewall protection, secure database server access, and regular code updates.

10. Data Retention Period

Personal information is retained only as long as necessary to complete order fulfillment, resolve returns or warranty claims, or adhere to legal tax obligations (such as retaining sales invoices for 5 years under South African SARS tax laws). Once retention parameters expire, data is securely anonymized or permanently deleted.

11. Your Legal Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject in South Africa, POPIA grants you specific legal rights:

Right of Access: Request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of those records.

Right to Correction / Deletion: Request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated data, or request deletion of data where legally permissible.

Right to Object: Object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time.

Right to Lodge a Complaint: If you believe your privacy rights have been infringed, you have the right to submit a complaint to the South African Information Regulator (enquiries@inforegulator.org.za | https://inforegulator.org.za/).

12. Policy Updates

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to align with legal updates, technological advancements, or Google Merchant Center requirements. Revised versions will be published directly to this page with an updated “Effective Date.”