Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Taletso TVET College digital portal and mobile application (the "App"), operated on behalf of Taletso TVET College ("the College", "we", "us" or "our"). The App is provided as an internal and public information platform for students, staff, alumni and members of the public.

By registering an account, signing in, or otherwise using the App, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not register or use the App. If you are under the age of 18 years, you confirm that your parent or legal guardian has read and agreed to these Terms on your behalf.

2. Definitions

"Personal Information" has the meaning assigned to it in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (Act No. 4 of 2013) ("POPIA"), and includes any information relating to an identifiable, living natural person or existing juristic person.

"Responsible Party" means the College, which alone or in conjunction with others determines the purpose and means of processing Personal Information.

"Content" means all text, documents, images, notices and other materials made available through the App.

3. Eligibility and Account Registration

You may register for an account using a valid email address and password, or through a supported third-party provider (Google, Microsoft or Facebook). You agree to provide accurate, current and complete information during registration and to keep such information updated.

You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify the College immediately of any unauthorised use of your account or any other security breach.

Access to internal staff features of the App is restricted to persons holding an active @taletso.edu.za email address and is subject to one-time administrative approval. The College reserves the right to grant, suspend or revoke such access at its discretion.

4. Permitted and Prohibited Use

You agree to use the App only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict the use of, the App by any third party. Permitted use includes accessing College information, applying for bursaries and funding, booking appointments, viewing announcements, and (for authorised staff) managing internal content.

You must not: (a) upload, post or transmit Content that is unlawful, harmful, defamatory, obscene, misleading or discriminatory; (b) attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the App, another user's data, or systems or networks connected to the App; (c) introduce viruses, malware or any other malicious code; (d) use the App to send unsolicited communications; or (e) scrape, copy or redistribute Content in breach of intellectual property rights.

5. Protection of Personal Information (POPIA)

The College processes Personal Information in accordance with POPIA and the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act No. 2 of 2000) ("PAIA"). The College is the Responsible Party and designates the platform provider as an Operator, which processes Personal Information on the College's behalf solely to host and deliver the App. As the App is hosted on cloud infrastructure, Personal Information may be transferred to and stored in countries outside South Africa; the College permits such transfer only where the recipient is bound by law, corporate rules or a binding agreement to provide the Personal Information with substantially the same protection as POPIA does.

Categories of Personal Information processed may include your name, email address, student or staff number, campus, programme of study, employment details, identity number (where volunteered for bursary or alumni purposes), and records of your activity within the App.

Special Personal Information under POPIA — including race, ethnic origin, identity number and date of birth — is processed only where you have given explicit consent (for example, for employment-equity records or where volunteered for alumni or bursary purposes). Providing it is never a condition of using the App, and you may withdraw consent or request its deletion at any time through the Contact Us page.

Personal Information is processed for the purposes of providing and administering the App, verifying identity, facilitating applications and appointments, communicating College information, maintaining alumni networks, complying with legal obligations, and safeguarding the legitimate interests of the College and its community.

Processing is lawful on the basis of your consent (given at registration and where you submit information), the performance of a contract with you, compliance with a legal duty, and the legitimate interests of the College. You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to the College's right to process information on another lawful basis or to restrict your access to features that require such processing.

You have the right to access, correct, update or request deletion of your Personal Information, to object to processing, and to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (www.inforegulator.org.za). Requests should be directed to the College's Information Officer through the Contact Us page within the App, and the College's manual compiled under section 51 of PAIA is available on request through the same channel. The College will take reasonable steps to confirm your identity before acting on a request.

The College retains Personal Information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law, after which it is deleted or de-identified.

6. Use of Cookies and Analytics

The App may use cookies, local storage and similar technologies to operate correctly and remember your session. When you are signed in, the App also records your activity — your name, email address, the pages you visit and basic device and browser information — so the College can understand how the App is used, improve the service and safeguard the App and its users. These activity records are visible only to authorised College administrators. You may control cookies through your browser settings; disabling them may affect App functionality.

7. User-Generated Content

Where you submit Content to the App (such as posts, comments, applications or profile information), you grant the College a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, store, use, reproduce and display that Content for the purpose of operating the App. You confirm that you own or have the right to submit such Content and that it does not infringe the rights of any third party.

The College reserves the right to review, edit, remove or refuse Content that it considers inappropriate, unlawful or in breach of these Terms, without prior notice.

8. Intellectual Property

All Content, branding, logos, documents and software provided through the App are owned by the College or its licensors and are protected by South African and international intellectual property laws. You may view and download Content for personal, non-commercial use only, unless expressly authorised otherwise.

9. No Warranty and Limitation of Liability

The App is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. While the College strives to keep information accurate and current, it does not warrant that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or that information is always complete or up to date. Bursary, funding, vacancy and application details are provided for information only and are subject to change by the relevant providers.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither the College, its administrators, nor the platform provider shall be liable for any indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for any loss of data or profits, arising from your use of or inability to use the App. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be excluded under South African law.

10. Protection of the College and Administrators

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the College, its Council, employees, administrators and the platform provider against any claim, loss, damage or expense (including reasonable legal costs) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the App, or your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

Administrators acting in good faith within the scope of their duties shall not be personally liable for decisions relating to account access, content moderation or the operation of the App.

11. Privacy of Communications and Moderation

Communications submitted through the App, including bursary applications and appointment requests, may be reviewed by authorised staff for the purpose of administration. You should not include sensitive Personal Information beyond what is necessary for the relevant request.

12. Account Suspension and Termination

The College may suspend, restrict or terminate your access to the App at any time, without notice, where you breach these Terms, where access is obtained or used fraudulently, or where required to protect the College or other users. Upon termination, your right to use the App ceases, while these Terms (including the POPIA and liability provisions) continue to apply to your prior use.

13. Amendments

The College may update these Terms from time to time. The date of last update is displayed above. Material changes will be notified through the App or by email where practicable. Continued use of the App after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with the App shall, where possible, be resolved amicably with the College. Where unresolved, it shall be referred to the jurisdiction of the competent South African courts, unless the Consumer Protection Act, 2008 (Act No. 68 of 2008) requires otherwise.

15. Contact

For questions about these Terms, requests regarding your Personal Information, or complaints, please contact the College through the Contact Us page within the App.