Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Beninca Technical Services (Pty) Ltd ("BTS", "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you visit our website at btshyd.co.za (the "Website"), contact us, or use our engineering and modification services ("Services").

This policy is drafted in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 ("POPIA") of the Republic of South Africa and, where applicable, the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") of the European Union.

2. Information Officer

Our designated Information Officer responsible for ensuring compliance with POPIA is:

• Name: The Director, Beninca Technical Services
• Address: 22A 11th Road, Kew, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2090
• Email: sales@btshyd.co.za
• Phone: +27 11 440 1482

3. Personal Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Identity information: Full name, job title, company name.
• Contact information: Email address, phone number, WhatsApp number, physical address.
• Enquiry details: Type of service required, number of vehicles, industry, vehicle details, and the contents of messages submitted through our contact or consultation forms.
• Commercial information: Quotation requests, order history, payment details (excluding full credit card numbers, which we never store).

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and time zone settings.
• Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URL, click-stream data, and other diagnostic data.
• Cookie data: Information collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

3.3 Information From Third Parties

• Analytics data from Google Analytics.
• Interaction data from WhatsApp (Meta Platforms, Inc.) when you contact us via the click-to-chat feature.
• Blog interaction data from our WordPress headless CMS (if applicable).

4. Lawful Basis for Processing (POPIA Section 11)

We process your personal information based on one or more of the following lawful grounds:

5. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Respond to your enquiries and provide quotations.
• Process and fulfil orders for our Services.
• Communicate with you about your project, including status updates, invoices, and delivery/collection arrangements.
• Send marketing communications (only with your explicit consent; you can opt out at any time).
• Improve and optimise the Website, its content, and user experience.
• Analyse usage patterns and generate aggregated, anonymised statistical reports.
• Detect, prevent, and address fraud, security issues, or technical problems.
• Comply with applicable laws and regulations.

6. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information with:

• Service providers: Hosting providers (Vercel Inc.), email service providers, and analytics platforms (Google LLC) that assist us in operating the Website.
• OEM partners: Vehicle manufacturers (e.g. FAW, HINO, MAN, Mercedes-Benz, FUSO, Scania, TATA, UD Trucks) where necessary to source parts or validate specifications for your order.
• Professional advisors: Accountants, auditors, and legal counsel where required.
• Law enforcement or regulators: Where we are legally obliged to disclose your information or to protect our rights.

Where personal information is transferred outside of South Africa (e.g. to cloud infrastructure providers in the United States or European Union), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with POPIA Section 72.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law:

• Enquiry data: 2 years from the date of last interaction, after which it is anonymised or deleted.
• Customer/order data: 7 years from the completion of the transaction (in compliance with the Tax Administration Act and Companies Act).
• Marketing consent records: Retained for as long as consent is active, plus 1 year after withdrawal for record-keeping purposes.
• Website analytics: Aggregated data retained indefinitely; identifiable data (IP addresses) are anonymised after 14 months by Google Analytics.

8. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject, you have the following rights:

• Right to access: Request confirmation of whether we hold your personal information and obtain a copy of it.
• Right to correction: Request correction or updating of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to deletion: Request deletion of your personal information where it is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Right to object: Object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to restrict processing: Request that we restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: Request a copy of your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
• Right to lodge a complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been infringed.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Information Officer at sales@btshyd.co.za. We will respond within 30 days, and we may request proof of identity before processing your request.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data transmitted via the Website.
• Secure hosting infrastructure provided by Vercel with ISO 27001-aligned practices.
• Access controls limiting employee access to personal information on a need-to-know basis.
• Regular security reviews and updates.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Our Website and Services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child without verification of parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

11. Third-Party Links

The Website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g. Google Maps, WhatsApp, WordPress blog). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Information Regulator (South Africa)

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with:

• The Information Regulator (South Africa)
• JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
• PO Box 31533, Braamfontein, 2017
• Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
• Phone: +27 10 023 5200

14. Contact Us

For any privacy-related enquiries, requests, or complaints, please contact us:

• Company: Beninca Technical Services (Pty) Ltd
• Address: 22A 11th Road, Kew, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2090
• Phone: +27 11 440 1482
• Email: sales@btshyd.co.za
• WhatsApp: +27 63 834 7916