Elementary

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31 March 2026

1. Who We Are

Elementary Digital & Software Solutions (Pty) Ltd ("EDSS", "we", "our", or "us") is a South African company registered and operating in the Republic of South Africa. We operate the website at theelementary.co.za and are the developer behind Dickson, a vetted handyman marketplace.

Our designated Information Officer for the purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") is Edwin Matlapeng. You may contact our Information Officer at privacy@theelementary.co.za.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information in the following contexts:

  • Waitlist registration — when you join our Dickson waitlist, we collect your full name, mobile number, email address, city or area, and your role (homeowner, tenant, property manager, or similar).
  • Partner enquiries — when you submit a partnership or B2B enquiry, we collect your full name, email address, company name, your role or job title, your industry, and the contents of your message.
  • Technical data — when you visit our website, we may automatically collect your IP address, browser type and version, the pages you visit, and referring URLs. This data is collected through standard web server logs and analytics tools.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Managing and maintaining our Dickson waitlist.
  • Communicating with waitlist members via WhatsApp and email about the Dickson launch, early access opportunities, and relevant updates.
  • Following up on partner and B2B enquiries submitted through our website.
  • Improving our website, understanding how visitors use it, and diagnosing technical issues.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the basis of your consent, as contemplated under POPIA. When you submit a waitlist registration or partner enquiry form, you consent to us processing your information for the purposes described in this policy.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at privacy@theelementary.co.za. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before the withdrawal.

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information only with the following categories of service providers, and only to the extent necessary to deliver our services:

  • WhatsApp Business API provider — we use a third-party provider (such as Twilio or Bird) to send WhatsApp communications. Your mobile number is shared with this provider solely for message delivery.
  • Hosting provider — our website and associated data are hosted on Vercel. Data stored on our platform may reside on Vercel's infrastructure.

6. Data Storage & Security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access, or disclosure. While no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we are committed to protecting your information and will notify you in the event of a data breach as required by POPIA.

7. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights:

  • Right of access — to request confirmation of whether we hold your personal information and to obtain a copy.
  • Right to correction — to request that inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information be corrected.
  • Right to deletion — to request that your personal information be deleted where it is no longer necessary.
  • Right to object — to object to the processing of your personal information.
  • Right to withdraw consent — to withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
  • Right to lodge a complaint — to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa at www.justice.gov.za/inforeg.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@theelementary.co.za.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as it remains relevant to the purpose for which it was collected. Waitlist and enquiry records are considered inactive after 12 months without engagement or correspondence. Inactive records are deleted within 30 days of inactivity being confirmed, unless a legal obligation requires us to retain them for longer.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify waitlist members via WhatsApp or email. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the date of the most recent revision. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.