Plain Language Summary
Global Pact Trading collects personal information such as your name, email address, phone number and delivery address when you use our website, place an order or contact us. We use this information to process your orders, communicate with you and improve our services. We do not sell your personal information to third parties. This policy explains in full how we collect, use, store and protect your information in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.
1
Who We Are & How to Contact Us
This Privacy Policy applies to Global Pact Trading, a business registered and operating in South Africa, with its principal place of business at:
Global Pact Trading is the responsible party (as defined under POPIA) in respect of personal information collected through this website and in the course of our business operations.
2
Information We Collect
We collect personal information from you in several ways, including when you browse our website, place an order, create an account, contact us or sign up for our newsletter. The categories of information we may collect include:
Information You Provide Directly
- Full name and contact details (email address, phone number)
- Billing and shipping address
- Company name and business type (for trade partner applications)
- Payment information — note: we do not store card details; payments are processed by our payment gateway provider
- Messages and enquiries submitted through our contact forms
- Account login credentials (username and encrypted password)
- Product reviews and ratings you submit
Information Collected Automatically
- IP address and approximate geographic location
- Browser type, device type and operating system
- Pages visited, time spent on pages and links clicked
- Referring website or source that brought you to our site
- Cookie and tracking data (see Section 6)
3
How We Use Your Information
We use personal information collected for the following purposes:
- Order processing: To process your purchases, arrange delivery, issue invoices and handle returns or refunds
- Account management: To create and manage your customer account on our website
- Customer support: To respond to your enquiries, complaints and support requests
- Communication: To send you order confirmations, delivery updates and important account notifications
- Marketing: To send you newsletters or promotional emails about our products and offers — only where you have consented or where permitted by law
- Trade partner programme: To review and process applications for our verified partner programme
- Website improvement: To analyse usage patterns and improve the functionality and content of our website
- Legal compliance: To meet our legal obligations under South African law, including tax and consumer protection legislation
- Fraud prevention: To detect and prevent fraudulent transactions or abuse of our services
Marketing opt-out: You may unsubscribe from our marketing emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us at contact@globalpacttrading.co.za. Opting out of marketing will not affect transactional communications related to your orders.
4
Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA)
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), we are required to have a lawful basis for processing your personal information. We rely on the following grounds:
- Contract: Processing is necessary to fulfil our contract with you — for example, to process and deliver your order
- Consent: Where you have given us explicit consent — for example, to receive marketing communications or to store your information for future purchases
- Legal obligation: Where we are required to process your information to comply with a legal obligation — such as tax records or consumer protection requirements
- Legitimate interest: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests — such as fraud prevention, website security and improving our services — provided these interests do not override your rights
5
Sharing Your Information
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:
- Service providers: We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website and business — including payment processors, courier and logistics companies, email service providers and website hosting providers. These providers are contractually bound to use your information only for the purposes we specify and to protect it appropriately.
- Delivery partners: We share your name, address and contact number with our courier partners to facilitate the delivery of your order.
- Legal requirements: We may disclose your information where required to do so by law, court order or lawful request from a government authority.
- Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition or sale of all or part of our business, your personal information may be transferred to the new owner, subject to the same privacy obligations.
All third parties with whom we share your information are required to handle it in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including POPIA.
6
Cookies & Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and analyse site traffic. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.
Types of Cookies We Use
- Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly — including your shopping cart, login session and checkout process. These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it. We may use tools such as Google Analytics for this purpose.
- Preference cookies: Remember your settings and preferences, such as language or currency selection.
- Marketing cookies: Used to deliver relevant advertisements and track the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns. These are only placed with your consent.
You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website, including your ability to add items to your cart or complete a purchase.
7
Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our general retention periods are:
- Order and transaction records: 5 years, in accordance with South African tax and accounting requirements
- Customer account information: For as long as your account remains active, plus a reasonable period thereafter
- Marketing contact lists: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
- Contact form submissions: Up to 2 years, unless a longer retention period is required to resolve an ongoing matter
- Website analytics data: Up to 26 months
When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
8
Your Rights Under POPIA
As a data subject under POPIA, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information:
- Right to access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Right to correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information
- Right to deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to certain legal exceptions
- Right to object: You may object to the processing of your personal information, including for direct marketing purposes
- Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time
- Right to complain: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been violated
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@globalpacttrading.co.za. We will respond to your request within a reasonable time, and no later than 30 days.
9
Security of Your Information
We take the security of your personal information seriously. We implement a range of technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or destruction. These measures include:
- SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption for all data transmitted through our website
- Secure hosting infrastructure on reputable, industry-standard servers
- Password protection and access controls for internal systems
- Regular security reviews and software updates
- Limited access to personal information on a need-to-know basis
While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights and interests, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by law.
10
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including social media platforms, payment gateways and supplier websites. These websites operate independently of us and have their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any website you visit via a link from our site.
11
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 under 18. If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information without appropriate parental consent, please contact us immediately at contact@globalpacttrading.co.za and we will take steps to delete that information.
12
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business practices, legal requirements or technological developments. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal information.
Your continued use of our website following the posting of changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
13
Contact & Complaints
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights under POPIA, or have a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us:
We will acknowledge your request within 5 business days and resolve it within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Information Regulator of South Africa at inforegulator.org.za.
