Last updated: 19 August 2026
This policy explains what personal information The Karate Shop collects, why we collect it, who we share it with, and what you can do about it. It is written to meet the notification duty in section 18 of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
1. Who we are
The responsible party is:
- The Karate Shop (registration number 2012/050799/07)
- 107 Klip Street, Hennopspark, Centurion, 0157, South Africa
- office@thekarateshop.co.za · 072 392 7306
- Office hours: Monday to Saturday, 09:00–13:00
Our Information Officer is R. Bruwer, reachable at the address, email and phone number above.
2. What we collect, and whether you have to give it
| Information | When we collect it | Mandatory? |
|---|---|---|
| Name, email address, phone number | When you place an order or create an account | Mandatory — we cannot process or deliver an order without it |
| Billing and delivery address | At checkout | Mandatory for delivery; not required if you select collection |
| Order contents, order history, order notes | When you order | Created by the transaction |
| Payment confirmation and reference (we do not receive or store your card number) | At payment | Mandatory to confirm payment |
| Account password (stored encrypted) | If you create an account | Optional — you may check out as a guest |
| IP address, browser type, pages visited | Automatically, when you use the site | Automatic — see section 7 on cookies |
| Anything you write to us | Contact form, email, WhatsApp, phone | Voluntary |
Consequences of not providing it: if you withhold information marked mandatory above, we cannot accept, process, deliver or invoice your order. There is no other consequence — you are free to browse the catalogue without giving us anything.
We collect this information directly from you. We do not buy personal information or obtain it from third-party lists.
3. Why we collect it
- To process, fulfil, ship and invoice your order
- To send you order confirmations, payment instructions (including our banking details for EFT payment), shipping notifications and tracking
- To answer your enquiries and handle returns, refunds and warranty claims
- To keep the accounting and tax records that South African law requires us to keep
- To keep the site secure and to detect fraudulent orders
- To send you marketing about our products — only if you have specifically asked us to (see section 6)
We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling.
Laws requiring us to collect some of this: South African tax and company legislation — principally the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011, the Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991 and the Companies Act 71 of 2008 — require us to record and retain the details of every sale. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 requires us to give you certain information about ourselves and our terms, which we do on this page, our Terms & Conditions and our Contact page.
4. Who we share it with
We share only what each party needs to do its job:
| Recipient | What they get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| iKhokha (payment processing — card and Instant EFT) | Your name, email, order amount and reference. Card details are entered on iKhokha’s systems and never reach ours. | To take payment |
| Your bank, if you pay by direct EFT | Your payment reference | To reconcile your payment |
| The Courier Guy | Recipient name, delivery address, phone number, parcel details | To deliver your order |
| Our hosting provider (Stable Server — servers located in Australia) | Everything stored on the site, as a technical custodian | To host the website, database and email |
| Our accountant / accounting system | Invoice-level detail | Bookkeeping and tax |
| SARS, or another authority | Only what the law compels | Legal obligation |
| Google (Google Ireland Ltd / Google LLC) — Google Analytics | Pages and products viewed, time on site, approximate location from your IP address, device and browser type, and a random analytics identifier. Not your name, address, order details or payment information. | To measure how the shop is used so we can improve it |
We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information. We do not share it with anyone for their own marketing.
5. Sending information outside South Africa
You should know that our website, database and email are hosted on servers in Australia. This means that when you place an order or send us a message, the information is stored outside South Africa.
Australia has its own general data protection law, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), which regulates how organisations there must handle personal information — it is broadly comparable to POPIA, including obligations around security, transparency and use limitation. We rely on section 72(1)(a) of POPIA for this transfer: Australia’s data protection framework gives effect to principles for the lawful processing of personal information that are substantially similar to POPIA’s conditions. Our agreement with the hosting provider also requires it to safeguard the information and to process it only as instructed by us. The transfer is additionally necessary for the performance of your order — the shop cannot operate without hosting.
If you would rather not have your information stored outside South Africa, you are welcome to order by phone, email or WhatsApp, or in person at the shop.
The analytics tool described in section 7 transfers information to Google, who process it in Ireland and the United States. Google operates under the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and offers contractual data protection terms binding it to safeguards comparable to POPIA’s conditions. We rely on section 72(1)(a) and 72(1)(b) of POPIA for this transfer. You can opt out at any time using the controls described in section 7.
6. Marketing
We send marketing email only to people who have actively opted in. Ticking nothing, or leaving a pre-ticked box alone, is not consent and we do not treat it as such.
Every marketing email carries an unsubscribe link. You can also simply email office@thekarateshop.co.za and ask us to stop, and we will.
Order confirmations, payment instructions, shipping notices and replies to your enquiries are not marketing — they are part of fulfilling your order, and you will receive them whether or not you have opted in to marketing.
7. Cookies and site analytics
The site uses cookies that are strictly necessary for it to work — keeping your cart contents between pages, and keeping you logged in if you have an account. These cannot be switched off without breaking the shop.
We use Google Analytics, via the MonsterInsights plugin, to understand how the shop is used — which pages and products people visit, how long they stay, what they search for, and how they found us. This helps us decide what to stock and how to improve the site.
Google Analytics sets cookies in your browser and assigns your device a random identifier. It records your approximate location (from your IP address), your device and browser type, and the pages you view. We do not use it to identify you by name, and we have not enabled its e-commerce, advertising or audience-building features.
These analytics cookies are not necessary for the shop to work. You can block them using your browser’s cookie settings, a tracker-blocking extension, or Google’s own opt-out tool at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout — the shop will work normally either way.
We do not currently run advertising pixels or remarketing tags (such as Meta Pixel or Google Ads conversion tracking). If that changes, we will update this page first, before any such tool goes live.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The shop will still work, but your cart may not survive between pages and you will be logged out.
8. How long we keep it
- Order, invoice and payment records: at least five years, because tax and company law require it. We cannot delete these on request while that obligation runs.
- Account details: until you ask us to close the account.
- Marketing list: until you unsubscribe.
- Enquiries and correspondence: up to two years, then deleted.
9. How we protect it
The site runs over HTTPS. Administrative access is limited to the people who need it and is password-protected. Card data never touches our systems — it is handled entirely by iKhokha. Backups are taken regularly.
No system is perfectly secure. If your personal information is ever accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, POPIA requires us to notify you and the Information Regulator, and we will.
10. Your rights
Under POPIA you may:
- Ask what we hold about you, and get a copy
- Correct or complete anything inaccurate or out of date
- Ask us to delete information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep
- Object to processing based on our legitimate interests
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we relied on your consent
- Complain to the Information Regulator
Email office@thekarateshop.co.za to exercise any of these. You may also reach us by post, phone or WhatsApp — whichever suits you. We will respond within 30 days. We may ask you to confirm your identity first, so that we do not hand your information to somebody else.
11. Complaints to the Information Regulator
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your information, you may complain directly to:
The Information Regulator (South Africa)
Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191
Toll free: 0800 017 160 · Tel: 010 023 5200
Complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
Enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
inforegulator.org.za
12. Children
Many of our customers are parents buying for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from anyone under 18 — orders should be placed by a parent or guardian. If a child’s name appears on an order (for sizing or club purposes), we treat it as part of the order record and nothing more.
13. Changes to this policy
We will update this page when our practices change, and the date at the top will change with it. Material changes affecting how we use your information will be communicated to account holders by email.
14. Related pages
See also our Terms & Conditions and Refund & Returns Policy.
