Terms of Service

Effective Date: 06 May 2026

Version: 1.0

STOKVEL PORTAL

Welcome to Stokvel Portal ("the Platform"), a digital financial administration and community management platform designed to assist stokvels, burial societies, savings clubs, investment groups, and community organizations with member management, contribution tracking, accounting, reporting, and related services.

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Stokvel Portal ("we", "us", "our", or "the Company").

By registering, accessing, browsing, or using the Platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms, the Privacy Policy, and all applicable South African laws and regulations.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately discontinue use of the Platform.

1. DEFINITIONS

For purposes of these Terms:

"Account" means a registered user profile on the Platform.
"Administrator" means a user authorized to manage a stokvel or organization on the Platform.
"Member" means an individual participating in a stokvel or organization.
"Organization" means any stokvel, burial society, savings club, cooperative, investment club, or similar group using the Platform.
"Content" means all information, records, uploads, documents, financial data, images, and materials uploaded or generated through the Platform.
"Services" means all software, systems, tools, websites, applications, APIs, and functionalities provided by Stokvel Portal.
"POPIA" means the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 of South Africa.
"ECTA" means the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002.

2. NATURE OF THE PLATFORM

Stokvel Portal is a digital administration and record-keeping platform.

We:

provide software tools;
assist with contribution tracking;
facilitate accounting and reporting;
allow document and payment proof storage;
assist with organizational governance and record management.

We do NOT:

operate as a registered bank;
guarantee investment returns;
provide insurance unless separately licensed;
act as financial advisors;
hold deposits as a banking institution;
guarantee member payments or organization solvency;
act as trustees of funds;
guarantee recovery of losses arising from member disputes or fraud.

Users remain fully responsible for:

their financial decisions;
contributions;
compliance with laws;
tax obligations;
internal governance;
approval of transactions.

3. ELIGIBILITY

You may only use the Platform if:

you are at least 18 years old;
you have legal capacity under South African law;
your use does not violate any law or regulation;
you are authorized to act on behalf of your organization where applicable.

4. ACCOUNT REGISTRATION

You agree to:

provide accurate and truthful information;
maintain updated information;
keep your credentials secure;
immediately report unauthorized access.

You are fully responsible for all activities occurring under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that:

contain false information;
engage in unlawful conduct;
abuse the system;
violate these Terms.

5. FINANCIAL RECORDS AND CONTRIBUTIONS

The Platform may store and process:

contribution records;
member balances;
disbursements;
accounting journals;
payment proofs;
penalties;
savings and investment records.

However:

all financial records remain the responsibility of the organization;
users must verify all figures independently;
the Platform does not guarantee accounting accuracy where incorrect data is entered by users;
we are not liable for disputes between members.

6. PAYMENT PROOFS AND DOCUMENTS

Users may upload:

bank statements;
payment confirmations;
IDs;
contracts;
resolutions;
supporting documents.

By uploading content, you warrant that:

you have lawful authority to upload it;
the content does not violate any law;
the content is not fraudulent.

We reserve the right to:

remove unlawful content;
cooperate with law enforcement;
suspend accounts involved in suspected fraud or criminal conduct.

7. DATA PRIVACY AND POPIA COMPLIANCE

We process personal information in accordance with:

POPIA;
ECTA;
applicable South African privacy laws.

Users consent to the collection and processing of:

names;
contact information;
banking references;
contribution records;
uploaded documents;
organizational records.

We implement reasonable technical and organizational safeguards, but no system is completely secure.

Users acknowledge that:

internet-based systems carry cybersecurity risks;
data transmission may be vulnerable to unauthorized access;
we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. RISK MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE MODULES

Where optional risk management or contribution protection services are introduced:

such services may be administered through third-party insurers or underwriters;
availability may depend on regulatory approvals;
coverage terms shall be governed by separate policy documents;
claims approval remains subject to underwriting criteria.

Stokvel Portal shall not be liable for:

rejected insurance claims;
underwriting decisions;
insurer insolvency;
delayed payouts caused by third parties.

9. FEES AND SUBSCRIPTIONS

Certain Services may require payment.

You agree that:

fees may change with notice;
subscriptions may renew automatically unless cancelled;
failure to pay may result in suspension.

All payments are non-refundable unless required by law.

10. ACCEPTABLE USE

You may not:

use the Platform unlawfully;
commit fraud;
impersonate others;
upload malicious software;
interfere with platform operations;
scrape or reverse engineer the system;
use the Platform for money laundering or unlawful financial schemes;
violate FICA, POPIA, tax, or anti-corruption laws.

We reserve the right to investigate suspicious activities.

11. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

All rights, title, and interest in the Platform remain the property of Stokvel Portal.

This includes:

software;
source code;
branding;
designs;
logos;
workflows;
databases;
AI modules;
reporting structures.

Users may not:

copy;
redistribute;
modify;
resell;
reverse engineer;
commercially exploit the Platform without written permission.

12. THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

The Platform may integrate with:

banks;
payment gateways;
insurers;
cloud providers;
SMS providers;
accounting services;
AI providers.

We are not responsible for:

third-party outages;
API failures;
banking delays;
external security breaches.

Use of third-party services may be subject to separate terms.

13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law:

Stokvel Portal shall not be liable for:

indirect damages;
consequential losses;
loss of profits;
loss of savings;
business interruption;
data loss;
member disputes;
fraud committed by users;
unauthorized access;
accounting inaccuracies caused by users;
financial decisions made using Platform data.

Our total liability shall not exceed:

the fees paid by the user during the preceding 12 months.

14. INDEMNITY

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Stokvel Portal, its owners, employees, contractors, and affiliates against any claims, damages, liabilities, losses, or expenses arising from:

your use of the Platform;
violation of these Terms;
member disputes;
unlawful activities;
uploaded content;
financial misconduct.

15. SERVICE AVAILABILITY

We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability.

The Platform may experience:

maintenance downtime;
upgrades;
outages;
cyber incidents;
force majeure events.

We reserve the right to:

modify;
suspend;
discontinue services at any time.

16. TERMINATION

We may suspend or terminate accounts:

for breach of these Terms;
suspected fraud;
unlawful conduct;
non-payment;
reputational harm to the Platform.

Users may terminate accounts subject to:

settlement of outstanding fees;
compliance with legal retention requirements.

17. RECORD RETENTION

We may retain records:

for legal compliance;
audit purposes;
dispute resolution;
fraud prevention.

Deleted records may remain in backups for reasonable periods.

18. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS

By using the Platform, you consent to receive communications electronically, including:

notices;
invoices;
statements;
alerts;
legal communications.

Electronic communications satisfy legal writing requirements under ECTA.

19. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Any dispute arising from these Terms shall first be attempted to be resolved amicably through negotiation.

If unresolved:

disputes shall be subject to South African law;
jurisdiction shall lie with the courts of South Africa;
the applicable court shall be determined by jurisdictional value and applicable law.

20. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms are governed by:

the laws of the Republic of South Africa;
POPIA;
ECTA;
Consumer Protection Act (where applicable);
applicable financial and cybersecurity legislation.

21. FORCE MAJEURE

We shall not be liable for delays or failures caused by:

natural disasters;
strikes;
war;
civil unrest;
power outages;
cyberattacks;
government actions;
telecommunications failures.

22. AMENDMENTS

We reserve the right to amend these Terms at any time.

Updated Terms will be published on the Platform.

Continued use after updates constitutes acceptance of revised Terms.

23. CONTACT INFORMATION

For legal, compliance, or support matters:

Stokvel Portal
South Africa
Email: legal@stokvelportal.com
Website: www.stokvelportal.com

24. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

By using Stokvel Portal, you acknowledge that:

you understand these Terms;
you accept all risks associated with digital financial administration systems;
you agree to comply with all applicable laws and organizational governance requirements.