This Privacy Policy explains how WhatTheWordSays (“WhatTheWordSays”, “the Ministry”, “we”, “us” or “our”) collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information when you visit whatthewordsays.org (the “Site”), give online, purchase resources, subscribe to updates, or otherwise interact with us.
WhatTheWordSays is a Christian ministry based in South Africa. We are committed to protecting your privacy and to processing your personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) and, where applicable, other data protection laws such as the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
1. Who we are
The Site is owned and operated by WhatTheWordSays. For the purposes of POPIA, WhatTheWordSays is the “Responsible Party” that determines how and why your personal information is processed.
Information Officer: Shingirai Mudyirwa
Email: shingi@whatthewordsays.org
Website: https://whatthewordsays.org
2. The personal information we collect
Depending on how you use the Site, we may collect the following categories of personal information:
Information you give us when you give online (tithes, offerings, partnership, firstfruits or sowing into the Ministry): your name, email address, and the amount and type of your contribution.
Card and banking details are entered directly on the secure payment page of our payment provider (Yoco) and or PayPal are not collected or stored by us.
Order and purchase information when you buy resources or products through our online store: your name, billing and delivery address, email address, telephone number, and order details.
Account information if you create an account: your username, email address, password (stored in encrypted form) and profile details.
Subscription and contact information when you subscribe to updates, complete a form, or contact us: your name, email address, and the content of your message.
Comments and contributions you post on devotionals, articles or other content, including your name and email address.
Technical and usage information collected automatically: your IP address, browser type and version, device information, operating system, referring pages, the pages you view, and the dates and times of your visits. This is collected through cookies and similar technologies (see Section 7).
3. How we use your personal information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
To process and acknowledge your gifts, tithes, offerings and partnerships.
To process and fulfil your orders and deliver products or resources you have requested.
To create and manage your account.
To send you devotionals, ministry updates, teaching content and newsletters that you have requested or that relate to your relationship with the Ministry.
To respond to your enquiries, prayer requests and messages.
To publish and moderate comments and contributions you submit.
To operate, maintain, secure and improve the Site and understand how it is used.
To comply with our legal, accounting and regulatory obligations.
4. The lawful basis for processing
We process your personal information on one or more of the following lawful bases under POPIA (and, where applicable, GDPR):
Your consent — for example, when you subscribe to receive updates or accept non-essential cookies. You may withdraw your consent at any time.
Performance of a contract — to process your orders, donations and account.
Compliance with a legal obligation — for example, retaining financial records.
Our legitimate interests — to operate, secure and improve the Ministry and the Site, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
5. Sharing your personal information
We do not sell or rent your personal information. We only share it in the following limited circumstances, and only with parties who are required to keep it secure:
Payment providers (Yoco)/PayPal: when you give or pay online, your transaction is processed securely by Yoco or PayPal. Their handling of your information is governed by their own privacy policy.
Hosting and technology providers: our website host and service providers who help us operate the Site and store data on our behalf as “Operators” under POPIA.
Email and communication services: providers that help us send newsletters and respond to you.
Analytics providers: services that help us understand how the Site is used (see Section 7).
Legal and regulatory bodies: where we are required to do so by law, or to protect our rights, safety, or property.
Some of these providers may process or store information outside South Africa. Where this happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure your information is protected by a comparable level of safeguards as required by POPIA.
6. How long we keep your information
We keep your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy, or for as long as we are required to retain it to comply with our legal and financial obligations (for example, records of donations and purchases). When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.
7. Cookies and similar technologies
The Site uses cookies and similar technologies to make it work, to remember items in your cart and your account session, to keep the Site secure, and to understand how visitors use it. Cookies are small text files stored on your device.
Strictly necessary cookies — required for core functions such as the shopping cart, checkout and logging in.
Functional cookies — remember your preferences and choices.
Analytics cookies — help us measure and improve how the Site performs.
You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling some cookies may affect how the Site functions, including the cart and checkout.
8. Your rights
Under POPIA (and applicable data protection laws) you have the right to:
Be told what personal information we hold about you and to access it.
Request that we correct or update information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
Request that we delete information where we are no longer entitled to keep it.
Object to the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
Withdraw consent you have given (for example, to unsubscribe from updates).
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (see Section 11).
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 1. You can unsubscribe from our emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any message.
9. How we protect your information
We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against loss, unauthorised access, disclosure or misuse. This includes securing the Site with encryption (HTTPS), restricting access to personal information, and using reputable service providers. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Children’s privacy
The Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without the consent of a parent or guardian. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to remove it.
11. Complaints and the Information Regulator
If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:
The Information Regulator (South Africa)
Website: https://inforegulator.org.za
Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za / POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
12. Links to other websites
The Site may contain links to other websites, including our payment provider, social media platforms and external content. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.
13. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The latest version will always be available on this page, with the “Last updated” date at the top. We encourage you to review it periodically.
14. Contact us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
WhatTheWordSays NPC
Email: info@whatthewordsays.org
Website: https://whatthewordsays.org