Privacy Policy
How Explore South Africa collects, uses, stores and protects personal data, and the rights you have over it.
Version 2.1 · In force from 12 May 2026
1. Who is responsible for your data
Explore South Africa ("we", "us", "the site") operates the website at jusegeu.site and is the controller of the personal data described in this policy. Correspondence about data protection should be addressed to:
Explore South Africa Editorial, PO Box 4187, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
Email: privacy@jusegeu.site · Telephone: +27 21 486 3920
This policy is written to meet the requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679, "GDPR") and is applied to all visitors regardless of where they are located. Where the South African Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") also applies, we apply whichever standard gives the individual greater protection.
2. What data we collect
2.1 Data you give us
If you use the question form on the home page or write to us directly, we receive the name you enter, your email address, the topic you select and the content of your message. Nothing else in the form is required, and we ask you not to include health information, identification numbers, payment details or other sensitive data in a message to us.
2.2 Data collected automatically
Our hosting provider records standard server log data for every request: the IP address making the request, the date and time, the page requested, the referring page where one is sent, and the browser user-agent string. These logs are generated by the web server and are necessary to deliver and secure the site.
2.3 Data stored in your browser
When you answer the cookie banner, your choice is stored in your browser's local storage under the key esa_cookie_consent, together with the date of the choice. This is stored on your device, is not transmitted to us, and exists so the banner is not shown again.
3. Why we use it and on what legal basis
| Purpose | Data used | Legal basis (GDPR Art. 6) |
|---|---|---|
| Answering your question or correction | Name, email, topic, message | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a) |
| Delivering the pages you request | Server log data | Legitimate interests — Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Keeping the site secure and available | Server log data | Legitimate interests — Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Recording your cookie choice | Local storage entry | Consent, and necessity for a service you requested |
| Aggregate visit statistics, if accepted | Anonymised page and referrer counts | Consent — Art. 6(1)(a) |
| Meeting a legal obligation | The minimum data concerned | Legal obligation — Art. 6(1)(c) |
Our legitimate interest in the second and third rows is the operation of a functioning, secure website. We have weighed that interest against your rights and consider the impact minimal, as the data is limited, retained briefly and never used to profile individuals.
4. Cookies and similar technologies
This site sets no advertising, profiling or cross-site tracking cookies, and it embeds no third-party scripts, fonts or social widgets. All resources are served from the site's own domain.
- Strictly necessary storage. The consent record described in section 2.3. It cannot be switched off without also removing the record of your choice, and it holds no identifier.
- Optional analytics. If you press Accept, aggregate counts of page visits may be collected. These are counts only; they are not linked to a person, a device identifier or an advertising profile. If you press Reject, no analytics data is collected at all.
You can change your decision at any time by clearing the site data for jusegeu.site in your browser, after which the banner appears again on your next visit. Browser settings can also be used to block or delete storage for this site entirely; the site remains fully usable if you do.
5. How long we keep data
| Category | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Messages sent through the form or by email | 24 months from the last message in the exchange, then deleted |
| Server access logs | 30 days, then deleted or fully anonymised |
| Aggregate visit statistics | 14 months, held only in aggregate form |
| Consent record in your browser | Until you clear your browser storage |
Where data must be kept longer to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim, or to comply with a legal obligation, it is retained for that purpose only and deleted once the purpose ends.
6. Who else sees your data
We do not sell, rent or trade personal data, and we do not disclose it for marketing purposes. Data is shared only with:
- Our hosting provider, acting as a processor under a written agreement that meets Article 28 GDPR, for the purpose of serving the site;
- Our email provider, on the same basis, for the purpose of receiving and answering messages;
- Public authorities, where disclosure is required by law and the request is valid.
Where a processor is located outside the European Economic Area, the transfer is covered by the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses or by an adequacy decision. A copy of the relevant safeguards can be requested at the address in section 1.
7. Your rights
Under the GDPR you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy of it (Art. 15);
- Rectification of data that is inaccurate or incomplete (Art. 16);
- Erasure of your data where the conditions in Art. 17 are met;
- Restriction of processing in the circumstances listed in Art. 18;
- Data portability — to receive data you provided in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format (Art. 20);
- Object to processing based on legitimate interests (Art. 21);
- Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal (Art. 7(3));
- Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country of residence, place of work or the place of the alleged infringement (Art. 77). In South Africa the equivalent body is the Information Regulator.
To exercise any of these rights, write to privacy@jusegeu.site. We answer within one month of receiving a request, and may extend that period by two further months for complex requests, telling you the reason within the first month. We may ask for information sufficient to confirm that the request comes from you; if we cannot identify you in our records, we will say so rather than collect additional data.
8. Automated decision-making
We carry out no automated decision-making and no profiling within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR. The route quiz on the home page runs entirely in your browser: the answers are not transmitted to us, not stored, and are discarded when you leave or reload the page.
9. Children
This site is intended for a general adult audience and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, write to the address in section 1 and it will be deleted.
10. Security
The site is served over encrypted HTTPS connections. Access to the message inbox is limited to the two members of the editorial desk and protected by multi-factor authentication. We apply the principle of data minimisation throughout: we ask for the least data that allows a question to be answered, and we delete it on the schedule in section 5. No system is perfectly secure, and we do not claim otherwise; where a breach is likely to result in a risk to your rights, we notify the supervisory authority and, where required, you.
11. Links to other sites
Some pages link to the websites of park authorities, transport operators and public bodies. Those sites have their own privacy practices, over which we have no control, and this policy does not apply to them. We suggest reading the policy of any site you visit from here.
12. Changes to this policy
This policy may be updated to reflect changes in the site or in applicable law. The version number and date at the top of this page always indicate the current version. Material changes are announced on the home page for at least 30 days, and where a change relies on your consent, we ask for that consent again rather than assuming it.