Privacy Policy
How Matjhabeng Municipality collects, uses, and protects your personal information
Contents
Matjhabeng Local Municipality ("the Municipality", "we", "us") is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information you entrust to us when you use the Community Complaints Portal. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the rights you have under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
1 Who We Are
Matjhabeng Local Municipality is a public entity established under the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 117 of 1998. Our offices are located in Welkom, Free State Province, South Africa.
In terms of POPIA, the Municipal Manager serves as the Information Officer. Deputy Information Officers are designated per department to handle information requests relating to that department.
2 Information We Collect
We collect the following categories of personal information:
- Full name (first & last)
- Email address
- Mobile & alternate telephone numbers
- Physical / residential address
- Municipal account number (optional)
- Complaint category & description
- Department assigned
- Supporting photographs (optional)
- GPS coordinates of the reported location
- Status updates & resolution notes
- Username
- Hashed password (never stored in plain text)
- Account creation & last login timestamps
- Authentication activity log
- IP address (for security & fraud prevention)
- Browser type & version
- Device identifiers
- Pages visited & actions performed
We do not intentionally collect information from children under the age of 18. Complaints should be lodged by an adult or a parent/guardian on behalf of a minor.
3 How We Use Your Information
Your information is processed only for lawful, explicit purposes, including to:
- Register and manage your account on the Complaints Portal
- Log, track, assign, and resolve complaints you submit
- Route complaints to the correct municipal department and technician
- Communicate status updates, resolution notices, and requests for information
- Verify your identity and prevent fraudulent or duplicate submissions
- Produce aggregated reports and analytics for municipal planning
- Comply with legal obligations under the Municipal Systems Act, PAIA, and POPIA
- Protect the security, integrity, and availability of the portal
4 Legal Basis for Processing
Under POPIA (Section 11), we process your personal information because:
6 How Long We Keep Your Information
We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law:
| Data category | Retention period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint records (resolved) | 5 years after closure | Municipal records retention schedule |
| Complaint records (unresolved) | Indefinite until resolved | Ongoing service obligation |
| User account data | Until account deletion + 1 year | Audit & legal defence |
| Authentication logs | 90 days rolling | Security monitoring |
| POPIA consent records | Duration of processing + 3 years | POPIA accountability |
7 How We Protect Your Information
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal information, including:
If you believe your personal information has been compromised, contact our Information Officer immediately at privacy@matjhabengmunicipality.co.za.
8 Your Rights Under POPIA
You have the following rights regarding your personal information:
To exercise any of these rights, submit a request to privacy@matjhabengmunicipality.co.za with proof of identity. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.
10 Contact Us & Complaints
For privacy-related queries, requests, or complaints, contact us:
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with the regulator:
11 Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law or our practices. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page will change when updates occur. Material changes will be communicated via the Complaints Portal home page or by email to registered users.
12 Acceptance
By using the Matjhabeng Municipality Community Complaints Portal, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and agree to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information as described herein.