Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy – WorkSA

Effective Date: June 2025 Last Reviewed: June 2025

Your privacy is not a formality to us. It is a commitment. At WorkSA, we recognise that the people who use this platform are often in a vulnerable and hopeful position searching for a job, pursuing a learnership, or trying to build a better future for themselves and their families. That context matters to us, and it shapes how seriously we take the responsibility of handling any information connected to your use of this website.

This Privacy Policy is written to give you a complete and honest picture of how WorkSA collects, uses, stores, and protects information when you visit and interact with our platform. We have written it in plain language deliberately because privacy policies should be readable and understandable, not buried in legal jargon that discourages people from reading them.

We encourage you to read this document in full. If, after reading it, you have questions or concerns about anything covered here, please visit our Contact Us page. We are always willing to clarify.

1. Who We Are and What This Policy Covers

WorkSA is a South African online platform that shares information about job vacancies, internship opportunities, and learnership programmes. We operate as an information service we do not recruit, place candidates, or act as an intermediary between job seekers and employers.

This Privacy Policy applies to:

  • The WorkSA website in its entirety
  • All pages, articles, and listings published under the WorkSA domain
  • Any forms, comment sections, or interactive features that may be present on the site
  • Any communication you initiate with WorkSA through contact forms or email

This policy does not apply to external websites that may be linked from our platform. Once you leave WorkSA by clicking an external link, you are governed by the privacy policy of the destination website, not ours. We encourage you to check those policies independently before sharing any personal information with a third-party site.

2. What Information We May Collect

WorkSA is primarily a content-driven platform. We do not require visitors to create accounts, log in, or submit personal details simply to read our listings. In most cases, you can browse WorkSA entirely anonymously.

That said, there are specific circumstances in which information may be collected, either directly from you or automatically through the technology that powers the website.

2a. Information You Provide Directly

If you choose to contact us through our Contact Us page, submit a tip about an opportunity, request a correction to a listing, or reach out via email, you may provide us with personal information such as:

  • Your name
  • Your email address
  • The content of your message or enquiry

We only collect what you choose to share with us in those moments. We do not ask for your ID number, your home address, your financial details, or any sensitive personal information as part of ordinary communication. If a contact form or communication channel on this website ever asks you for sensitive data beyond a name and email address, please do not complete it and report it to us immediately as it may indicate that the site has been compromised.

2b. Information Collected Automatically

Like virtually every website on the internet, WorkSA may collect certain technical information automatically when you visit. This typically happens through cookies, web analytics tools, and server logs, and it may include:

  • Your IP address
  • The type of browser and device you are using
  • The pages you visit on our site and the order in which you visit them
  • The amount of time you spend on particular pages
  • The website or search engine that referred you to WorkSA
  • General geographic location based on your IP address (typically city or region level not your precise physical location)

This information is collected in aggregate and is primarily used to understand how visitors use the website, identify which content is most useful, and improve the overall experience of the platform. It is not used to identify you personally.

3. How We Use the Information We Collect

WorkSA uses the information we collect for the following purposes:

To operate and maintain the website. Technical data helps us ensure the site is functioning properly, loading quickly, and accessible across different devices and browsers.

To understand our audience. Aggregate analytics data tells us which types of content are most valuable to our visitors which helps us focus our efforts on the listings and articles that serve our users best.

To respond to your enquiries. When you contact us, we use the information you provide to respond to your message. We do not use your contact details for any purpose beyond the conversation you initiated unless we have your explicit permission to do so.

To improve the platform over time. Feedback, reports, and usage data collectively help us make WorkSA a better, more reliable, and more useful service for everyone.

To comply with legal obligations. In rare circumstances, we may be required by law to retain or disclose certain information. We will only do so to the extent required by applicable South African law.

We do not use your information to build advertising profiles. We do not sell your data. We do not share your personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes.

4. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used across the internet and serve a range of purposes from keeping you logged in on a site to helping website owners understand how their content is being used.

WorkSA may use cookies in the following ways:

4a. Essential Cookies

These are cookies that are necessary for the website to function. Without them, certain features of the site may not work correctly. These cookies do not collect personal information and are not used for tracking or advertising purposes.

4b. Analytics Cookies

We may use analytics tools such as Google Analytics to collect anonymised information about how visitors use WorkSA. This helps us understand patterns such as which pages attract the most traffic, where visitors come from, and how long they stay. The data collected through analytics cookies is aggregated and anonymised it does not identify individual users.

4c. Advertising Cookies

WorkSA may display advertisements on some pages of the website through third-party advertising platforms, including Google AdSense. These platforms may use cookies to serve advertisements that are relevant to your interests, based on your browsing history across the web. This is standard practice across the internet and is governed by the privacy policies of the respective advertising platforms.

If you would prefer not to receive interest-based advertising, you can adjust your preferences through your browser settings or through tools provided by advertising networks. Please note that opting out of interest-based ads does not mean you will stop seeing advertisements it means the advertisements you see may be less tailored to your interests.

4d. Managing Cookies

Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through your browser settings. You can set your browser to refuse all cookies, notify you when a cookie is being set, or delete cookies that have already been stored on your device. Please be aware that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of some websites, including WorkSA.

5. Third-Party Services and Advertising

WorkSA may work with third-party service providers to help operate the website, analyse traffic, and display advertisements. These third parties include but may not be limited to:

Google Analytics – Used to collect anonymised data about site traffic and visitor behaviour. Google’s privacy policy governs how this data is handled on their end.

Google AdSense – Used to display advertisements on the WorkSA platform. Google may use cookies and similar technologies to show relevant ads based on your online activity. You can learn more about how Google uses data by visiting Google’s privacy and terms pages.

Hosting and Infrastructure Providers – The technical infrastructure that keeps WorkSA online may be provided by third-party hosting companies. These providers may have access to server logs and technical data as part of their services.

WorkSA does not control how these third-party providers handle data on their own systems. We select reputable providers with established privacy practices, but we encourage you to review their individual privacy policies for a complete understanding of their data handling.

6. How We Protect Your Information

Protecting the information associated with your use of WorkSA is something we take seriously. We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to safeguard against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure of data.

These measures include:

  • Using secure, reputable hosting providers with established security protocols
  • Limiting access to any collected data to those who have a genuine operational need for it
  • Regularly reviewing the security of our platform and the tools we use
  • Not collecting sensitive personal information unnecessarily

That said, it is important to be honest: no website on the internet can guarantee absolute security. Cyber threats evolve constantly, and there is always some residual risk associated with transmitting information online. We do our best to minimise that risk, but we cannot eliminate it entirely.

If you ever have reason to believe that your information has been compromised in connection with your use of WorkSA, please contact us immediately through our Contact Us page.

7. Data Retention

WorkSA does not retain personal data longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

If you contact us with an enquiry, the information you provide will be retained for as long as is reasonably necessary to resolve your query and maintain a record of our communication. Once that purpose has been fulfilled, we do not hold onto your personal details indefinitely.

Anonymised analytics data — which does not identify any individual may be retained for longer periods as it helps us understand long-term trends in how the platform is used.

If you would like us to delete any personal information you have submitted to us, please get in touch through our Contact Us page and we will do so promptly, subject to any legal obligations that may require us to retain certain records.

8. Children and Young People

WorkSA is a platform intended for use by individuals who are actively seeking employment or educational opportunities. Many of our users are young adults — school leavers, graduates, and young professionals and we are mindful of this.

However, WorkSA is not designed for or directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you believe your child has submitted personal information to WorkSA without your consent, please contact us so that we can take appropriate action to remove that information.

Young people between the ages of 13 and 18 are welcome to use WorkSA as an informational resource, but we recommend that they do so with the awareness and involvement of a parent or trusted adult particularly when acting on any listings or clicking through to external application portals.

9. Your Rights Regarding Your Personal Information

South African residents are afforded certain rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) regarding personal information held about them. At WorkSA, we are committed to upholding those rights.

Depending on your circumstances, you may have the right to:

  • Know what personal information we hold about you
  • Access a copy of the personal information we have collected from you
  • Correct any inaccurate or outdated personal information
  • Request deletion of personal information we hold about you, subject to any legal obligations we may have to retain it
  • Object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through our Contact Us page. We will respond to all legitimate requests within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with our obligations under applicable law.

10. Links to Other Websites

WorkSA contains links to external websites primarily official employer pages, application portals, and government websites where the full details of listed opportunities can be found. These links are provided purely for your convenience.

WorkSA is not responsible for the privacy practices of any external website. When you click through to an external site, that site’s own privacy policy governs what information is collected and how it is used. We have no visibility into, or control over, how third-party websites handle your data.

We strongly encourage you to read the privacy policy of any external website before submitting personal information particularly when applying for a job, internship, or learnership through an external application portal.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

The way websites operate changes over time. New features get added. New legal obligations come into effect. New technologies emerge. As a result, this Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in how WorkSA operates or in the legal environment in which we operate.

When we make meaningful changes to this policy, we will update the “Last Reviewed” date at the top of this page. We may also draw attention to significant changes through a notice on the website, depending on the nature of the update.

We encourage you to revisit this Privacy Policy periodically so that you are always aware of how your information is being handled. Your continued use of WorkSA after a revised Privacy Policy has been published constitutes your acceptance of those revisions.

12. How to Contact Us About Privacy

We want to be approachable on matters of privacy. If you have a question about this policy, a concern about how your information is being handled, a request to access or delete your data, or a complaint about a privacy-related matter on WorkSA, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

You can reach us through our Contact Us page. Please describe your concern or request as clearly as possible so that we can direct it to the right person and respond effectively. We take all privacy enquiries seriously and commit to responding in a timely and respectful manner.

For matters related to the general rules governing your use of this platform beyond privacy specifically please also read our Terms and Conditions.

13. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including but not limited to the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA). Any disputes arising from this policy or from the handling of personal information in connection with WorkSA shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

This Privacy Policy forms part of the broader legal framework governing your use of the WorkSA website. Please also read our Terms and Conditions for a complete understanding of your rights and responsibilities as a user of this platform. For any privacy-related enquiries, visit our Contact Us page.