Privacy Policy

1. Our Commitment

TFS Consultants is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, store and safeguard personal information, and sets out your rights. It is issued in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").

For the purposes of POPIA, Troy Financial Services Consultants (Pty) Ltd is the Responsible Party in respect of the personal information described in this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information you give us

• Identifying information: name, company name, email address, telephone number.
• Enquiry content: the service you are interested in and the details you choose to include in your message.
• Engagement information: where you become a client, the financial, tax, payroll, banking and statutory records necessary to perform the engaged services.

2.2 Information collected automatically

• Technical data such as IP address, browser type, device type, and pages visited, collected in server logs for security and performance purposes.
• Where embedded third-party services are used (for example Google Maps), those providers may collect data under their own privacy policies.

2.3 Special personal information

In the course of payroll and tax engagements we may process special personal information — for example identity numbers, tax numbers and banking details. We process this only where necessary to perform the engaged service or to comply with a legal obligation, and we apply enhanced safeguards to it.

3. Why We Process Your Information

• To respond to your enquiry — on the basis of your consent, given when you submit the contact form.
• To perform our services — on the basis of the engagement contract between us.
• To meet legal and regulatory obligations — including obligations under the Tax Administration Act, the Companies Act, the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) and the rules of our professional bodies.
• For our legitimate interests — including maintaining the security of our systems, keeping proper business records, and pursuing or defending legal claims.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use it for automated decision-making that produces legal effects concerning you.

4. The Contact Form

Our contact form opens a message in your own email application, addressed to us. The information you enter is transmitted through your email provider and is not stored on this Website's servers. Submitting the form is voluntary; you may instead telephone or WhatsApp us using the details on our Contact Us page.

5. Sharing Your Information

We share personal information only where necessary, and only with:

• Regulators and authorities where legally required — including SARS, CIPC and the Financial Intelligence Centre.
• Operators processing information on our behalf — such as cloud accounting and payroll platforms — under written contracts requiring them to maintain confidentiality and appropriate security.
• Professional advisors, including our own legal advisors and professional body reviewers, under duties of confidentiality.

5.1 Cross-border transfers

Some of our operators (for example cloud accounting providers) may store data outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred across borders, we do so only in accordance with section 72 of POPIA — meaning the recipient is subject to a law, binding corporate rules or a binding agreement providing an adequate level of protection substantially similar to POPIA.

6. Security

We take appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to secure the integrity and confidentiality of personal information in our possession, and to prevent its loss, damage, unlawful access or unlawful processing. These measures include access controls, encryption in transit, and confidentiality obligations binding all our personnel. No transmission over the internet can be guaranteed entirely secure, and any transmission is at your own risk.

Where a security compromise occurs, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as required by section 22 of POPIA.

7. Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose it was collected for, unless a longer retention period is required by law. In particular, the Companies Act and the Tax Administration Act generally require accounting and tax records to be retained for at least five years. Enquiry correspondence that does not lead to an engagement is ordinarily deleted within twelve months.

8. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the right to:

• Be told whether we hold personal information about you, and to request access to it.
• Request correction or deletion of personal information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully obtained.
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent — noting this does not affect processing carried out before withdrawal, or processing we must continue in order to meet a legal obligation.
• Object to processing on reasonable grounds.
• Not have your information used for direct marketing by electronic means without your consent.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at admin@troyfinserv.co.za. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. Requests for access are subject to the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) and may attract a prescribed fee.

9. The Information Regulator

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information, you may complain to:

The Information Regulator (South Africa)
JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
Website: inforegulator.org.za

10. Cookies and Third-Party Services

This Website does not set advertising or tracking cookies. Embedded third-party services — specifically Google Maps on our Contact page and the exchange rate data feed on our Pricing page — may set their own cookies or log requests under their respective privacy policies. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The version published on this page is the current version, and the "last updated" date above reflects when it was last revised. Material changes affecting client engagements will be communicated directly.

12. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy, or about how we handle your personal information, may be sent to admin@troyfinserv.co.za, or by post to the Information Officer, 33 Exchange Road, Mindalore, Krugersdorp, 1739, Johannesburg, South Africa.