Association of Muslim Women Authors in South Africa (AMWASA) | Last updated: 12 April 2026

AMWASA is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what your rights are in relation to that information.

This policy applies to all personal information collected through our website, online shop, membership platform, and any other interactions you have with AMWASA.

1. Who We Are

The responsible party for your personal information is:

AMWASA — Association of Muslim Women Authors in South Africa

Durban, South Africa

Website: amwasa.co.za

Email: hello@amwasa.co.za

AMWASA is the “responsible party” as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Our designated Information Officer is responsible for ensuring compliance with POPIA. Queries relating to this policy may be directed to the contact details above.

2. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect only the personal information that is necessary to provide our services. This may include:

2.1 Information you provide directly

Full name and email address (when registering for membership or subscribing to our mailing list)
Billing and delivery address (when purchasing from our shop)
Payment method details (processed securely through our payment providers — see Section 5)
Communications you send us via email or contact forms
Information provided when applying for the Collective Inner Circle or Quill Masters tiers

2.2 Information collected automatically

Browser type, device type, and operating system
Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs
IP address and general geographic location
Cookie and tracking data (see our separate Cookie Policy)

3. Why We Collect Your Information

We process your personal information for the following purposes:

To fulfil your membership or purchase: processing your order or membership registration, providing access to member resources, sending confirmation emails, and managing your account.

To communicate with you: responding to your enquiries, sending membership updates, and notifying you of changes to our policies or services.

To process payments: sharing necessary transaction information with our payment processors (Yoco, PayFast, or banking institutions for EFT) to complete your purchase or membership billing.

To improve our website and services: analysing site usage data to understand how visitors interact with our content and to improve the user experience.

To comply with legal obligations: retaining records where required by South African law, including tax and financial regulations.

To send marketing communications: where you have opted in, sending you newsletters, content updates, and information about AMWASA offerings. You may unsubscribe at any time.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under POPIA, we process your personal information on one or more of the following grounds:

You have given your consent (for example, when subscribing to our mailing list or joining as a member).
Processing is necessary to fulfil a contract with you (for example, delivering a purchased book or providing membership access).
Processing is required to comply with a legal obligation.
Processing is in our legitimate interests, provided these interests do not override your rights (for example, improving our website and services).

5. Payment Processing

AMWASA uses trusted third-party payment providers to process transactions securely. Depending on the payment method selected, your transaction may be processed by:

Yoco Technologies (Pty) Ltd
PayFast (a service of PayFast (Pty) Ltd)
Your banking institution (for EFT payments)

AMWASA does not store, access, or retain your card or banking details. Payment data is transmitted directly to and held by the relevant payment provider, subject to their own privacy and security policies. We encourage you to review those policies before making a payment.

6. Sharing of Personal Information

AMWASA does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We will only share your information with third parties in the following limited circumstances:

With payment processors, to complete your transaction (as described in Section 5).
With our email or membership platform provider, to the extent necessary to deliver communications and manage your membership account.
Where required by law, court order, or a regulatory authority.
Where you have given your express consent.

Any third parties with whom we share your information are required to handle it in accordance with applicable data protection laws and may not use it for any purpose beyond what we have authorised.

7. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, loss, or destruction. These include:

Use of secure (HTTPS) connections on our website.
Restricted access to personal information within our organisation, on a need-to-know basis.
Use of reputable, security-certified payment providers.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is entirely secure. While we do our utmost to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your rights, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience and to understand how the site is used. For full details of the cookies we use and how to manage your preferences, please refer to our Cookie Policy, available as a separate page on this website.

9. Retention of Personal Information

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. In general:

Member account information is retained for the duration of your membership and for a reasonable period thereafter, in case of account reinstatement or dispute resolution.
Transaction and financial records are retained for a minimum of five (5) years in accordance with South African tax law.
Marketing opt-in records are retained until you withdraw your consent.

When personal information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

10. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject under POPIA, you have the right to:

Be informed about the personal information we hold about you and how it is used.
Request access to your personal information.
Request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information.
Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal retention requirements.
Object to the processing of your information where it is based on legitimate interests.
Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal.
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the details provided in Section 1. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with POPIA.

11. The Information Regulator

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa:

The Information Regulator (South Africa)

Website: www.inforegulator.org.za

Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. AMWASA is not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourages you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

13. Children’s Privacy

Our website and membership services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under the age of 18 without verifiable parental or guardian consent. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take steps to remove it promptly.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Where changes are significant, we will notify members by email. Your continued use of our website or services after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

15. Contact Us

For any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy, please contact us at: