Privacy Policy
Effective date: March 2026
The Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is handled responsibly. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa.
Who we are
CHEC is a not-for-profit company (registration number 2003/003131/08) representing the four public universities in the Western Cape. Our registered address is 43 Andringa Street, 3rd Floor, Eikestad Mall, Stellenbosch, 7600.
Information we collect
We may collect the following personal information when you interact with us:
- Name and surname
- Email address
- Phone number
- Institutional affiliation
- Job title or role
This information is collected when you email us directly, register for CHEC programmes such as HELA, or subscribe to communications from CHEC.
How we use your information
We use personal information for the following purposes:
- Responding to enquiries sent to us via email
- Processing registrations for CHEC Academy programmes and events
- Sending relevant communications about CHEC activities, reports, and events
- Maintaining records required for programme administration
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.
Legal basis for processing
We process your personal information on the following grounds as defined by POPIA:
- Consent — where you have voluntarily provided your information, for example by registering for a programme
- Legitimate interest — where processing is necessary for the activities of the consortium and does not override your rights
- Contractual obligation — where processing is necessary to fulfil a programme registration or agreement
How we protect your information
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Our website is served over HTTPS to ensure data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted.
Retention of information
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Programme registration records are retained for the duration of the programme and a reasonable period thereafter for reporting purposes.
Your rights
Under POPIA, you have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
- Request deletion of your personal information, subject to legal obligations
- Object to the processing of your personal information
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at debbie@chec.ac.za.
Third-party links
Our website may contain links to external websites, including those of our member universities and partner organisations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.
Contact
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact:
Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC)
Email: debbie@chec.ac.za
Tel: +27 21 035 1990