Privacy policy

MYAQUAPONICS (PTY) LTD PRIVACY POLICY Last updated: 22 July 2026

1. Overview and Introduction

MYAQUAPONICS (PTY) LTD (Registration Number 2013/058997/07) (“MYAQUAPONICS”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a private company incorporated in the Republic of South Africa. We are a leading supplier of aquaponics and hydroponics equipment, systems, related products and advice. Our specialties include, but are not limited to, aquaponics and hydroponics DIY kits, netpots, rockwool, leca, vermiculite, perlite, cocopeat, aquaiseals, fish tanks, biofilters, UV sterilizers, greenhouses and greenhouse plastics, tilapia fish, fish feed, microgreens trays, hydroponics dosing systems, hydroponic nutrients, fibreglass growbeds, ammonia and nitrate test kits, pH meters and dissolved oxygen meters.

We operate this online store and website (including all related information, content, features, tools, products and services) to provide you with a curated shopping and service experience (the “Services”). The Services are powered by Shopify, which enables us to provide the Services to you.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, store, disclose, destroy and otherwise process your personal information when you visit, use, or make a purchase or other transaction using the Services, or otherwise communicate with us. It also explains your rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and other applicable South African laws.

If there is a conflict between our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy, this Privacy Policy controls with respect to the collection, processing and disclosure of your personal information.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using and accessing any of the Services, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand the collection, use and disclosure of your information as described herein. Where required by law, we will obtain your consent for specific processing activities.

Protecting your personal information is important to us. We process personal information only when it is necessary to deliver or offer solutions to you, and we treat such information confidentially in accordance with POPIA and applicable privacy laws.

2. Definitions

In this Policy:

  • “Personal information” means any information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person, and where applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person, as defined in POPIA. This includes (but is not limited to) contact details, financial information, identity numbers, online identifiers, location data, preferences, views and opinions.
  • “Process” / “processing” means any operation or activity concerning personal information, including collection, receipt, recording, organisation, storage, updating, modification, retrieval, use, dissemination, distribution, merging, linking, restriction, degradation, erasure or destruction.
  • “Responsible Party” means MYAQUAPONICS (PTY) LTD, which determines the purpose of and means for processing personal information.
  • “Operator” means a person who processes personal information for a Responsible Party in terms of a contract or mandate, without coming under the direct authority of that party (e.g. Shopify and certain service providers).
  • “Data subject” means the person to whom personal information relates (you, the customer or website visitor).
  • References to “you” or “customer” include related persons (such as directors, officers, authorised signatories or representatives of a juristic person) where applicable.

We may combine personal information and use the combined information for any of the purposes stated in this Policy.

3. Responsible Party and Information Officer

MYAQUAPONICS (PTY) LTD is the Responsible Party. We are responsible for determining why and how your personal information will be processed.

For privacy-related enquiries or to exercise your rights, please contact us using the details in Section 16 below. Our Information Officer can be reached through the same channels.

4. Personal Information We Collect or Process

When we use the term “personal information,” we refer to information that identifies or can reasonably be linked to you or another person. It does not include information that is collected anonymously or that has been de-identified so that it cannot reasonably identify you.

We may collect or process the following categories of personal information (including inferences drawn from it), depending on how you interact with the Services, and as permitted or required by POPIA and other applicable law:

  • Contact details: name, address, billing address, shipping address, phone number, email address.
  • Financial and payment information: credit/debit card details, financial account numbers, payment card information, transaction details, form of payment, payment confirmation and other payment details.
  • Account information: username, password, security questions, preferences and settings.
  • Transaction information: items viewed, added to cart or wishlist, purchased, returned, exchanged or cancelled, and past transaction history.
  • Communications: information you include when contacting us (e.g. customer support enquiries).
  • Device and technical information: device, browser or network connection details, IP address, unique identifiers, location data (including geolocation or GPS where relevant).
  • Usage information: how and when you interact with or navigate the Services.
  • Other information: national origin, age, language, date of birth, education, gender/sex (for statistical purposes where required by law), identifying numbers (e.g. identity number), online identifiers, social media profiles, race (for statistical purposes where required by law), personal views, preferences and opinions, confidential correspondence, or views/opinions about you.

If you are a juristic person (company, close corporation, etc.), we may collect personal information relating to your directors, officers, employees, beneficial owners, partners, shareholders, members, authorised signatories, representatives, agents, payers, payees, customers or guarantors. If you provide personal information of a related person, you warrant that the related person is aware of the sharing and has consented thereto.

5. Sources of Personal Information

We may collect personal information from the following sources:

  • Directly from you: when you create an account, visit or use the Services, communicate with us, place an order, complete forms on our website, or otherwise provide information.
  • Automatically through the Services: from your device when you use our products or services or visit our websites, including through cookies and similar technologies.
  • From our service providers and operators (including Shopify): when they collect or process personal information on our behalf to enable technology, payment processing, analytics, fulfilment, etc.
  • From our partners, affiliates or other third parties.
  • From public sources (company registers, online search engines, public social media posts).
  • From technology and interaction data: your engagement with our website, applications, advertising, marketing, emails, letters, telephone calls, surveys or social media.
  • From third parties we interact with in the course of business (payment processors, law enforcement/fraud prevention agencies, regulatory authorities, couriers, marketing list providers, social media platforms, etc.).

If you interact with our website and enter your details into forms requesting personal information, you grant us permission to process that information, including for marketing purposes where lawful.

We collect and process personal information at the start of, during, and (where required by law) after the end of our relationship with you.

6. How and Why We Process Your Personal Information (Lawful Bases under POPIA)

We process personal information only when one or more of the following lawful bases under POPIA apply:

6.1 Necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract This includes providing the solutions or products you have requested; delivering goods or notices; communicating with you and carrying out your instructions; responding to enquiries and complaints; processing payments, orders, returns, exchanges or cancellations; arranging shipping; facilitating account management; enabling reviews; creating a customised shopping experience (including product recommendations); and enforcing agreements when you are in default.

6.2 Compliance with a legal obligation This includes complying with legislative, regulatory and compliance requirements (directives, sanctions, rules); voluntary or involuntary codes of conduct and industry agreements; reporting requirements and information requests; processing payment instruments; meeting record-keeping obligations; detecting, preventing and reporting theft, fraud, money laundering, corruption and other crimes (including processing of special personal information such as alleged criminal behaviour where lawful).

6.3 Legitimate interests We may process personal information in the daily management of our business and finances, and to protect our customers, employees, service providers and assets. This includes ensuring our procedures, policies and systems operate efficiently; providing the most appropriate solutions; developing and improving our products, services and business; conducting market and behavioural research; customer satisfaction surveys; promotional competitions; security and identity verification; checking accuracy of information; and protecting or pursuing our, your or a third party’s legitimate interests (provided your interests or fundamental rights do not override).

6.4 Consent Where required (particularly for electronic marketing to non-customers or certain special personal information), we will obtain your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time (see Section 12).

We may further process personal information for purposes compatible with the original purpose, where the law allows it (e.g. personal information from public records, information you made public, historical/statistical/research purposes that do not identify you, national security, tax legislation compliance, or where the Information Regulator has exempted the processing). Where necessary, we will seek specific consent for further processing.

7. Marketing and Advertising

We may use your personal information to market our products, services and related solutions to you in person, by post, telephone, SMS, automated voice messages, email or other electronic channels.

If you are not an existing customer, or in other instances where the law requires, we will only market to you by electronic communications with your consent. In all cases, you may request us to stop sending marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option in our communications or by contacting us.

We may also use personal information for online advertising (including based on previous purchases, cart activity or other interactions with the Services). You may have rights to object to certain targeted advertising (see Section 12).

7.1 Advertising, analytics and measurement platforms we use We advertise and measure the performance of our advertising using third-party platforms operated by Google LLC (“Google”) and Meta Platforms, Inc. (“Meta”, which operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp). The paragraphs below explain what is shared with these platforms, why, and how you can control it.

7.2 Technologies used

  • Meta Pixel and Meta Conversions API: a tracking pixel on our website, together with a server-side connection (the Conversions API), records actions you take on our store — such as viewing a product, adding an item to your cart, beginning checkout and completing a purchase — and transmits these events to Meta.
  • Meta advanced matching: limited customer details you provide at checkout (such as email address, telephone number, name and location) are converted into an irreversible coded form (“hashed”) before being sent to Meta, so that Meta can match the event to a Meta account without receiving those details in readable form.
  • Meta product catalogue: we supply our product data (titles, descriptions, images, prices and stock availability) to Meta so that our products can be shown in advertising and on our Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp shop surfaces. Product data is not personal information.
  • Google Analytics 4: collects information about how visitors use our website, including pages viewed, device and browser information, approximate location derived from IP address, referral source and on-site actions, in order to produce statistical reports about site usage.
  • Google Ads conversion tracking and enhanced conversions: records which advertisements led to purchases or other actions on our store. Where enhanced conversions is enabled, limited details you provide at checkout (such as your email address) are converted into an irreversible coded (hashed) form before being sent to Google, for the purpose of matching a conversion to an advertisement click.
  • Google Merchant Center and Google Shopping: we supply our product data to Google so that our products can appear in Google Shopping listings, Search, YouTube and other Google surfaces. Product data is not personal information.
  • Cookies and similar technologies used by both platforms to recognise a browser or device across visits (see Section 14).

7.3 Why we share this information We share this information to measure whether our advertising is effective, to understand which products and pages interest our customers, to avoid showing irrelevant advertisements, to show you products you have previously viewed (remarketing), to build audiences of people with similar interests, and to improve our store and product range.

7.4 Lawful basis We rely on our legitimate interests in promoting and improving our business (Section 6.3) and, where required by applicable law, on your consent. You may object to this processing or withdraw your consent at any time, as described in paragraph 7.6 and Section 12.

7.5 Independent responsibility and cross-border transfer Google and Meta process the information they receive as independent Responsible Parties for their own purposes, in accordance with their own privacy policies, over which we have no control. We do not receive readable customer lists from them, and we do not sell your personal information. Both Google and Meta are located outside South Africa and process information in the United States, Ireland and other countries; these transfers take place subject to Section 10 (International / Cross-Border Transfers).

7.6 How to control or opt out

  • Adjust or block cookies through your browser settings (see Section 14).
  • Manage how Meta uses your activity from other websites through your Facebook or Instagram settings, including the “Off-Facebook Activity” / “Activity off Meta technologies” tools, and your Meta advertisement preferences.
  • Manage Google advertisement personalisation through your Google account advertisement settings, and opt out of Google Analytics using the browser add-on that Google provides for that purpose.
  • Contact us using the details in Section 17 to object to this processing or to ask us to stop sharing your information for advertising purposes. Where we are able to do so, we will give effect to your request.

Please note that opting out of personalised advertising does not mean you will stop seeing advertisements — only that they will be less relevant to you.

8. How We Disclose or Share Personal Information

We will only share your personal information if one or more of the following apply: you have consented; it is necessary to conclude or perform under a contract with you; the law requires it; or it is necessary to protect or pursue your, our or a third party’s legitimate interests.

We may disclose personal information to:

  • Shopify, vendors, operators and other third parties who perform services on our behalf (IT management, payment processing, data analytics, customer support, cloud storage, fulfilment and shipping).
  • Business and marketing partners to provide marketing services and advertise to you. For example, we use Shopify to support personalised advertising with third-party services based on your online activity. These partners use your information in accordance with their own privacy notices. Depending on applicable law, you may have a right to direct us not to share information for targeted advertising based on your activity across different merchants and websites.
  • When you direct, request or consent to disclosure (e.g. shipping products or through social media widgets/login integrations).
  • Our affiliates or within our corporate group.
  • In connection with a business transaction (merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, etc.), to comply with legal obligations (subpoenas, search warrants, etc.), to enforce our terms or policies, or to protect or defend the Services, our rights, or the rights of users or others.
  • Payment processing providers, card scheme providers (VISA, Mastercard, etc.), law enforcement and fraud prevention agencies, regulatory authorities, our employees (as required by employment conditions), people you have authorised, service providers, agents, subcontractors, joint venture partners and successors in title.

All such parties are required to keep personal information secure and confidential and to process it only for the purposes we specify (or as independent Responsible Parties where applicable).

9. Relationship with Shopify

The Services are hosted by Shopify, which collects and processes personal information about your access to and use of the Services in order to provide and improve the Services. Information you submit will be transmitted to and shared with Shopify as well as third parties that may be located in countries other than South Africa.

To help protect, grow and improve our business, we use certain Shopify enhanced features that incorporate data from your interactions with our store, other merchants and Shopify. In these circumstances, Shopify is responsible for the processing of your personal information for those specific purposes, including responding to requests to exercise rights over that processing. To learn more about how Shopify uses personal information and any rights you may have, visit the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy and the Shopify Privacy Portal.

10. International / Cross-Border Transfers

We may transfer, store and process your personal information outside South Africa (including to Shopify and its service providers in Canada, the United States and other countries).

In accordance with Section 72 of POPIA, we will only transfer personal information outside South Africa if:

  • the recipient is subject to a law, binding corporate rules or binding agreement that provides an adequate level of protection substantially similar to POPIA;
  • you have consented to the transfer;
  • the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract between you and us, or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures taken in response to your request;
  • the transfer is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract concluded in your interest between us and a third party; or
  • the transfer is for your benefit and it is not reasonably practicable to obtain your consent, and if it were practicable you would be likely to give it.

Where appropriate, we rely on recognised transfer mechanisms (such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards) to ensure adequate protection.

11. Children’s Data

The Services are not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect personal information about children under the age of majority (18 years in South Africa). If you are a parent or guardian of a child who has provided us with personal information, contact us using the details below to request deletion. We do not have actual knowledge that we “share” or “sell” personal information of individuals under 16 years of age (as those terms are defined in applicable law).

12. Your Rights as a Data Subject under POPIA

You have the following rights (subject to the limitations and exceptions in POPIA and other applicable law). These rights are not absolute and may apply only in certain circumstances. We may decline a request as permitted by law. We will not discriminate against you for exercising these rights. We may need to verify your identity (and, where an authorised agent acts on your behalf, proof of authorisation) before processing requests.

  • Right of Access: Request confirmation that we hold your personal information; a copy or description of the record; and the identity or categories of third parties who have had access to it. We will respond within a reasonable time. A reasonable fee may be charged for copies or descriptions (we will inform you of any fee in advance). Note that the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) also applies — see Section 51 of PAIA.
  • Right to Correction, Deletion or Destruction: Request that we correct, delete or destroy personal information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading, obtained unlawfully, or that we are no longer authorised to keep. We will take reasonable steps to verify and effect changes. If the law requires us to retain the information, we will not delete it. Deletion of certain information may result in termination of our relationship with you.
  • Right to Object: Object on reasonable grounds to processing that is based on legitimate interests (yours, ours or a third party’s). We will not be able to give effect to an objection if processing is required by law, based on your consent (which you may withdraw), or necessary for a contract with you. Objections must be substantiated.
  • Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. We will explain the consequences. Withdrawal may mean we cannot continue providing certain services. We may continue processing where the law permits or requires it.
  • Right to Data Portability (where applicable): Request a copy of personal information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or request transfer to another Responsible Party, subject to technical feasibility and legal limitations.
  • Managing Communication Preferences: Opt out of promotional emails/SMS at any time via the unsubscribe link or by contacting us. We may still send non-promotional communications (account or order-related).
  • Right to Complain: Lodge a complaint with us or with the Information Regulator (see contact details below).

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in Section 16. We will respond in a timely manner as required by law.

13. Security and Retention of Your Information

We take appropriate and reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information in line with industry best practices and POPIA. These include physical, technological and procedural safeguards such as securing systems (monitoring access and usage), storing records securely, controlling access to premises/systems/records, and safely destroying or deleting records when no longer required.

No security measures are perfect or impenetrable. We cannot guarantee absolute security. Information sent to us may not be secure while in transit — we recommend against using unsecure channels for sensitive information. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials safe and not sharing them.

We retain personal information only for as long as:

  • the law requires us to keep it;
  • a contract with you requires it;
  • you have consented to us keeping it;
  • it is needed to achieve the purposes listed in this Policy;
  • it is required for statistical or research purposes;
  • a code of conduct requires it; or
  • it is needed for lawful business purposes.

We may retain information even after our relationship ends or after a deletion request, if the law permits or requires it.

14. Cookies and Similar Technologies

A cookie is a small piece of data sent from a website or application to your device. Cookies help us remember user behaviour, improve the Services, prevent fraud and understand how the Services are used.

By using our websites or applications, you agree that cookies may be placed on your device. Cookies may identify your device and, if linked to a specific user, may identify you. We may use cookies for the purposes described in this Policy.

You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Services.

15. Third-Party Websites and Links

The Services may contain links to third-party websites or platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those sites. Review their privacy policies before providing personal information. Information you share on public or semi-public platforms (including social media) may be viewable by others without limitation. Our inclusion of links does not imply endorsement.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, operational, legal or regulatory requirements. The latest version will be posted on our website (www.myaquaponics.co.za) with an updated “Last updated” date. Where a change is material, we will provide notice as required by law and allow a reasonable period for you to raise objections. Continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to material changes, we may not be able to continue providing certain services.

17. Complaints and Contact Details

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices, or wish to exercise any rights, please contact us:

MYAQUAPONICS (PTY) LTD Physical Address: 13 Tennyson Avenue, Senderwood, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 2145 / 2007, South Africa Telephone: +27 10 592 7856 Email: henri@myaquaponics.co.za Website: www.myaquaponics.co.za

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:

Information Regulator (South Africa) Physical Address: 33 Hoofd Street, Forum III, 3rd Floor, Braampark, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2017 Postal Address: P.O. Box 31533, Braamfontein, Johannesburg 2017 Website: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg Complaints email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za General enquiries: inforeg@justice.gov.za