Privacy Policy

01Who we are

Veritas Engineering and Project Management Consultants (Pty) Ltd (“Veritas”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is an independent South African engineering and project management consultancy based in Sandton, Johannesburg. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information you trust us with.

This policy explains what personal information we collect through this website, how we use and protect it, who we share it with and the rights you have under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”). For the purposes of POPIA, Veritas is the Responsible Party that decides why and how your personal information is processed in connection with this website.

Our registered Information Officer oversees our compliance with POPIA. You can reach the Information Officer using the details in section 16.

02Scope of this policy

This policy applies to personal information we collect when you visit veritas-engineering.com or contact us through the enquiry form, telephone and email links published on it.

It does not cover the proposals, contracts and engagement terms under which we deliver professional services or license our platforms (VeriGov, Vela, CHIS and WFMS) to clients. Those arrangements are governed by their own agreements and data processing terms.

03Personal information we collect

Information you give us

This website does not host user accounts or an online store. We only receive the personal information you choose to send us, for example when you complete our enquiry form or use an email or telephone link. Depending on what you send, this may include:

• your name and the organisation you represent,
• your email address and telephone number,
• your job title or role,
• the type of enquiry you are making, and
• the content of your message and any information you include in it.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the site, the web server that hosts it records standard technical information in its logs, such as your IP address, browser type and operating system, the pages requested and the date and time of each request. We use this limited information to run the site securely and to fix technical problems.

Special personal information

We do not ask for special personal information (such as health, biometric, religious or political information) through this website. Please do not include it in your messages. If you do, we will only use it to respond to you and will delete it when it is no longer needed.

04How we use your information

We use the personal information described above to:

• respond to your enquiry and correspond with you,
• understand how we may be able to help you or your organisation,
• prepare proposals, tender responses or meetings that you have asked for,
• consider applications if you contact us about careers,
• establish and manage a professional relationship with you,
• keep records of our communications and meet our legal, regulatory and professional duties, and
• keep this website secure and working properly.

We do not use your information for automated decision making that has legal or similarly significant effects on you, and we do not sell your personal information.

05Our lawful basis for processing

Under POPIA we process personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the situation, this will be one or more of the following:

• the processing is needed to take steps you have asked for before entering into, or to carry out, a contract or engagement,
• the processing is needed to pursue our legitimate interests, or those of a third party, in a way that does not unfairly affect your rights,
• the processing is needed to comply with a legal obligation, or
• you have given your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.

06Cookies and website analytics

This website does not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels or third party analytics tools. The site itself sets no cookies.

Our contact page shows a Google Maps view of our head office. When that map loads, Google may set its own cookies and receive your IP address under the Google Privacy Policy. Our pages also load fonts from Google Fonts, which receives your IP address so it can deliver the font files. If you prefer, you can block third party cookies in your browser settings without affecting the rest of the site.

If we introduce analytics in future, we will update this policy first and, where the law requires it, ask for your consent.

07Direct marketing

We do not send electronic direct marketing to anyone who has not agreed to receive it or who is not an existing client. Where we do send updates, every message will tell you how to unsubscribe, and we will stop as soon as you ask.

08When we share your information

We treat your personal information as confidential and share it only when it is necessary and lawful. We may disclose it to:

• Operators (service providers) that process information for us under a written agreement, such as our website hosting and email providers. They must protect it and use it only as we instruct.
• Professional advisers such as our legal, financial or insurance advisers, where reasonably required.
• Courts, regulators or public authorities where we are required or allowed to do so by law, or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.

09Cross border transfers

Some of our service providers may store or process information on servers outside South Africa. When personal information is transferred across borders, we take reasonable steps to make sure it receives protection consistent with POPIA, for example through contractual safeguards or by using recipients that are subject to similar data protection laws.

10How we protect your information

We keep reasonable technical and organisational measures in place to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, change and disclosure. These include:

• serving the website over encrypted HTTPS connections,
• protecting our enquiry form against spam and automated abuse,
• limiting access to personal information to people who need it for their work,
• using reputable, security conscious hosting and email providers, and
• training our people on confidentiality and POPIA.

As cybersecurity specialists, we apply the same discipline to our own systems that we apply for clients. If a security compromise affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as POPIA requires.

11How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, including to respond to your enquiry, maintain our business records and meet legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or professional retention rules. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or de-identify it.

12Your rights under POPIA

Subject to the conditions and exceptions in POPIA, you have the right to:

• be told whether we hold personal information about you, and ask for access to it,
• ask us to correct or delete personal information that is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out of date, incomplete, misleading or unlawfully obtained,
• object, on reasonable grounds, to the processing of your personal information,
• withdraw a consent you have given, without affecting processing that happened before the withdrawal,
• not receive electronic direct marketing without your consent, and
• lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (see section 16).

To use any of these rights, contact our Information Officer using the details below. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on your request, and we will respond within the time the law requires. Requests for access to records may also be made under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2 of 2000.

13Children's privacy

This website is meant for a professional, business audience and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information about children (people under 18) without the consent of a competent person. If you believe we have done so by mistake, please contact us and we will delete it.

14Links to other websites

Our website contains links to other sites, such as our LinkedIn page and Google Maps. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites. Please read the privacy policy of any website you visit through a link from ours.

15Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. When we do, we will change the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and publish the new policy here. We will make material changes clear. Please check this page from time to time.

16How to contact us

If you have questions about this policy, want to use your rights or want to raise a concern about how we handle personal information, please contact our Information Officer:

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information or a request, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator: