Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

SSK Consulting (Pty) Ltd is a registered environmental, agricultural and geospatial consulting firm operating in South Africa. We are the responsible party for the personal information we collect and process in the course of our business activities.

2. Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information only when necessary and with your knowledge. The types of personal information we may collect include:

Contact and Identity Information

• Full name and title
• Email address
• Telephone and mobile numbers
• Company name and job title
• Physical and postal address

Project and Business Information

• Project details and site information shared with us for consulting purposes
• Correspondence and communications relating to our services
• Documents and reports submitted to us in the course of an engagement

Website Usage Information

• IP address and browser type (collected automatically via cookies and analytics)
• Pages visited and time spent on our website
• Search terms used to find our website
• Device type and operating system

Newsletter and Marketing

• Email address (if you subscribe to our Insights newsletter)
• Communication preferences

3. How We Collect Your Information

We collect personal information through the following means:

• Contact forms on our website (sskconsulting.co.za)
• Email correspondence and telephone calls
• In-person meetings and site visits
• Newsletter subscription sign-ups
• Client onboarding and project engagement documentation
• Cookies and website analytics tools (see Section 8)
• Social media interactions on our official pages

4. Why We Collect and Use Your Information

SSK Consulting processes personal information for the following lawful purposes:

Service Delivery

• To provide environmental, agricultural and geospatial consulting services
• To communicate with you regarding your project or enquiry
• To prepare proposals, reports and regulatory submissions on your behalf
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations in the course of conducting EIAs and other environmental processes

Business Operations

• To manage our client relationships and business records
• To process invoices and payments
• To improve our services and website

Marketing and Communication

• To send our Insights newsletter (only if you have subscribed)
• To inform you of relevant regulatory updates or services (only with your consent)

5. Sharing Your Information

SSK Consulting does not share your personal information with third parties except in the following circumstances:

• Regulatory submissions: Where required by law, personal information may be included in EIA applications, water use licence applications or other regulatory submissions submitted to competent authorities including the DFFE, provincial environmental departments, DWS and other government bodies.
• Public participation: In terms of NEMA EIA Regulations, certain information about project applicants may be made available to interested and affected parties during the public participation process.
• Service providers: We may share information with trusted third-party service providers (such as IT support, cloud storage or email platforms) who process information on our behalf and are bound by confidentiality obligations.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information where required by law, court order or regulatory authority.

6. Your Rights Under POPIA

In terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to access: You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Right to deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Right to object: You may object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time.
• Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw consent at any time.
• Right to lodge a complaint: You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. In general:

• Client project records are retained for a minimum of 5 years after project completion, in line with regulatory requirements
• Financial records are retained for 5 years as required by South African tax legislation
• Marketing contact information is retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion
• Website analytics data is retained for 26 months

8. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to improve your browsing experience and to analyse website traffic.

Types of cookies we use:

• Essential cookies: Required for the website to function correctly
• Analytics cookies: Used by Google Analytics and Independent Analytics to understand how visitors use our site (page views, traffic sources, time on site)
• Preference cookies: Remember your cookie consent choice

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time via the cookie consent banner on our website, or by adjusting your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.

9. How We Protect Your Information

SSK Consulting takes the security of your personal information seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, destruction or disclosure, including:

• SSL encryption on our website (HTTPS)
• Password-protected access to client files and systems
• Regular security updates and backups
• Restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis

In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website contains links to external websites including government portals, industry publications and the CER legislation library. SSK Consulting is not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our website and services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The updated policy will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. The Information Regulator

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