The purpose of this Portal is to give members a one-stop shop for access to a consolidated resource for the services they may need as a Refugee to the USA.
Gotta Be NC - Refugee Portal (“the Portal,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the lawful processing of your personal information. Processing is based on your consent and for the purpose of delivering membership services, via the Portal. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, retain, and protect information from members and visitors in compliance with:
• South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”)
• Applicable US federal privacy regulations (including Federal Trade Commission guidance, CAN-SPAM Act, and, where applicable, the
• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act “COPPA”)
The Information Officer is Adrian Visser, who can be contacted at popia@gottabenc.com. He is registered with the Information Regulator and his responsibilities are overseeing compliance, dealing with requests and reporting breaches.
1. Information We Collect
When you register as a member, we collect:
Full Name(s)
Surname
E-mail Address
SA ID Number
US SS Number
We may also collect anonymous, aggregated usage data for portal development and improvement purposes.
We do not collect sensitive personal data (e.g. financial information, immigration documentation) through this Portal.
2. How We Use Your Information
Your personal information is used solely for:
Processing membership applications
Providing membership-related services
Communicating important updates
Improving and developing the Portal
3. Retention of Information
Personal information is retained for up to 3 months after membership termination, then securely deleted.
Anonymous, aggregated usage data may be stored indefinitely for statistical purposes.
4. Sharing of Information
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.
We may disclose your information only:
As required by law, court order, or governmental request
To enforce our terms of service or protect legal rights
5. Your Rights
You have the right to:
Request access to the personal data we hold about you, and how it is used.
Request correction or deletion of your personal data (subject to lawful retention requirements)
Withdraw consent to data processing at any time
We will respond to all valid requests within 30 calendar days.
Requests should be directed to: popia@gottabenc.com.
6. Cross-Border Data Transfer
By registering as a member, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer of your personal information from South Africa to the United States for processing in accordance with this policy for the sole purpose to give the member a leg up in the new country.
The United States may not have the same protection of privacy rights that the POPIA Act provides.
The Third-Party Receivers of information are contractually bound / consented to provide similar safeguards to not transfer / sell / trade any information received. However, your attention is drawn to this fact and continuing to use this Portal, you give express permission for the transfer of your name and email address, as provided during registration.
7. Security of Your Information
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, and unauthorised access.
The appropriate measures taken to protect your data include, the use of access controls, data encryption, derecognising of data audit trials.
However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Any third-party service provider that receives personal information from us is bound by a written contract that mandates protection of your data in line with POPIA requirements.
Should a security breach occur, the Information Officer will report it to both the data subject (you) and the Information Regulator, as soon as reasonably possible.
Any complaints that your privacy has been compromised, could be lodged with the Information Regulator. POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za.
8. Communication & Marketing
We comply with the CAN-SPAM Act for all email communications.
Section 69 of the POPI Act gives you the right to opt out of non-essential email communications at any time by following the unsubscribe link or contacting us directly.
9. Children’s Privacy
This Portal is not intended for individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in law or service updates. The “Last updated” date will be amended accordingly, and changes will be posted on the Portal.
Gotta Be NC – Refugee Portal (“the Portal”, “we”, “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience, analyse usage patterns, and develop our services. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and your choices regarding cookies.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help websites remember your actions and preferences so you don’t have to re-enter them each time you return.
2. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for the following purposes:
Performance & Analytics: To understand how visitors use the Portal so we can improve and develop our services.
Functionality: To remember your preferences and settings during your visit.
We do not use cookies to collect sensitive personal information or to track you across other websites.
3. Data Retention and Anonymisation
When you terminate your membership and your personal data is deleted, any cookies stored on your device may remain. However:
These cookies will no longer be linked to your personal data.
They may be anonymised and aggregated for historical statistical analysis.
No individual user will be identifiable from the retained data.
4. Managing Cookies
You can manage or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings:
Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies.
Blocking cookies may affect the functionality of certain features on the Portal.
5. Consent to Use Cookies
By using the Portal, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this policy.
6. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in technology or legislation. Changes will be posted on this page, and the “Last Updated” date will be revised.
Contact for Cookie & Privacy Matters - popia@gottabenc.com
Cookie Notice
We use cookies to help improve and develop our Portal. Cookies are small files stored on your device that allow us to analyse site usage and enhance your browsing experience.
Our cookies do not collect personally identifiable information beyond what you voluntarily provide during registration. When your membership terminates and your personal data is deleted, any remaining cookies will be anonymised and aggregated so that they cannot identify you. These anonymised cookies may be retained for historical data analysis.
By continuing to use our Portal, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this notice. You can manage or disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features of the Portal may not function correctly without them.
We use cookies to improve and develop our Portal. Cookies may remain after membership ends but will be anonymised and aggregated for historical analysis. By using our site, you consent to this use.