Your privacymatters to us.
We are committed to protecting your personal information in line with POPIA. Here is exactly how we collect, use, and safeguard your data.
VA Academy, operated by VA Academy (Pty) Ltd ("we," "our," "us"), is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of the Republic of South Africa.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website, platform, or services.
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Billing address and payment information
- Profile information (photo, bio, job title)
- Communications with us
- IP address and browser type
- Pages visited and time on platform
- Device and operating system
- Cookies and usage analytics
From third parties: Payment processors (e.g., PayFast, Stripe) and social media platforms if you register via social login.
We use your personal information to:
- Process enrolment and payment
- Deliver and manage course access
- Send course-related communications and updates
- Issue certificates of completion
- Respond to support queries
- Send marketing communications (where you have opted in)
- Improve our platform and services
- Comply with legal obligations
We process your personal information on the following lawful grounds:
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.
We may share your information with:
- Service providers who assist in delivering our platform (e.g., LearnDash, WordPress hosting, email providers, payment gateways) — bound by confidentiality agreements.
- Legal authorities where required by law or court order.
- Business successors in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
All third-party providers are required to handle your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
We retain your personal information for as long as:
- Your account is active.
- It is necessary to provide services.
- Required by law (e.g., financial records for tax purposes — typically 5 years).
Upon request, we will delete or anonymise your data, subject to legal retention requirements.
Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and collect analytics data. You may disable cookies via your browser settings, however this may affect platform functionality.
Required for the platform to function correctly.
To understand how users interact with our site (e.g., Google Analytics).
Used if you have opted into marketing communications.
As a data subject, you have the right to:
- Access your personal information held by us.
- Correct inaccurate or outdated information.
- Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal obligations).
- Object to the processing of your information for direct marketing.
- Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing).
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.
We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. These include:
- SSL encryption on our platform.
- Secure payment processing via trusted third-party gateways.
- Access controls limiting who can view personal data internally.
No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your data.