Effective date: 27 August 2026
Version: 1.0

1. Introduction

The Independent Candidates Alliance respects the privacy of its members, candidates, supporters, volunteers, donors, website visitors and the communities it serves.

This Privacy and POPIA Notice explains how the Independent Candidates Alliance collects, uses, stores, shares and protects personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, commonly referred to as POPIA.

It applies to personal information processed through:

• The ICAlliance website
• Membership registration
• Candidate applications and nominations
• Volunteer registrations
• Community and voter participation
• Newsletter subscriptions
• Contact and enquiry forms
• Donations and financial-support processes
• Meetings, events and public-participation activities
• Email, telephone, WhatsApp and other authorised communication channels
• The ICAlliance Candidates Portal and related account systems

Shorter privacy notices may also be displayed when information is collected for a specific purpose. Those notices must be read together with this Notice.

2. Responsible party

The responsible party is:

Independent Candidates Alliance
Public name: ICAlliance
Registered abbreviation: ICA

Principal place of business:
20 Duiker Crescent
Sandbaai
Hermanus
Western Cape
South Africa

Information Officer: Dennis Ras
Position: Head of the Independent Candidates Alliance
Email: admin@icalliance.co.za

Dennis Ras has been designated as the Information Officer. Registration with the Information Regulator is in progress.

3. What is personal information?

Personal information is information relating to an identifiable person or organisation.

Depending on how a person interacts with ICAlliance, this may include:

• Full name
• Identity number or other identifying information
• Date of birth
• Contact number
• Email address
• Residential, postal or physical address
• Municipality, ward, voting district or community
• Voter-registration or IEC verification information
• Login and account information
• Membership information
• Candidate application or nomination information
• Employment, education and experience
• Photographs, biography and public profile information
• References and supporting documents
• Political participation, political persuasion or affiliation
• Criminal, disciplinary or conflict-of-interest declarations
• Financial, donation and transaction information
• Correspondence, enquiries and complaints
• Website usage, IP address, device and technical information
• Communication preferences
• Any other information voluntarily submitted to ICAlliance

4. Special personal information

Some information processed by ICAlliance may constitute special personal information under POPIA.

This may include information relating to:

• Political persuasion or political participation
• Race or ethnic origin, where lawfully required for reporting or representation purposes
• Health or disability, where relevant to accessibility or reasonable accommodation
• Criminal behaviour or alleged offences
• Biometric information, if a lawful verification process requires it
• Information relating to children, in limited and lawfully authorised circumstances

ICAlliance will process special personal information only where permitted by law, where the person has consented, where processing is necessary to establish or exercise a legal right or obligation, or where another lawful authorisation applies.

Candidate applicants may be required to provide declarations relating to criminal records, disciplinary matters, conflicts of interest or legal eligibility. Such information will not ordinarily be displayed publicly.

5. How we collect personal information

ICAlliance may collect personal information:

5.1 Directly from you

This includes information provided when you:

• Create an account
• Become a member
• Apply to become a candidate
• Accept or respond to a nomination
• Nominate another person
• Register as a volunteer
• Subscribe to updates
• Submit an enquiry
• Attend a meeting or event
• Participate in a community consultation
• Make a donation
• Upload documents
• Communicate with ICAlliance

5.2 From another person

A community member may nominate another person as a prospective candidate.

Where this occurs, ICAlliance may initially receive limited information about the nominee from the nominator. ICAlliance will contact the nominee and obtain the required confirmation and consent before processing a full application or publishing information about that person.

5.3 From official or authorised sources

Where lawful and necessary, ICAlliance may obtain or verify information through:

• The Electoral Commission of South Africa
• Municipal or public records
• Identity or address-verification services
• References supplied by an applicant
• Publicly available professional or community information
• Regulatory, electoral or legal authorities

5.4 Automatically through the website

When a person visits the website or uses an account, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

• IP address
• Browser type
• Device information
• Login activity
• Date and time of access
• Pages visited
• Security and error logs
• Cookies required for the website, accounts or forms to operate

6. Why we process personal information

ICAlliance may process personal information for the following purposes:

• To register and manage user accounts
• To process membership applications
• To receive and assess candidate applications
• To process community nominations
• To verify identity, voter-registration or electoral information
• To determine candidate or member eligibility
• To conduct vetting, declarations and conflict checks
• To administer community candidate-selection processes
• To create approved public candidate profiles
• To communicate with applicants, members, volunteers and supporters
• To organise meetings, events and consultations
• To manage volunteer activities
• To provide voter education
• To administer newsletters and public updates
• To receive, record and acknowledge donations
• To comply with electoral, political-funding, tax, accounting and other legal obligations
• To maintain governance, disciplinary and accountability records
• To investigate complaints or suspected misconduct
• To secure the website and prevent fraud or unauthorised access
• To maintain backups and restore information after system failure
• To improve ICAlliance services and administrative processes
• To establish, exercise or defend legal rights
• To maintain historical and organisational records where lawful

We will not use personal information for a purpose that is materially incompatible with the purpose for which it was collected unless permitted by law or authorised by the person concerned.

7. Lawful grounds for processing

Depending on the circumstances, ICAlliance processes personal information on one or more of the following grounds:

• The person has consented to the processing
• Processing is necessary to provide a requested service
• Processing is necessary to consider or perform an agreement
• Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation
• Processing protects a legitimate interest of the person concerned
• Processing is necessary for the legitimate interests of ICAlliance or another party, where those interests are not overridden by the person’s rights
• Processing is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of a legal right
• Processing is otherwise authorised under POPIA or another law

Consent will not be treated as unlimited permission. A person may withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, although withdrawal will not invalidate processing that occurred lawfully before the withdrawal.

8. Mandatory and voluntary information

Forms will identify information that is required and information that is optional.

A person is not required to provide optional information. However, failure to provide information that is necessary for a particular process may prevent ICAlliance from:

• Creating an account
• Verifying identity or electoral information
• Processing a membership application
• Processing a candidate application
• Confirming a nomination
• Assessing eligibility
• Completing a donation
• Responding fully to an enquiry
• Providing a requested service

9. Identity numbers and verification information

ICAlliance may request a South African identity number where it is necessary to:

• Verify identity
• Verify voter-registration information
• Confirm age or legal eligibility
• Distinguish between persons with similar details
• Prevent duplicate or fraudulent applications
• Comply with electoral requirements

The Candidates Portal is designed to avoid retaining the complete identity number after verification where this is reasonably possible. A one-way technical reference and the last four digits may be retained for matching, audit and duplicate-prevention purposes.

Where temporary access to a complete identity number is required, it will be limited to the relevant verification or legal process and protected against unauthorised access.

10. Candidate and public profile information

Certain information about an approved or participating candidate may be published for legitimate public-participation and electoral purposes.

This may include:

• Candidate name
• Photograph
• Municipality and ward
• Biography
• Community experience
• Reasons for standing
• Public commitments
• Ward priorities
• Manifesto information
• Public contact channels
• Candidate-selection or application status intended for public display

ICAlliance will not ordinarily publish:

• Identity numbers
• Private residential addresses
• Private verification records
• Internal administrative notes
• Confidential references
• Unresolved criminal or disciplinary information
• Private email addresses or telephone numbers not approved for publication
• Documents supplied solely for verification or vetting

Candidates will be informed which information is intended for public display.

11. Voter and community information

ICAlliance may process information about a person’s municipality, ward, voting district or voter-registration status to:

• Confirm participation eligibility
• Direct the person to the correct community or ward process
• Prevent duplicate participation
• Provide relevant local information
• Administer candidate-selection or community-consultation processes
• Communicate municipality- or ward-specific updates

Registration with ICAlliance does not replace official voter registration with the Electoral Commission.

12. Direct marketing and political communications

ICAlliance may communicate with members, candidates, volunteers, subscribers, supporters and other persons regarding:

• Candidate processes
• Membership
• Meetings and events
• Voter education
• Community participation
• Campaign information
• Governance notices
• Newsletters
• Fundraising and donations

Electronic direct marketing will be sent only where permitted by POPIA, including where consent has been provided or where another lawful basis applies.

Marketing and subscription messages will:

• Identify ICAlliance as the sender
• Explain the nature of the communication
• Provide a reasonable method to unsubscribe or object
• Respect a valid opt-out request

A person may unsubscribe from newsletters at any time. Withdrawing from marketing communications will not prevent ICAlliance from sending necessary administrative, legal, security or account-related notices.

13. Cookies and website technologies

The website may use cookies and similar technologies necessary for:

• Website functionality
• Login and account sessions
• Form submissions
• Security
• Spam prevention
• Language or display preferences
• Newsletter subscription management

ICAlliance does not currently use Google Analytics or the Meta/Facebook Pixel.

MailPoet may record subscription status, message delivery, email opens or link activity where those functions are enabled.

If additional analytics, advertising or tracking technologies are introduced, this Notice and the website’s cookie controls will be updated where necessary.

A user may restrict cookies through browser settings, but disabling essential cookies may prevent parts of the website or account system from operating correctly.

14. Systems and service providers

ICAlliance currently uses the following principal systems:

• Axxess for website and email hosting infrastructure
• DirectAdmin for hosting administration
• WordPress as the website platform
• Elementor for page design
• Fluent Forms for online forms
• Ultimate Member for accounts and membership functions
• The ICAlliance Candidates Portal plugin
• MailPoet for newsletters and subscription management
• GoSMTP for website email delivery
• Local backup systems for continuity and recovery

These providers and systems may process information only to the extent necessary to provide their services, administer the website or support ICAlliance operations.

ICAlliance may appoint additional service providers for:

• Electoral or identity verification
• Address or mapping services
• Payment processing
• Website security
• Professional advice
• Auditing
• Technical support
• Communication services

Where practical and legally required, operators processing personal information on behalf of ICAlliance will be required to protect the information, maintain confidentiality and use it only for authorised purposes.

15. Sharing of personal information

ICAlliance may share personal information with:

• Authorised office bearers, employees, contractors or volunteers
• Website, hosting, email and technical operators
• The Electoral Commission, where necessary for verification or electoral processes
• Banks or payment providers, where payments or donations are processed
• Auditors, accountants, attorneys and professional advisers
• Municipal, electoral, regulatory or law-enforcement authorities where required by law
• Service providers assisting with meetings, communications or administration
• The public, where information is approved for a candidate profile, public office or other authorised publication

ICAlliance does not sell personal information.

Personal information will not be shared merely because another political organisation, commercial entity or member of the public requests it.

16. Cross-border processing

Some website plugins, email systems or technical providers may use infrastructure located outside South Africa.

Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, ICAlliance will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer complies with POPIA and that the recipient is subject to appropriate legal, contractual or other safeguards.

17. Retention of information

ICAlliance will retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for a longer period where:

• Retention is required by law
• The record is required for electoral, political-funding, tax or accounting purposes
• The record is required for an investigation, complaint or dispute
• The person has consented to longer retention
• Retention is required to establish, exercise or defend a legal right
• The record has legitimate historical or archival value and is appropriately protected

When information is no longer required, ICAlliance will take reasonable steps to delete, destroy, anonymise or restrict it.

Backup copies may remain for a limited period until they are overwritten or securely destroyed.

18. Security

ICAlliance takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

• Loss
• Damage
• Unauthorised destruction
• Unlawful access
• Unauthorised disclosure
• Alteration
• Misuse

Measures may include:

• User authentication
• Role-based access
• Restricted administrative access
• Password controls
• Secure website connections
• Software and security updates
• Backups
• Confidentiality obligations
• Activity and security logs
• Limiting access to persons who require it for their duties

No electronic system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Users must also protect their passwords and notify ICAlliance if they suspect that an account has been compromised.

19. Security compromises

Where there are reasonable grounds to believe that personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, ICAlliance will investigate and take the steps required by POPIA.

Where legally required, ICAlliance will notify:

• The Information Regulator
• Affected persons
• Relevant service providers or authorities

Notification may be delayed where permitted by law, including where immediate notification may interfere with a lawful investigation.

20. Automated processing

ICAlliance may use automated functions to assist with:

• Identity or IEC verification
• Duplicate detection
• Form validation
• Application workflow
• Account status
• Security screening

Material decisions concerning candidate eligibility, membership, disciplinary action or public status should not be based solely on automated processing without appropriate human consideration.

21. Children

The candidate and ordinary membership processes are generally intended for adults who are legally eligible to participate.

ICAlliance will not knowingly process personal information about a child without the consent of a competent person or another lawful authorisation where such consent or authorisation is required.

Where children participate in community, youth, event or public-interest activities, only the information reasonably necessary for the activity should be collected.

22. Your rights

Subject to applicable law, a person may:

• Ask whether ICAlliance holds personal information about them
• Request access to their personal information
• Request correction of inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information
• Request deletion or destruction where ICAlliance is no longer authorised to retain the information
• Object to processing on lawful grounds
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
• Object to direct marketing
• Unsubscribe from electronic communications
• Request information about the categories of third parties that have had access to their information
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

ICAlliance may require reasonable proof of identity before responding to a request.

Certain requests may be limited or refused where another law requires retention, where access would reveal another person’s confidential information, or where another lawful ground for refusal applies.

23. How to exercise your rights

Requests relating to personal information may be submitted to:

Information Officer: Dennis Ras
Email: admin@icalliance.co.za
Physical address: 20 Duiker Crescent, Sandbaai, Hermanus, Western Cape, South Africa

Please include sufficient information to identify yourself and the relevant record or processing activity.

ICAlliance will respond within a reasonable period and may request additional information where necessary to verify the request.

Access to formal records may also be governed by the Promotion of Access to Information Act and the ICAlliance PAIA Manual.

24. Complaints

A person should first raise a privacy concern with the ICAlliance Information Officer so that the matter can be investigated and addressed.

A person also has the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

Information Regulator:
POPIA complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
General enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
Telephone: 010 023 5200
Toll-free: 0800 017 160

Complaints may also be submitted through the Information Regulator’s eServices portal.

25. Third-party websites

The ICAlliance website may contain links to external websites, including the Electoral Commission, municipal websites, social-media platforms or service providers.

ICAlliance is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of an external website. Users should review the privacy notices of those websites before providing personal information.

26. Changes to this Notice

ICAlliance may amend this Notice when:

• Its systems or processes change
• New services are introduced
• Legal requirements change
• Additional operators are appointed
• Further privacy controls are implemented

The current version and effective date will be published on this page.

Material changes may also be communicated to registered users, members, candidates or subscribers where appropriate.

27. Contact

Questions about this Notice or the processing of personal information may be sent to:

Independent Candidates Alliance
Information Officer: Dennis Ras
Email: admin@icalliance.co.za
Address: 20 Duiker Crescent, Sandbaai, Hermanus, Western Cape, South Africa