Last updated: 15 August 2026
This policy explains what personal information Tergar South Africa collects when you use this website, why we collect it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over it. It is written to meet our obligations under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
Who we are
Tergar South Africa NPC (“Tergar South Africa”, “we”, “us”) is a non-profit company registered in South Africa, and is the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy.
- Address: 35 Gibson Road, Cape Town, 7708, South Africa
- General enquiries: info@tergarsouthafrica.org
- Privacy requests: info@tergarsouthafrica.org, marked for the attention of our Information Officer
Our website is at https://www.tergarsouthafrica.org. We are part of the international Tergar meditation community founded by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.
Information we collect
When you buy a course, retreat place or product
To process an order we collect your name, email address, billing address, delivery address where a physical item is being sent, telephone number, and the details of what you ordered. We keep a record of your orders so that we can answer questions about them and meet our accounting obligations.
We never see or store your card details. Card payments are handled entirely by our payment provider, Paystack. Your card information is entered on their systems and is not transmitted to or held by us.
If you booked a place at an event through this website in 2025, we also hold the attendee details supplied at the time, such as the attendee’s name and email address.
When you subscribe to our newsletter
We collect your email address, and a record of which sign-up form you used, so that we can send you news about practice groups, courses and visits. Our newsletter is run on Ghost, hosted at newsletter.tergarsouthafrica.org. You can unsubscribe from any newsletter using the link at the bottom of it.
When you visit the website
We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used — which pages are read, roughly where visitors are located, and what brought them here. This is collected through cookies and includes your IP address, which Google processes on our behalf. We use it in aggregate; we do not use it to identify individual visitors.
Our web host also keeps standard server logs, which record IP addresses and the pages requested. These are used for security and troubleshooting.
When you contact us
If you email us, we keep your message and contact details so that we can reply and, where relevant, refer back to earlier correspondence.
Why we process your information
- To fulfil orders — necessary to perform the agreement between us when you buy something.
- To run events and courses — necessary to provide what you have registered for.
- To send newsletters — with your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
- To understand and improve the website — our legitimate interest in running the site well.
- To meet legal obligations — tax, accounting and company law require us to keep certain records.
Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the service providers we need in order to operate:
| Provider | What they receive | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Paystack | Payment and billing details | To process card payments |
| uAfrica / courier partners | Name, delivery address, telephone number | To deliver physical orders |
| Google (Analytics) | IP address, browsing behaviour on this site | Website statistics |
| Google (Gmail) | Email we send you | Our outgoing email passes through Google’s mail service |
| Ghost | Newsletter subscriber email addresses | To run our mailing list |
| Cloudflare | Technical connection data for our newsletter subdomain | Content delivery and security |
| xneelo | Everything stored on the website, plus server logs | Our web hosting |
| Tergar International | Order notifications for events | Coordinating events within the wider Tergar community |
We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or to establish or defend a legal claim.
Information sent outside South Africa
Some of the providers above operate outside South Africa, including in the United States and the European Union. Where your information is transferred abroad, we rely on the provider’s contractual commitments to protect it to a standard comparable to POPIA, as permitted by section 72 of the Act.
Cookies
Cookies are small files stored by your browser. This site uses them for two purposes:
- Necessary cookies — to keep your basket and your login working. The site cannot function without these.
- Analytics cookies — set by Google Analytics to measure how the site is used.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking necessary cookies will stop parts of the site working.
How long we keep it
- Order and payment records — for as long as tax, accounting and company law require us to keep them.
- Event and attendee records — while they are still needed to run and account for the event, and then no longer.
- Newsletter subscriptions — until you unsubscribe.
- Correspondence — while the matter is live, and for a reasonable period afterwards in case you write to us again about it.
- Website analytics — for the period configured in Google Analytics.
Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
- ask what personal information we hold about you, and receive a copy of it;
- ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, misleading or out of date;
- ask us to delete information we no longer have grounds to keep;
- object to processing based on our legitimate interests;
- withdraw your consent to marketing at any time; and
- complain to the Information Regulator.
To exercise any of these, write to us at info@tergarsouthafrica.org, marked for the attention of our Information Officer. We will respond within a reasonable period, and in any event within the time the Act allows. There is no charge for a reasonable request.
How we protect your information
The website is served over an encrypted connection. Access to order records is limited to the small number of people who administer the site. Card details are never held by us. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what we hold, and we will notify you and the Information Regulator if a breach affects your personal information.
Children
This website is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without the consent of a parent or guardian. If you believe we hold such information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last revised.
Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please write to us first so that we can try to put it right. You also have the right to complain directly to:
The Information Regulator (South Africa)
JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
Website: https://inforegulator.org.za