Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how CitizenHelp (“we”, “our”, or “us”), operating at citizenhelp.co.za, collects, uses, and protects information when you visit our website. Please read this policy carefully.
Last updated: June 2026
1. Who We Are
CitizenHelp (citizenhelp.co.za) is an independent South African information website. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any South African government department. We provide free guides to help South Africans navigate government services.
2. Information We Collect
Information You Provide
If you use our contact form, you voluntarily provide us with your name, email address, and the content of your message. We use this information solely to respond to your enquiry. We do not add you to mailing lists without your explicit consent.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit citizenhelp.co.za, certain information is automatically collected by our web server and third-party services:
- Log data: Your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URL, pages visited, and date/time of visit. This is standard web server logging.
- Cookies: Small text files placed on your device. See the Cookies section below for details.
- Analytics data: Aggregate data about how visitors use our website, including page views, session duration, and navigation paths.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information collected to:
- Respond to messages and enquiries you send via our contact form
- Understand how visitors use our website and improve our content
- Serve relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
- Monitor and prevent fraudulent or abusive use of the site
We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personally identifiable information to outside parties, except as described in this policy.
4. Cookies
CitizenHelp uses cookies. A cookie is a small file placed on your device when you visit a website. Cookies allow websites to recognise your device and remember certain information.
We use the following types of cookies:
- Analytics cookies: We may use Google Analytics or similar services to understand how visitors interact with our website. These cookies collect anonymised data such as how many people visit, which pages are most popular, and how long people spend on the site.
- Advertising cookies:Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website and other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to visitors of our site based on their visit to our site and/or other websites on the internet.
You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google's Ads Settings at adssettings.google.com. You can also opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can set your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. However, blocking all cookies may affect the functionality of some websites.
5. Third-Party Advertising — Google AdSense
CitizenHelp uses Google AdSense to display advertisements on our website. Google AdSense is an advertising service provided by Google LLC. Google uses cookies and web beacons to serve ads based on your interests.
Google's privacy policy governs the collection, use, and sharing of data by Google through AdSense. You can review Google's privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this website or other websites. We have no control over the cookies placed by Google AdSense. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it to serve ads to users based on their activity across websites.
6. Third-Party Links
Our guides contain links to government websites (sassa.gov.za, nsfas.org.za, sars.gov.za, dha.gov.za, labour.gov.za, and others) and third-party websites (job portals, educational resources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. When you follow a link to another website, you should read their privacy policy.
7. Children's Privacy
CitizenHelp does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13. Our website is intended for use by adults seeking information about South African government services. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
8. Data Retention
Messages submitted via our contact form are retained only as long as necessary to respond to your enquiry and for record-keeping purposes, typically no longer than 12 months. Analytics and log data are retained in aggregate, anonymised form.
9. Your Rights
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and other applicable South African law, you have rights regarding your personal information, including the right to access, correct, or request deletion of personal information we hold about you. To exercise these rights, contact us via our Contact page.
10. Security
We take reasonable precautions to protect your information. Our website is served over HTTPS (secure connection). However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights regarding your personal information, please contact us via our Contact page.