Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Varsfontein is a farm based at Middelplaas, near De Rust, in the Klein Karoo, South Africa. We produce Fokus Sceletium honey, dried Sceletium tortuosum, cold-pressed olive oil, and massage oil, and offer self-catering accommodation at Huisie op die Heuwel.

Information Officer: Herman Redelinghuys
Email: marietjie@middelplaas.com
Physical address: Die Ouwerf, Middelplaas, De Rust, Western Cape, South Africa

2. What information we collect

We collect only what is needed to respond to enquiries and process orders:

• Contact details you give us directly, such as your name, email address, or phone number, if you fill in a contact form or message us.
• WhatsApp enquiries: if you click "Order on WhatsApp," you will be taken to WhatsApp, where your phone number and message become visible to us as the recipient. This exchange is also subject to WhatsApp's own privacy policy.
• Website usage data: if we use analytics tools (such as Google Analytics), we may collect general, non-identifying information like pages visited, device type, and approximate location, to help us understand how the site is used.

We do not collect or store payment card details, and we do not process any information on behalf of Takealot or LekkeSlaap.

3. How your information is used

We use the information we collect to:

• Respond to enquiries and fulfil product or accommodation orders
• Communicate with you about your order or stay
• Improve the website based on how it is used
• Meet our legal obligations under South African law

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for purposes beyond what is described here without asking you first.

4. Third parties involved

Some parts of your journey on our site hand off to other companies, each responsible for their own data practices:

• Takealot handles purchases, payment, and delivery for our olive oil and Sceletium products. Their privacy policy applies once you leave our site to order.
• WhatsApp (Meta) handles the conversation once you click through to order or enquire via WhatsApp.
• LekkeSlaap handles bookings for Huisie op die Heuwel.

We encourage you to read those platforms' own privacy policies, since we have no control over how they process your data.

5. Cookies

This site does not currently use cookies for tracking or advertising purposes. If that changes in future, this policy will be updated accordingly.

6. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct or delete inaccurate information
• Object to how we are using your information
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your information has been mishandled

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer using the details in Section 1.

7. How long we keep information

We keep enquiry and order-related information only as long as needed to respond to you or fulfil an order, unless we are required to keep it longer by law.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top will always reflect the most recent version.

9. Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy or how your information is handled, contact us at marietjie@middelplaas.com or +27 82 554 5663.