Privacy & POPIA Notice

Last updated: June 2026 · Al-Ansaar Burial Services · Western Cape, South Africa

1. Who we are

Responsible party: Al-Ansaar Burial Services (“Al-Ansaar”, “we”, “us”).
Website: https://al-ansaar.co.za/
Email: info@al-ansaar.co.za
Area served: Western Cape, South Africa

We are a burial and janazah support organisation serving the Muslim community. We are not a licensed insurer; membership contributions support community burial services and related administration.

2. What personal information we collect

Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect:

• Members: name, username, contact details, address, membership number, subscription status, preferred qabristan, login records
• Dependants: name, relationship, date of birth, South African ID number, phone, marital status (children), coverage status, emergency-contact designation
• Deceased persons & families: information required for ghusl, kafan, janazah, burial orders (BI-14), DHA-1663, cemetery bookings, and next-of-kin contact
• Staff / undertakers: account credentials, role, activity logs related to member administration
• Website visitors: technical data (server logs, browser type) when you use our site or portals

Special personal information: ID numbers and information relating to health or death are treated with heightened care. We collect ID numbers where necessary to verify identity, prevent duplicate registrations, and comply with burial and registration requirements.

3. Why we collect it (purpose)

We process personal information for purposes including:

• Providing dignified Islamic burial and janazah services in the Western Cape
• Managing membership, dependants, subscriptions, and related fees
• Coordinating with medical practitioners, Home Affairs, cemeteries, and funeral logistics
• 24-hour emergency contact when a death occurs
• Issuing invoices and statements (present and future functionality)
• Securing member and staff portals
• Complying with applicable law and responding to lawful requests

4. Lawful basis under POPIA

We rely on one or more of the following, as applicable:

• Consent — where you or the member voluntarily provide information for membership or dependant registration
• Contract / pre-contractual steps — to deliver burial services you request or membership you apply for
• Legal obligation — death registration, burial orders, and related statutory requirements
• Legitimate interest — protecting our systems, preventing fraud, and maintaining accurate membership records — balanced against your rights

5. Dependants & family records

Members may register dependants (spouse, unmarried children of any age, parents, and siblings) subject to Al-Ansaar rules:

• Only one spouse per membership
• Married children must hold their own separate membership
• Each dependant requires a valid South African ID number
• New dependants are pending until authorised staff approve cover
• Additional fees may apply per dependant

Families must notify Al-Ansaar in writing of relevant changes (marriage, birth, death, address) so records remain accurate.

6. Who we share information with

We do not sell personal information. We may share data only where necessary with:

• Home Affairs and other government bodies for death registration and burial orders
• Muslim cemeteries (maqbarahs) and municipal cemeteries for grave bookings
• Medical practitioners and mortuary facilities involved in a case
• IT hosting providers (e.g. secure cPanel hosting in South Africa) under confidentiality obligations
• Professional advisers where required by law

7. Cross-border transfers

Our primary systems are hosted in South Africa. If information must leave South Africa (for example, repatriation coordination), we will do so only where permitted under POPIA and with appropriate safeguards.

8. How long we keep information

We retain records for as long as needed to provide services, meet legal and regulatory requirements, resolve disputes, and maintain burial and membership history. Deceased dependant records are retained for audit and family reference but are marked accordingly and access is restricted.

9. Security

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures, including:

• HTTPS encryption on the website
• Password hashing for portal accounts
• Role-based access for staff (administrator, secretary, undertaker)
• Database access restricted to authorised personnel
• Masked display of ID numbers in admin lists where practicable

No system is perfectly secure; please use strong passwords and report suspected misuse promptly.

10. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Object to processing in certain circumstances
• Request deletion where lawfully permitted (some burial records must be retained)
• Withdraw consent where processing is consent-based (may affect services we can provide)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa)

Information Regulator: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg

11. Children

Dependants who are minors are registered by the principal member or guardian with consent. We collect only what is necessary for membership and burial planning and restrict access to authorised staff.

12. Cookies & website analytics

The public website uses essential session cookies for member and staff login portals. We do not use invasive third-party advertising trackers on the burial site. Standard server logs may record IP address and browser type for security.

13. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice when our services or legal obligations change. The “Last updated” date at the top will reflect the latest version. Continued use of our services after updates constitutes notice of the revised policy where permitted by law.