Privacy policy

Last updated October 2026.

Who we are

Vakman Referrals (vakmanreferrals.co.za) is run by Theo van der Westhuizen, trading as Vakman Referrals, the responsible party for your personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). Each of our service websites has its own privacy policy for enquiries made there.

Homeowners who contact us

If you WhatsApp, call or email us, we receive your number or email address and what you tell us about your job. We use it only to pass your enquiry to one vetted, independent contractor for your area and trade. We don't sell it, share it with anyone else or use it for marketing. We keep messages for 12 months in case of questions about a referral, then delete them.

Contractors on the waiting list

When you join the waiting list we collect your name, business, phone, email (if given), years in the trade, trades and areas. To vet you, we may also hold the documents, references and notes described on our contractor page. We use this only to assess you and contact you about openings, and keep it for 12 months after you leave the waiting list or the network, or until you ask us to delete it.

Where it's processed

Forms are sent over an encrypted connection and processed in South Africa, then emailed to us. Our email runs on Google Workspace, and WhatsApp on Meta's systems; both may store data outside South Africa. Site statistics are cookieless and don't identify you.

Your rights

You may ask what we hold about you, ask us to correct or delete it, or object to its use. Email hello@vakmanreferrals.co.za. You may also complain to the Information Regulator (inforegulator.org.za).