This Privacy Policy explains how Hailio (“we”, “us”, “our”), the provider of the Tlhakiso Stokvel application and website (the “Service”), collects, uses, shares and protects your information. We are based in South Africa and process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), and, where applicable, the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
We collect only what is needed to run a shared record-keeping tool for your savings group.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Account information | Your email address and display name, used to create and secure your account (via Firebase Authentication with email/password). We do not use social or Google sign-in. |
| Group & member records | Group name and settings, member names, payment references, optional member phone numbers, roles, and the group's own bank-account details that you enter for reference. |
| Financial records you enter | Contributions, loans and repayments, payouts, fees and income, burial claims, covered-family members, and opening balances. These are records of your group's activity — the app never touches actual money. |
| Documents you upload | Bank statements (for reconciliation), death certificates (for burial claims), receipts, and a group logo. |
| Governance content | Your group's constitution and meeting minutes. |
| Technical data | Basic app and device information needed to operate the Service securely and to diagnose errors (e.g., app version, error logs). We do not sell this data. |
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.
Tlhakiso Stokvel is a record-keeping and transparency tool only. It does not hold, move, receive, or guarantee any money, and it is not a bank, a deposit-taking institution, or a registered financial service provider. All of your group's funds remain in the group's own bank account, controlled entirely by the group. Recording a contribution, loan or payout in the app documents something the group did with its own account — it does not cause any money to move.
When you upload a bank statement, we process its text to propose matches against your members and categories. Most statements are processed on your device or by a deterministic parser. Where a statement cannot be read deterministically, its text may be processed by an automated parsing service we operate in order to extract transactions. We use this data solely to help you reconcile your records; we do not use it to build advertising profiles and we do not sell it.
Data is stored on Google Cloud/Firebase infrastructure. Information is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and access is restricted by security rules so that, in general, only members of a stokvel can read that group's records and only authorised roles (chairperson/treasurer) can change them. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, but we take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information.
We keep your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Group records may be retained while the stokvel exists and its other members rely on them, and to meet legal, accounting or dispute-resolution requirements. When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymise it. See our Account & Data Deletion page.
Subject to applicable law (POPIA/GDPR), you may:
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@tlhakiso.co.za.
You can request deletion of your account and personal data at any time. Full instructions are on our Account & Data Deletion page.
The Service is intended for adults managing savings groups and is not directed at children under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.
Because we use Google Cloud/Firebase, your information may be stored or processed on servers located outside South Africa. Where this happens, we rely on our providers' safeguards for cross-border transfers.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version here and change the “Last updated” date above. Material changes may also be notified in the app.
Questions or requests about this policy or your data:
Hailio — Tlhakiso Stokvel
Email: support@tlhakiso.co.za
Location: South Africa
Tlhakiso Stokvel