Virtual Partners (registration number 2018/579506/07) ("Virtual Partners", "we", "us" or "the Company") is a Johannesburg-based recruitment agency. We are committed to protecting your personal information and processing it lawfully, in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"). This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how we use, share, secure and retain it.
What is personal information?
Personal information refers to any information that identifies you or specifically relates to you, including but not limited to:
- Marital status, national origin, age, language, birth, education
- Financial history (e.g. income, third-party payments made on your behalf)
- Identifying numbers (employee, ID or passport number)
- Email address, physical address, telephone number
- Biometric information (fingerprints, signature or voice)
- Race, gender, sex, pregnancy, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation
- Physical or mental health, well-being, disability, religion, belief, conscience, culture
- Medical, criminal or employment history
- Confidential correspondence
- Special personal information, as explained below
When will we process your personal information?
We will only process your personal information for lawful purposes relating to our business where:
- You have consented to it
- Someone legally authorised by you, the law or a court has consented to it
- It is necessary to conclude or perform a contract with you
- The law requires or permits it
- It is required to protect or pursue your, our, or a third party's legitimate interest
What is special personal information?
Special personal information relates to your race, ethnic origin, trade union membership, health, biometric information, and criminal behaviour or alleged offences.
When will we process your special personal information?
- If you have consented to the processing
- If used for HR or payroll requirements
- If needed to create, use or protect a legal right or obligation
- If used for statistical or research purposes, subject to legal conditions
- If you have made the information public yourself
- If required by law
- If racial information is processed to identify you, or health information is processed for insurance purposes
When and from where we obtain personal information
We collect information directly from you, from public sources, or from sources where you have made it public yourself. We may also collect it from third parties such as partners, employers, attorneys and tracing agents, law enforcement bodies, and our service providers or agents. Where the law requires it, we will ask your consent before collecting information from third parties.
Reasons we process your personal information
We process personal information to provide recruitment services, place you with clients, conduct necessary checks, market our services, respond to enquiries, meet regulatory requirements, improve our services, process payments, verify identity, and for related administrative and research purposes.
How we use your personal information for marketing
We may market our recruitment services to you in person, by post, telephone or electronic channels (SMS, email, WhatsApp). Where you are not our client, or the law otherwise requires, we will only market to you electronically with your consent. You may opt out at any time by emailing info@virtualpartners.co.za.
When, how and with whom we share your information
We only share your personal information where you have consented, it is necessary to perform a contract, the law requires it, or it protects a legitimate interest. This may include sharing with hiring clients and their representatives, financial and government bodies, our service providers, successors to our rights or obligations, your legal representatives, or other parties permitted by law or your consent.
How we secure your personal information
We apply reasonable technical and organisational safeguards, including secure systems, secure record storage, controlled access to our premises and systems, and safe destruction of records.
Cross-border data transfers
Where we transfer your information outside South Africa — for example to service providers hosted abroad, or clients in other countries — we do so in accordance with POPIA, ensuring an adequate level of protection or another lawful basis for the transfer.
How long do we keep your personal information?
We retain personal information for as long as the law, a contract, your consent, or our legitimate business, statistical or research purposes require. As a general guideline, a candidate's information is retained for up to three (3) years from your last interaction with us, after which it is de-identified or securely disposed of, unless you ask us to retain it longer or the law requires a longer period.
Our cookie policy
We do not currently use cookies or similar tracking technologies on our website. Should this change, we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.
Your rights
Under POPIA, you have the right to:
- Request confirmation of, and access to, the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction or updating of inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information
- Request deletion of information we are no longer authorised to retain
- Object, on reasonable grounds, to the processing of your information
- Withdraw any consent previously given, at any time
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you believe we have processed your information unlawfully
Contact us
For questions about this Privacy Policy, to exercise your rights, or to lodge a complaint, contact us at info@virtualpartners.co.za. If unsatisfied with our response, you may contact the Information Regulator (South Africa) at enquiries@inforegulator.org.za.
Client & candidate consent
By engaging our recruitment services, both clients and candidates consent to the processing of submitted personal information for the purposes set out in this policy, agree to keep such information secure and used only for its intended purpose, and confirm their obligations under POPIA regarding disclosure, safeguarding and breach notification. Candidates specifically consent to reference and background checks, being presented to clients, and receiving communications they have opted into.
General conditions
Virtual Partners accepts no liability for loss or damage arising from information made available on this website or actions arising from it. This policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Our website may link to third-party sites, for whose content and privacy practices we are not responsible.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Please check this page periodically — continued use of our website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
