Privay Policy

Forecast Consulting (“Forecast Consulting”, “we”, “us” or “our”) values your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you provide when using our website ( https://forecastconsulting.co.za ) and when engaging us to deliver legal services, document procurement or translations. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information and informs you about your data‑protection rights under South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable laws.

1. Who we are

Forecast Consulting is a legal and administrative services firm owned by an admitted attorney, notary and conveyancer based in South Africa. We assist clients with apostille and authentication of documents, notarial work, Department of Home Affairs (DHA) certificates, police clearance certificates, translations, ante‑nuptial contracts and related services. When we collect personal information we act as the “responsible party” under POPIA and are accountable for complying with the eight conditions for lawful processing, including openness (we must document processing activities and inform data subjects about the collection and use of their personal information), security safeguards (we must take reasonable steps to protect data) and data‑subject participation (you have the right to access your personal data).

2. What personal information we collect

We collect and process personal information in order to provide our services and respond to enquiries. The types of personal information we may collect include:

• Contact details – such as your full name, postal and physical addresses, email address, telephone number and other identifiers.
• Identity and civil status information – such as copies of identity documents, passports, birth and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, police clearance certificates and other DHA or SAPS records.
• Professional information – such as your job title, employer, and any authorisations required for notarial services.
• Payment and billing information – such as billing address, bank details (used to issue invoices), tax number and payment confirmations. We do not store card details; payments are processed through secure third‑party providers.
• Communications – any correspondence, instructions, forms or messages you send to us by email, telephone, WhatsApp, website forms or in person.
• Usage information – information automatically collected when you visit our website, such as IP address, device identifiers, browsing behaviour, cookies and analytics data (see Section 10).

Under POPIA the responsible party must inform data subjects what information is collected, the purposes for collection and whether providing such information is voluntary or required. We only request the minimum personal information necessary to deliver our services and comply with legal obligations.

3. How we collect personal information

We collect personal information in the following ways:

1. Directly from you: when you complete the “Contact Us” form on our website, send us email or WhatsApp messages, call us, instruct us in person or provide documents and information to engage our services.
2. From third‑party sources: we may, with your consent or as permitted by law, obtain personal information from external parties such as the Department of Home Affairs, SAPS, DIRCO, High Courts, credit bureaus and translation service providers to perform the services you request.
3. Automatically: when you browse our website we collect usage information via cookies and similar technologies. This information helps us improve our site and protect against fraud. See Section 10 for details.

4. Purposes and legal bases for processing

We use personal information for legitimate business purposes and in accordance with POPIA. Specifically, we process personal information to:

• Provide our services – to obtain legalisation or authentication of documents, draft notarial instruments, arrange translations, register ante‑nuptial contracts and handle related legal or administrative tasks.
• Respond to enquiries – to provide quotes, answer questions, schedule consultations and follow up on service requests.
• Comply with legal obligations – to adhere to court rules, statutory requirements (e.g. DHA, DIRCO, SAPS regulations) and record‑keeping duties.
• Manage our business – to administer billing and payment, keep internal records, audit accounts, conduct quality control and manage risk.
• Market our services – to send you information about services or updates that we think may interest you. You may opt out of marketing at any time.
• Improve our website – to analyse usage patterns, maintain security and develop new features.

Our processing is based on one or more of the following legal grounds: (a) your consent (which you may withdraw at any time), (b) the performance of a contract or taking steps at your request prior to entering into a contract, (c) compliance with legal or regulatory obligations and (d) our legitimate interests in running and improving our business, provided such interests do not override your rights.

5. How we share personal information

We may disclose personal information to third parties when necessary for the purposes described above. These third parties include:

• Government departments and authorities: Departments of Home Affairs, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the South African Police Service (SAPS), High Courts and foreign embassies or consulates for purposes of obtaining apostilles, certificates, verifications and translations.
• Professional service providers: notaries, attorneys, translators, courier companies, IT and cloud‑hosting providers, credit bureaus and payment processors. We contractually require these providers to handle personal information confidentially and to implement appropriate security measures.
• Business partners: other legal practitioners or consultants with whom we collaborate to fulfill your instructions or because the law requires it.
• Regulators, courts and law‑enforcement: where disclosure is required to comply with legal processes, enforce our agreements, protect our rights or respond to lawful requests.
• Recipients abroad: we may transfer personal information to countries outside South Africa when necessary to execute your instructions (e.g., documents for use in another country). POPIA permits international data transfers when the recipient country provides adequate protection, when the data subject consents, or when the transfer is necessary for concluding or performing a contract. We will ensure appropriate safeguards or obtain your consent before transferring data internationally.

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Security measures

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. POPIA’s security safeguards condition requires responsible parties to make reasonable efforts to protect collected data and to notify data subjects if an unauthorised breach occurs. Our security measures include:

• Encrypting data transmissions where appropriate and using secure servers;
• Restricting access to personal information to authorised personnel on a need‑to‑know basis;
• Maintaining physical security controls (e.g., secure offices and locked cabinets) and implementing cybersecurity tools to prevent unauthorised access;
• Regularly assessing risks and updating our security practices;
• Having procedures to detect and respond to data breaches, including notifying affected data subjects and the Information Regulator as required.

7. Data retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy or as required by law. This typically means retaining client files and supporting documents for a statutory period to fulfil legal and regulatory obligations (e.g., record‑keeping requirements of the Legal Practice Act, tax laws or other applicable legislation). When the information is no longer needed we securely delete or anonymise it.

8. Your rights

POP‑compliant policies must inform data subjects of their rights. Under POPIA you have the following rights:

• Right to be informed – to be notified that your personal information is being collected and how it will be used. This policy and other notices fulfill that requirement.
• Right of access – to ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to correction or deletion – to request correction, destruction or deletion of your personal information if it is inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, outdated, incomplete or unlawfully obtained.
• Right to object – to object, on reasonable grounds, to our processing of your personal information; and to object to processing for purposes of direct marketing.
• Right to not be subject to automated decision‑making – we do not use automated decisions or profiling for our services.
• Right to lodge a complaint – to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe we are interfering with the protection of your personal information.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights please contact us using the details in Section 12. We may require proof of identity and may charge a fee for providing copies of personal information.

9. Children’s information

Our services are generally aimed at adults. We may collect personal information relating to minors when we assist clients to obtain birth certificates, adoption papers or other official documents. In such cases we process the child’s information only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian and as permitted by law (Section 34 of POPIA prohibits processing children’s personal information without authorisation). We implement additional safeguards to protect children’s data.

10. Cookies and tracking technologies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Recognise your device and remember your preferences;
• Provide basic website functionality;
• Analyse site traffic and usage patterns to improve our services;
• Secure our website and protect against fraud.

Under POPIA data subjects have the right to know if their data is collected and websites must obtain permission from users before placing cookies on their browsers. When you first visit our site you will see a cookie notice giving you the choice to accept or reject non‑essential cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through your browser settings. Please note that blocking certain cookies may affect your experience of our website.

11. Third‑party links and services

Our website may contain links to third‑party websites or services (e.g. government portals, payment providers, WhatsApp or email links). We provide these links for convenience and do not control or endorse the content or privacy practices of those sites. When you leave our website we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every site you visit.

12. How to contact us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your data‑protection rights or wish to lodge a complaint, please contact our Information Officer:

Forecast Consulting (Information Officer)
Address: 2 Mushroom Rd, Midrand, Johannesburg, 1986, South Africa
Telephone: +27 76 203 9737
Email: info@forecastconsulting.co.za

We will respond to your request within a reasonable time and will work with you to resolve any concerns.

13. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services or legal requirements. When we do we will post the revised policy on our website and indicate the date of the last update. Significant changes will be communicated directly to clients when practicable. Your continued use of our website and services after the effective date of an updated policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.

14. Effective date

This Privacy Policy is effective as of 26 October 2025.