Privacy policy

Last updated: 28 October 2026

Nkhape is a safety service, so it handles sensitive information: where you are, who you are and, for officers, their security credentials. This policy explains what we collect, why, who we share it with and what you can do about it. It is written to meet South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).

1. Who we are

The responsible party is [Company name] (Pty) Ltd, registration number [registration number], [physical address] (“Nkhape”, “we”). Our Information Officer is [name], reachable at privacy@nkhape.co.za.

2. What we collect

Drivers

• Account details: your name, cellphone number and a password (stored only as a one-way hash).
• Optional details: your vehicle registration, whether you drive for an e-hailing platform and which one.
• Escort requests: your location when you ask for an escort, the reason you choose (for example “dark area”), times and status.
• Escort route: the officer’s GPS positions from the moment they reach you until the escort ends, which is how the distance you’re charged for is measured.
• Kilometre balance and payments: top-ups, charges and Paystack’s payment reference. Your card details go directly to Paystack; we never see or store them.

Security officers

• Account details: name, cellphone number and password (hashed).
• Credentials: PSIRA registration number, firearm competency certificate reference, security experience, vehicle description, your consent to a background check, and the outcome of our four verification checks.
• Location: while you are on duty or on an escort, your phone shares its location with us, including in the background. It stops when you go off duty.
• Payouts: your bank account number is sent once to Paystack to set you up for transfers. We keep only Paystack’s reference for it, the bank’s name, the account holder’s name and the last four digits. We record what you earn and what we have paid.

Everyone

• Device push token, so we can notify you about escorts.
• Security records: sign-in and password-reset events, and an audit log of what our staff do (for example approving an officer or adjusting a balance).
• Early-access list (website): the cellphone number or email you give us, whether you’re a driver or officer, and your area if you add it.

We do not use advertising trackers or analytics cookies on this website or in the app.

3. Why we use it

• To provide escorts: matching you with the nearest available officer, showing each side where the other is, and letting you call each other.
• To verify officers before they can work, and to re-check them.
• To charge drivers for escorted kilometres and pay officers.
• To keep the service safe: investigating incidents, complaints and disputed charges, and preventing fraud and abuse.
• To understand where and why escorts are needed (using the structured reasons and approximate areas), so we can place officers better.
• To tell early-access sign-ups about the launch.
• To meet legal obligations, such as keeping financial records.

We rely on the contract with you, our legitimate interest in running a safe service, your consent (background checks, location sharing, the early-access list) and legal obligations.

4. Who sees it

• The other side of your escort. While an escort is active, the officer sees your first name, number, vehicle registration and location; you see the officer’s name, vehicle, number and location. Officers stop seeing your contact details when the escort ends.
• Nkhape staff who need it for their job, through an administrator dashboard protected by a password and an authenticator code. Their actions are logged.
• Service providers who process information for us:

Some of these providers process information outside South Africa. We only use providers that are bound to protect it to a standard comparable to POPIA.

We will share information with SAPS or other authorities when the law requires it, or when it’s needed to protect someone’s life or safety. We never sell personal information.

5. How long we keep it

• Accounts until you delete them. When you do, we remove your name, number, password, vehicle and push tokens. For drivers we delete escort routes and keep only an approximate pickup area (about 1 km). For officers we remove certificate references, vehicle and bank account holder name.
• Escort, payment and payout records are kept without your name after deletion, because financial records must be kept by law. A deleted officer’s PSIRA number stays with the escorts they carried out, so an incident can still be investigated.
• Password-reset codes expire after 10 minutes (30 minutes if given by our support team).
• Early-access sign-ups until you ask us to remove them, or until we have told you about the launch in your area.
• Backups of the database are kept for 14 days with access restricted to our administrators. Any copy stored off our server is encrypted.

6. How we protect it

Everything travels over encrypted connections. Passwords and reset codes are stored only as hashes. Full bank account and card numbers are never stored. Staff access needs two-factor sign-in and is logged. Location is only shared during the times described above.

7. Your rights

You may ask what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, object to how we use it, or ask us to delete it. You can delete your account yourself in the app (Account, then Delete account; see how to delete your account). For anything else, email privacy@nkhape.co.za from, or quoting, the number on your account. We will confirm it’s you before acting.

If you’re unhappy with how we handle your information, you may complain to the Information Regulator: inforegulator.org.za.

8. Children

Nkhape is for adults. You must be 18 or older to create an account, and we don’t knowingly collect information about children.

9. Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we’ll tell you in the app before the change takes effect.