Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your use of EasyStokvel, a stokvel management platform operated by EasyStokvel (Pty) Ltd ("we", "us", "our"), registered in South Africa. By registering a group, using the dashboard, or texting our shortcode, you agree to these Terms in full. EasyStokvel provides tools to help stokvel treasurers record contributions, manage payout rotations, track member trust scores, and communicate with members via SMS. We are a record-keeping and communication platform, we do not hold, move, or manage any funds on your behalf.

"Platform" means the EasyStokvel website, dashboard, SMS service, and API collectively. "Treasurer" means the person who registers and administers a stokvel group on the Platform. "Member" means any person added to a stokvel group on the Platform. "Group" means a stokvel registered on the Platform with a unique group code. "SMS Service" means the ability to send and receive messages via shortcode to interact with the Platform. "Trust Score" means a numerical indicator (0–100) calculated by the Platform based on a member's payment behaviour. "Contribution" means a payment recorded on the Platform by a treasurer or member.

You must be at least 18 years old to register as a treasurer or use the Platform. By using the Platform you confirm that you are of legal age and have the capacity to enter into a binding agreement. You must be a South African resident with a valid South African mobile number to use the SMS service. Corporate entities, associations, and community organisations may use the Platform provided a responsible individual accepts these Terms on their behalf.

EasyStokvel operates an SMS shortcode service. By texting our shortcode or providing your phone number during registration, you consent to receiving transactional SMS messages from us. These include payment confirmations, reminders, meeting notifications, and system alerts. Standard network rates apply for messages you send to our shortcode. We are not responsible for any charges applied by your mobile network operator. SMS consent is voluntary. You may opt out of non-transactional messages at any time by texting STOP to our shortcode. You cannot opt out of essential transactional messages (such as payment confirmations) while remaining an active member of a group. We use BulkSMS (Pty) Ltd as our SMS delivery partners. Message delivery is subject to network availability and is not guaranteed.

EasyStokvel is not a bank, financial services provider, or payment processor. We are not registered with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) as a deposit-taking institution. We do not hold, receive, transmit, or manage any money belonging to your stokvel. All funds remain in your group's own bank account. We only record what you tell us, we have no visibility into actual bank transactions unless you record them on the Platform. EasyStokvel operates under the Banks Act Exemption Notice applicable to stokvels in South Africa. We do not provide financial advice. Nothing on the Platform constitutes a recommendation to invest, save, or transact in any particular way. Treasurers are solely responsible for the accuracy of payment records entered on the Platform, for managing group funds, and for ensuring compliance with their stokvel's constitution.

The Trust Score system is a proprietary feature of EasyStokvel. Scores are calculated algorithmically based on payment behaviour recorded on the Platform and are intended as an internal group management tool. Trust Scores are not credit scores and are not submitted to any credit bureau. They are not regulated by the National Credit Act or any financial services legislation. Scores reflect only what has been recorded on EasyStokvel. If a payment was made but not recorded on the Platform, it will not be reflected in the score. We reserve the right to modify the Trust Score algorithm at any time. We are not liable for any decisions made by treasurers, members, or third parties based on Trust Scores.

We collect and process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). By using the Platform you consent to our collection and processing of your personal information as described in our Privacy Policy. We collect: name, phone number, ID number (optional), payment records, and device information. We use this information to: operate the Platform, send SMS communications, calculate Trust Scores, and improve our services. We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We may share anonymised, aggregated data with financial partners for research and credit-risk modelling purposes, subject to appropriate data sharing agreements. You have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal information. Contact us at support@easystokvel.co.za. We retain personal data for as long as your account is active and for a period of 5 years thereafter for legal and compliance purposes.

EasyStokvel offers a Free plan and paid plans (Organiser at R99/month, Growth at R199/month). All paid plans include a 30-day free trial. Subscriptions are billed monthly to the treasurer's account. Failure to pay will result in downgrade to the Free plan. We do not offer refunds for partial months. We reserve the right to change pricing with 30 days' notice. Continued use of the Platform after a price change constitutes acceptance of the new pricing. The treasurer is responsible for their subscription. Members of a group never pay subscription fees.

You agree not to use the Platform to: — Record fraudulent or fictitious transactions — Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity — Use the SMS service to send unsolicited messages — Attempt to access another user's account or group without authorisation — Reverse engineer, copy, or replicate any part of the Platform — Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose including money laundering or fraud We reserve the right to suspend or terminate any account that violates these terms without notice.

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law, EasyStokvel (Pty) Ltd shall not be liable for: — Any loss of funds within your stokvel group — Disputes between group members or between treasurers and members — Inaccurate records resulting from human error in data entry — SMS delivery failures due to network issues — Any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Platform Our total liability to you for any claim arising from use of the Platform shall not exceed the amount you paid us in subscription fees in the 3 months preceding the claim. Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death, personal injury, or fraud.

You may close your account at any time by contacting us at support@easystokvel.co.za. Upon termination, your group data will be retained for 90 days before permanent deletion, giving you time to export your records. We may suspend or terminate your account immediately if you breach these Terms, if we are required to do so by law, or if we discontinue the Platform. On termination, your right to use the Platform ceases immediately. Any outstanding subscription fees remain due.

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes via SMS or email at least 14 days before they take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. The current version of these Terms is always available at easystokvel.co.za/terms. The date at the bottom of this page reflects when these Terms were last updated.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts. If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

EasyStokvel (Pty) Ltd Email: support@easystokvel.co.za Website: easystokvel.co.za For SMS-related complaints or opt-out requests, text STOP to our shortcode.