Privacy Policy

The Housing Development Agency (HDA) is a national public sector development agency established by an Act of Parliament (Act 23 of 2008). In executing our legislative mandate to identify, acquire, hold, develop, and release land for human settlements, we interact with various individuals, organizations, and entities. HDA is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring that your personal information is collected, processed, and stored in a fair, lawful, and transparent manner. This Privacy Policy sets out how we handle personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), of South Africa. This policy applies to all external users of our website, service providers, tender bidders, job applicants, and members of the public who request information or engage with HDA.

We collect personal information directly from you when you interact with our website or submit information to us. Depending on the nature of your interaction, we may collect the following categories of information:

• Contact Details: Your name, business address, telephone numbers, and email address when you use our inquiry forms or contact us directly.
• Procurement Information: Company registration documents, tax clearance details, B-BBEE certificates, banking details, director/shareholder details, and credentials submitted during tender bidding processes.
• Employment Details: CVs, academic qualifications, employment histories, and identity documents submitted as part of job applications or internship inquiries.
• Technical Data: IP addresses, browser types, operating systems, and page navigation statistics gathered automatically through cookies.

The HDA processes personal information solely for the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with statutory and regulatory obligations. These purposes include:

• Responding to your public comments, inquiries, and requests for information.
• Evaluating and processing procurement tender bids, managing active service provider accounts, and finalizing contracts.
• Managing employment applications, conducting background checks, and matching candidate profiles to open vacancies.
• Complying with public governance standards, audit requirements, and reporting obligations under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
• Analyzing website traffic and usage behavior to optimize navigation and user experience.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We will only share your personal information under the following limited circumstances:

• Third-Party Service Providers: Contractors and service providers who assist us in operational activities (e.g. database hosting, secure portal maintenance) under strict confidentiality agreements.
• Statutory Authorities: Regulatory bodies, the Auditor General of South Africa, the National Treasury, or law enforcement agencies, where we are legally compelled to do so by law.
• Consent-Based Sharing: Where you have provided express consent for us to share your details for a specific purpose.

The HDA implements rigorous physical, organizational, and technological security measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorized access, destruction, or disclosure. Our security measures include data encryption, restricted access controls, firewalls, and secure local server environments. Personal information is stored only as long as is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was collected, or to meet statutory retention limits required by public records management laws.

Under POPIA, you possess specific legal rights regarding your personal information. These include:

• The right to request access to any personal information we hold about you.
• The right to request that we correct, update, or delete inaccurate or outdated personal information.
• The right to object to the processing of your personal information, on reasonable grounds, unless statutory requirements dictate otherwise.
• The right to lodge a formal complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) if you believe your information is being processed unlawfully.

Our website utilizes standard HTTP cookies to gather general technical navigation statistics. This information does not identify individual visitors. It is used to monitor website traffic, analyze search queries, and enhance general performance. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though doing so may prevent access to specific parts of our portal.