Excellence is the best protection.
How Uthando works within the law, protects people and ideas, and holds itself to standards it can show. Plain answers to the questions people ask: where we stand, which rules apply, and what we never claim.
Where we stand
- Based in Cape Town, South Africa. South African law governs our agreements unless an agreement says otherwise.
- Working across Africa through partners. In each country we follow its law, and sign a local agreement before work begins.
- Data that crosses borders. This website is hosted by Cloudflare and confirmation emails are sent through Resend, both outside South Africa. We tell you so in our privacy notice, as POPIA section 72 expects.
- No borrowed authority. We never claim a registration, certification, accreditation, patent or partnership we do not hold.
The law we work within
South African law first, with what each rule means and how we meet it. Laws not yet in force are marked, and we follow their intent anyway.
POPIA, Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013
AppliesPersonal information is collected lawfully, for a stated purpose, kept secure, and transfers abroad are protected. Children's information needs a competent person's consent.
A published privacy notice; enquiries saved only when sent; no IP addresses stored; safeguards in the Safety Protocol; children's information only with consent.
Source ↗PAIA, Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000
AppliesEvery private body must publish a PAIA manual explaining how to request its records. The small-business exemption ended on 31 December 2021.
Requests for records go to info@uthandoafrica.com. Our PAIA manual, prepared from the Information Regulator's template, will be published on this page.
Source ↗ECT Act 25 of 2002, section 43
Applies to online salesA website that sells to consumers must show its business details, prices, terms, refund policy and security information before an order.
Online sales are switched on only once the full supplier details, terms of sale and refund policy are on the site.
Source ↗Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008
AppliesPlain language, no false or misleading claims, fair terms, and quality for goods, including digital products.
The ALOODA gate: no claim is published that we cannot evidence.
Source ↗Copyright Act 98 of 1978
AppliesCopyright arises automatically; assignments must be in writing; an employer owns work made in employment.
Who owns what is written into every agreement. Artists and authors keep their copyright unless they sign it over.
Source ↗Patents Act 57 of 1978
AppliesAn invention must be new everywhere at filing; publishing it first generally ends the chance to patent it.
Methods and inventions are never published before their owners decide on protection, and no patent is ever claimed that has not been granted.
Source ↗IPR Act 51 of 2008 (publicly financed research)
Where public funds applyIntellectual property from publicly funded research belongs to the institution that received the funds, which must protect it and share benefits.
Research with universities follows the institution's IP policy, agreed in writing before any joint output.
Source ↗Children's Act 38 of 2005, with POPIA sections 34 and 35
School programmesChildren's best interests come first; people working with children are checked; children's information needs a parent or guardian's consent.
Our rule: anyone who will work with children in a school programme is first checked against the Child Protection Register, and no child is identifiable without written consent.
Source ↗Health Professions Act 56 of 1974
Human-animal researchOnly registered practitioners may practise a health profession or perform its reserved acts.
Uthando provides research support, not therapy, counselling or treatment, and makes no health or clinical outcome claims.
Source ↗Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962, and SANS 10386:2021
Where animals are involvedCruelty and neglect are offences; animal use in research and teaching needs an animal ethics committee's approval.
Any work involving animals goes to a partner institution's animal ethics committee first.
Source ↗NHREC Ethics in Health Research Guidelines (3rd edition, 2024)
Research with peopleHealth research with people, their materials or their data needs a registered ethics committee's approval before it starts.
Research with people goes to a registered research ethics committee before it begins.
Source ↗NEMBA bioprospecting and benefit-sharing regulations
Where biological resources are usedCommercial research on South Africa's indigenous biological resources needs a permit and benefit-sharing agreements.
Before any work that could count as bioprospecting, we confirm with the environment department and sign benefit-sharing agreements.
Source ↗Indigenous Knowledge Act 6 of 2019
Not yet in force: followed voluntarilyWill require consent, licences and benefit sharing for commercial use of registered indigenous knowledge. Not yet in force.
We already follow its intent: indigenous knowledge is shared only with the custodians' consent, on terms they set.
Source ↗Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020
AppliesCreates offences such as unlawful access and sharing intimate images without consent. POPIA separately requires reporting data breaches.
Security incidents are reported to the Information Regulator and the people affected as soon as reasonably possible.
Source ↗Standards we align with, said precisely
Alignment is not certification. Each line says exactly how far we go, so nobody is misled.
King V Code on Corporate Governance (2025)
Voluntary · apply and explainWe apply its principles proportionately for a small organisation, and explain where we do not.
ISO/IEC 27001:2022 and ISO/IEC 27701:2025
Informed byOur security and privacy practices are informed by these standards. We are not certified, and say so.
OWASP ASVS 5.0
Informed bySecurity requirements for web applications guide how we build; verified levels are stated only when tested.
WCAG 2.2, level AA
Designed to meetPages are designed to meet it, at 390 pixels wide and above, with reduced motion respected.
FAIR and CARE principles for data
Aligned withResearch data is made findable and reusable where its owners agree, and Indigenous data stays under its custodians' authority.
UNESCO Recommendation on the Ethics of AI and the OECD AI Principles
Aligned withHuman oversight, transparency and privacy in every AI feature; safety enquiries never go to an AI.
OECD DAC evaluation criteria
Used to frame evaluationsEvaluations are framed by relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.
IRIS+ (GIIN) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Used for reportingImpact is reported with named metrics and specific goals, never blanket claims.
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Aligned withA commitment to respect human rights, proportionate due diligence, and a way for anyone to raise a concern.
How we protect ideas and knowledge
- We publish outcomes, not methods, until their owners decide how to protect them.
- Our own frameworks are published with author, version, date and a fingerprint, as with the ALOODA white paper.
- Detail is shared under a non-disclosure agreement, with three clear disclosure levels.
- Partners' and universities' IP stays theirs, under written terms.
- Indigenous knowledge is shared only with its custodians' consent and on their terms.
- Our pattern art honours Ndebele wall painting and beadwork, and Sotho litema. It is drawn new from the Uthando emblem and copies no artist's work.
How we protect people
- The Uthando Safety Protocol: no addresses, numbers or children's identities published.
- Profiles and stories about people only with a recorded yes.
- Ethics approval before research with people or animals.
- No health, therapy or outcome claims beyond the evidence.
- A clear way to raise a concern, and removal within 48 hours.
Straight answers
Why do you do this?
Because the people doing Africa's most important work deserve tools that are built for them, handed over to them, and backed by evidence anyone can check. Uthando means love, and love is action. Read more on the research page.
Who owns the work?
Whoever the written agreement says. Clients own what they pay for once it is handed over; partners keep their data, methods and names; artists and authors keep their copyright; research with universities follows the institution's IP policy. Uthando's own frameworks, such as ALOODA, are published with their author and date.
Can I see the evidence behind a claim?
Yes. Public pages show dated records; funders and partners can ask for the full evidence pack under a non-disclosure agreement.
Do you work outside South Africa?
Yes, through partners. Our agreements are governed by South African law unless they say otherwise, and in each country we follow its law and sign local agreements before work begins.
Are you certified?
No, and we will not pretend to be. We say precisely which standards we align with or are informed by. Certification is only claimed when an accredited body has granted it.
Something here is wrong, or about me. What do I do?
Tell us at info@uthandoafrica.com or through Thando. Corrections are made visibly, and removal requests under the Safety Protocol are acted on within 48 hours.
Laws and standards checked on 7 October 2026 against official sources. This page explains how Uthando works; it is not legal advice.