Privacy & POPIA Notice

Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA)

Effective / last updated: 28 August 2026

1. Who we are

People Bridge Recruitment (Pty) Ltd, trading as People Bridge Recruitment ("People Bridge", "we", "us" or "our"), is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of personal information entrusted to us.

We provide recruitment, temporary employment services, payroll administration, Employer of Record support, workforce management and related people solutions.

This Privacy & POPIA Notice explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal information in accordance with POPIA, the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA), and other applicable South African legislation.

Responsible Party: People Bridge Recruitment (Pty) Ltd
Registration number: 2017/108509/07
Trading name: People Bridge Recruitment
Principal place of business: 1st Floor, Foyer 3, The Colosseum, Century Way, Century City, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7441
Website: www.peoplebridge.co.za
Telephone: 087 822 3921
Information Officer: Tanya Vorster
Privacy, POPIA & PAIA email: privacy@peoplebridge.co.za

2. Who this Notice applies to

prospective candidates and work seekers;
temporary, contract, payroll and Employer of Record employees;
employees and former employees;
client contacts and prospective clients;
suppliers, contractors and service providers;
referees and emergency contacts;
website visitors and people who contact us; and
other persons whose personal information is legitimately processed in connection with our business.

POPIA also protects certain personal information relating to identifiable juristic persons. This Notice applies to such information where relevant.

3. Personal information we may collect

The information we process depends on our relationship with you and the purpose for which it is required. We may process:

name, surname, identity or passport details, nationality and contact information;
CVs, employment history, qualifications, licences, professional registrations, skills and experience;
availability, employment preferences, remuneration expectations and interview information;
assessment, reference, screening and verification information;
right-to-work and driver’s licence information where applicable;
banking, payroll, tax, statutory, leave and benefits information for workers administered by us;
employment, assignment, performance and employee-relations records;
client vacancy, workforce, contract, service and billing information;
supplier and contractor contact, compliance, contract and payment information; and
website, candidate-registration, enquiry and communications information.

We aim to collect only information that is adequate, relevant and reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is processed.

4. Special personal information

Where lawful and genuinely necessary, we may process special personal information, including information relating to race or ethnic origin, health or disability, biometric information, criminal behaviour or criminal records, and other information classified as special personal information under POPIA.

For example, race or disability information may be processed where appropriate for employment equity, workplace accommodation, health and safety or statutory reporting purposes.

Criminal record, credit, qualification, employment and other background screening will only be undertaken where relevant to the position or assignment, permitted by law, and subject to any consent or authority required.

5. How we obtain personal information

directly from you through CV submissions, applications, registrations, interviews, onboarding, forms and communications;
from LinkedIn and other professional networking platforms;
from job boards, CV databases, recruitment platforms and talent-search tools;
from referrals, recommendations and publicly accessible sources;
from previous employers, referees, educational institutions and professional bodies;
from clients where relevant to a recruitment, staffing, payroll or Employer of Record service; and
from authorised screening, verification, payroll, employment or other service providers.

Where we collect personal information from another source, we will take reasonable steps to provide the notifications required by POPIA where applicable.

6. Why we process personal information

identify, source and engage active and passive candidates;
assess suitability for permanent, temporary, contract and other employment opportunities;
manage recruitment, screening, interview, offer and placement processes;
obtain candidate authority before presenting identifiable information to a client;
manage temporary employment, payroll and Employer of Record arrangements;
onboard and administer employees and assignees;
process payroll, statutory deductions, leave, benefits and employment records;
conduct lawful references, screening and verification;
manage client vacancy requirements, workforce plans and service delivery;
manage commercial, supplier and professional relationships;
comply with employment, labour, tax, regulatory and other legal obligations;
manage disputes, claims, risk and fraud prevention;
protect our systems, information and operations; and
improve our recruitment, workforce, communication and website services.

7. Lawful processing

We process personal information only where permitted under POPIA. Depending on the circumstances, processing may be necessary because:

you have consented to the processing;
processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract;
processing is necessary to conclude or perform a contract;
processing is necessary to comply with an obligation imposed by law;
processing protects a legitimate interest of the data subject; or
processing is necessary to pursue the legitimate interests of our business or a third party, provided the processing is lawful and reasonable.

Where processing is specifically based on consent, you may withdraw that consent, subject to applicable legal or contractual requirements. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before the withdrawal or processing permitted on another lawful ground.

8. Candidate confidentiality and submission to clients

Candidate and work-seeker confidentiality is fundamental to our recruitment process.

We will not disclose an identifiable candidate’s CV or personal information to a prospective client for a specific opportunity without first providing the candidate with sufficient information about the client and opportunity and obtaining the candidate’s permission to represent them for that opportunity.

Candidate information supplied to clients must be treated confidentially and used only for legitimate recruitment, selection or placement purposes. This approach is aligned with recognised South African recruitment-industry professional standards.

9. Background and reference checks

employment and professional references;
identity verification;
qualification and professional-registration verification;
driver’s licence verification;
criminal record screening where lawful and relevant;
credit checks where specifically permitted by law and genuinely relevant to the position; and
other legitimate employment-related screening or verification.

Where consent or specific authority is required, the relevant check will not be undertaken without it. We may use suitably authorised third-party verification providers.

10. Sharing personal information

We do not sell personal information.

Where reasonably necessary and lawful, personal information may be shared with:

prospective or existing clients, subject to appropriate candidate authority for identifiable candidate submissions;
authorised recruitment, staffing, Employer of Record or business partners where necessary and lawful;
payroll, banking and payment providers;
background-screening, reference, qualification and verification providers;
benefit providers, insurers and employment-related service providers where applicable;
IT, cloud, recruitment, payroll, hosting, communications and software providers;
professional advisers including accountants, auditors and legal advisers;
SARS, UIF, the Compensation Fund and other statutory or regulatory authorities where required; and
courts, regulators or law-enforcement agencies where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

11. Operators and service providers

Where a service provider processes personal information on our behalf as an Operator, we require appropriate confidentiality, security and data-protection measures. Operators are expected to process personal information only for authorised purposes and in accordance with applicable law and contractual requirements.

12. Cross-border processing

Some of our technology, cloud, communications, recruitment or other service providers may process or store personal information outside South Africa, and certain authorised clients or business partners may also be located outside South Africa.

Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer complies with section 72 of POPIA and that appropriate legal, contractual or other safeguards are in place.

13. Information security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised destruction, unlawful access, unauthorised disclosure, alteration and unlawful processing.

role-based access controls and restrictions on access;
password controls and other account-security measures;
appropriate system, endpoint and anti-malware protection;
back-up, recovery and business-continuity measures;
confidentiality obligations for employees, contractors and service providers;
security and privacy procedures and staff awareness;
controls over Operators and third-party service providers;
incident-response procedures; and
retention, archiving and secure destruction or deletion processes.

14. Security compromises

If we have reasonable grounds to believe that personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, we will manage the security compromise in accordance with POPIA. Where legally required, this may include notifying the Information Regulator and affected data subjects and taking steps to contain and remediate the incident.

15. Retention of personal information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for a longer period where retention is required or permitted by law, contract or another legitimate reason.

candidate information may be retained where it continues to be reasonably relevant to future employment opportunities and recruitment services;
temporary, payroll and Employer of Record employee records may be retained for applicable employment, statutory and legitimate business periods;
employment, payroll, tax, statutory, contractual and financial records are retained for the periods required or permitted by applicable South African law; and
records that are no longer required may be archived, restricted, de-identified or securely deleted.

Information that is no longer required and that we are not legally entitled or required to retain will be securely deleted, destroyed or de-identified.

16. Accuracy of information

We take reasonably practicable steps to ensure that personal information is complete, accurate, not misleading and updated where necessary. Candidates, workers, clients and other data subjects are encouraged to tell us when relevant information changes.

17. Direct marketing and electronic communications

We may communicate with candidates, workers and clients in connection with legitimate recruitment, staffing, employment, assignment or business activities.

Where a communication constitutes unsolicited electronic direct marketing for purposes of section 69 of POPIA, we will comply with the applicable consent, identification and opt-out requirements. Where consent is required, it will be obtained in the prescribed manner.

An opt-out from direct marketing does not prevent us from contacting you where communication is required for an active application, assignment, employment relationship, contract or another lawful purpose.

18. Website information and cookies

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, such as IP address, browser or device information, pages visited, date and time of visits, and website-interaction information.

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for essential operation, security, functionality and, where enabled, analytics or other appropriate purposes. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for more information.

19. Recruitment technology and automated processing

We may use recruitment technology and AI-enabled tools to assist with sourcing, search, candidate engagement, organising information and identifying potentially suitable profiles. Technology supports our recruitment professionals rather than replacing professional judgement. We will not base a decision producing significant legal or similar consequences for a candidate solely on automated processing where this would contravene POPIA.

20. Your rights under POPIA

ask whether we hold personal information about you;
request access to personal information we hold about you;
request correction or updating of inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive, out-of-date, incomplete or misleading information;
request deletion or destruction of information that we are no longer authorised to retain;
object to certain processing of your personal information;
withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
object to qualifying direct marketing; and
lodge a complaint concerning the processing of your personal information.

We may require reasonable proof of identity before providing access to or changing personal information. Certain requests may be subject to POPIA, PAIA and lawful grounds for refusal.

21. Exercising your rights and PAIA requests

Information Officer: Tanya Vorster
Email: privacy@peoplebridge.co.za
Telephone: 087 822 3921

Requests for access to company records may also be governed by PAIA. Our PAIA Manual is available on our website and from our Information Officer.

22. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we have collected, used, stored or disclosed your personal information, please contact our Information Officer so that we can investigate the matter.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa).

Physical address: Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191
Telephone: 010 023 5200
Toll-free: 0800 017 160
General enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za

23. Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services. Those third parties are responsible for their own privacy practices. We recommend reviewing their privacy notices before providing personal information to them.

24. Changes to this Notice

We may amend this Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our business, technology, processing activities or legal obligations. The latest version will be published on our website together with its effective or review date.

25. Contact us

People Bridge Recruitment (Pty) Ltd
Information Officer: Tanya Vorster
Email: privacy@peoplebridge.co.za
Telephone: 087 822 3921
Website: www.peoplebridge.co.za