VA ACADEMY — PRIVACY POLICY
Effective Date: 1 June 2026
Last Updated: 1 June 2026
1. INTRODUCTION
VA Academy, operated by Leru Media (Pty) Ltd (“we,” “our,” “us”), is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA) of the Republic of South Africa.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website, platform, or services.
2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We may collect the following personal information:
a) Information you provide directly:
Full name
Email address
Phone number
Billing address and payment information
Profile information (photo, bio, job title)
Communications with us (emails, support requests)
b) Information collected automatically:
IP address and browser type
Pages visited and time spent on our platform
Device and operating system information
Cookies and usage analytics
c) Information from third parties:
Payment processors (e.g., PayFast, Stripe)
Social media platforms (if you register via social login)
3. HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We use your personal information to:
Process enrolment and payment
Deliver and manage course access
Send course-related communications and updates
Issue certificates of completion
Respond to support queries
Send marketing communications (where you have opted in)
Improve our platform and services
Comply with legal obligations
4. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING (POPIA)
We process your personal information on the following lawful grounds:
Contractual necessity — to fulfil your enrolment and deliver services
Legitimate interest — to improve our services and prevent fraud
Consent — for marketing communications (which you may withdraw at any time)
Legal obligation — where required by South African law
5. SHARING OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We do not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.
We may share your information with:
Service providers who assist in delivering our platform (e.g., LearnDash, WordPress hosting, email providers, payment gateways) — bound by confidentiality agreements
Legal authorities where required by law or court order
Business successors in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
All third-party providers are required to handle your data in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
6. DATA RETENTION
We retain your personal information for as long as:
Your account is active
It is necessary to provide services
Required by law (e.g., financial records for tax purposes — typically 5 years)
Upon request, we will delete or anonymise your data, subject to legal retention requirements.
7. COOKIES
Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and collect analytics data.
You may disable cookies via your browser settings; however, this may affect platform functionality.
Types of cookies we use:
Essential cookies — required for platform functionality
Analytics cookies — to understand how users interact with our site (e.g., Google Analytics)
Marketing cookies — if you have opted into marketing communications
8. YOUR RIGHTS UNDER POPIA
As a data subject, you have the right to:
Access your personal information held by us
Correct inaccurate or outdated information
Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal obligations)
Object to the processing of your information for direct marketing
Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing)
Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa
Information Regulator (South Africa)
Email: inforeg@justice.gov.za
Website: www.justice.gov.za/inforeg
9. DATA SECURITY
We implement reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure.
These include:
SSL encryption on our platform
Secure payment processing via trusted third-party gateways
Access controls limiting who can view personal data internally
No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we are committed to protecting your data.