Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of these terms

By accessing or using Bambanani (the "Platform"), you agree to these Terms of Use. If you are using the Platform on behalf of a school, "you" also includes that school, and the school is responsible for its staff's compliance with these terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

These terms should be read together with the Privacy Policy, which explains what information is collected and how it is used. Where there is a direct conflict between these terms and the Privacy Policy on a data-protection matter, the Privacy Policy governs.

2. What Bambanani is

Bambanani is a reporting platform that lets learners and staff at participating schools submit reports of bullying, violence, and other safety concerns, anonymously or with contact details, for review by the school's designated staff. Bambanani is a reporting conduit. Bambanani does not investigate, adjudicate, or independently verify reports; it routes them to the relevant school. Responsibility for acting on a report — including any legal duty to escalate suspected abuse under the Children's Act — sits with the school, not with Bambanani.

3. Emergencies

The Platform is not an emergency service and reports are not monitored in real time. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact the South African Police Service (10111), Childline (0800 055 555), or LifeLine (0861 322 322) directly — do not rely on a Bambanani report for an urgent situation.

4. Acceptable use

You agree not to use the Platform to:

• submit a report you know to be false or materially misleading;
• submit content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, or that impersonates another person;
• attempt to identify an anonymous reporter, or to circumvent the anonymity or security features of the Platform;
• attempt to gain unauthorised access to any account, report, or part of the Platform not intended for you;
• use automated means (scraping, bots) to access or extract data from the Platform without Bambanani's written permission;
• upload malicious code or otherwise interfere with the Platform's operation.

A report made in good faith — even if it later turns out to be mistaken or cannot be substantiated — is not a breach of these terms. This clause targets deliberate misuse, not honest reporting.

5. Anonymity and its limits

The Platform is anonymous by default, as described in the Privacy Policy. Anonymity protects a reporter's identity from Bambanani and from the school. It does not remove a school staff member's own legal duty to report suspected child abuse or neglect onward, under Section 110 of the Children's Act, once they become aware of it — even from an anonymous report. See the Privacy Policy and the notice shown on the report form for the full statement of this.

6. Accounts (school staff)

If you are issued a staff account, you are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity under your account. Accounts are personal and must not be shared. Notify your school administrator or Bambanani immediately if you believe your account has been compromised.

7. Intellectual property

The Platform, including its design, code, text, and branding, is owned by Bambanani or its licensors and is protected by South African and international intellectual property law. Nothing in these terms transfers any ownership of the Platform to you. You may not copy, modify, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from the Platform except as the law expressly permits.

8. No warranty

The Platform is provided "as is." Bambanani does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any report will result in a particular outcome or response time. Bambanani is a tool that routes information to a school; it does not guarantee the school's response.

9. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Bambanani is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from use of the Platform. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited under South African law, including liability for gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or a party's own direct statutory obligations under POPIA. This clause governs Bambanani's relationship with individual users of the Platform (learners, staff); the separate liability allocation between Bambanani and a subscribing school is set out in that school's signed agreement, not here.

10. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify Bambanani against any claim, loss, or expense arising from your breach of these terms, including any claim arising from a report you submitted that you knew to be false.

11. Suspension and termination

Bambanani may suspend or terminate a staff account for breach of these terms, including misuse of report data or sharing of login credentials. This does not affect the school's separate rights and obligations under its signed agreement with Bambanani.

12. Changes to these terms

Bambanani may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated date at the top of this document. Continued use of the Platform after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa, and any dispute is subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the South African courts.

14. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to privacy@bambanani.app.