Synesys Cargo (Pty) Ltd

Privacy Policy

Effective date: 10 May 2026 · Last updated: 10 May 2026

1. Who we are

Synesys Cargo (Pty) Ltd (“Synesys”, “we”, “us”) operates the Atlas freight management platform accessible at synesys.app. We are the Responsible Party as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).

Information Officer: Megren Naidoo · megren@synesys.co.za

2. What personal information we collect

We collect the following categories of personal information depending on your role:

Platform users (dispatchers, administrators)

  • Full name and email address
  • Encrypted password credential
  • Role and tenant association
  • Session and access logs (IP address, timestamps)

Drivers

  • Full name, identity or passport number, driver's licence number and class
  • Contact phone number and WhatsApp number
  • GPS location data transmitted by tracking devices during active loads
  • WhatsApp messages exchanged via our dispatch bot
  • Hours-of-service records and compliance status

Transport operators (subcontractors)

  • Company name, registration number, VAT number
  • Contact person name, phone, email, and WhatsApp number
  • Bank account details (encrypted) for payout processing

Customers

  • Company name, registration number, VAT number
  • Contact person name, phone, and email
  • Billing and delivery addresses

All users

  • Load and freight records (cargo type, origin, destination, status history)
  • Invoice and financial transaction records
  • Documents uploaded to the platform (PODs, permits, compliance certificates)

3. Why we collect it (lawful basis)

We process personal information under the following grounds as set out in POPIA s 11:

  • Contractual necessity — to provide the Atlas platform services you or your employer have contracted for.
  • Legitimate interest — platform security, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, and service improvement.
  • Legal obligation — compliance with the National Road Traffic Act, SARS tax record requirements, and other applicable South African legislation.
  • Consent — where required for WhatsApp communications (which you may withdraw at any time — see Section 7).

4. How we use WhatsApp

We use the Meta WhatsApp Business Cloud API to send operational notifications to drivers and transport operators, including load assignment alerts, status update requests, and delay or incident reports. Messages are processed by Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd in accordance with their WhatsApp Business Policy.

We only send WhatsApp messages to numbers that are registered against a driver or operator record in the platform. We do not use WhatsApp numbers for marketing or for any purpose unrelated to freight operations.

5. Who we share your information with

We share personal information only as necessary to operate the platform:

RecipientPurposeLocation
Meta Platforms Ireland LtdWhatsApp message deliveryEU / Global
Microsoft CorporationEmail delivery and document storage (Microsoft 365)EU / South Africa
Hetzner Online GmbHServer infrastructure and hostingEU

We do not sell personal information to third parties. We do not share personal information with any party not listed above unless required to do so by law or court order.

6. How long we keep your information

  • Operational records (loads, driver activity, messages): 12 months from the date the record becomes inactive.
  • Financial records (invoices, payments, GL entries): 5 years, as required by the South African Revenue Service.
  • Driver compliance records (licence, medical, HOS): duration of the driver engagement plus 12 months.
  • Account credentials: deleted within 30 business days of account closure.

After the applicable retention period, personal information is securely deleted or irreversibly anonymised.

7. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to:

  • Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Deletion — request deletion of personal information we are not legally required to retain (see our Data Deletion Policy).
  • Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interest.
  • Withdraw consent — withdraw consent for WhatsApp messaging at any time by replying STOP to any message we send. We will cease WhatsApp communications within 24 hours.
  • Lodge a complaint — contact the South African Information Regulator at inforeg@justice.gov.za or visit www.justice.gov.za/inforeg.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at megren@synesys.co.za. We will respond within 30 business days as required by POPIA.

8. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or loss. These include encryption of sensitive fields at rest, role-based access controls, TLS for all data in transit, and audit logging of access events. No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure; in the event of a material breach we will notify affected data subjects and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA s 22.

9. Children

The Atlas platform is a B2B commercial service not intended for persons under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email to registered platform users at least 30 days before they take effect. Continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact us

For any privacy enquiry or to exercise your POPIA rights:
Information Officer: Megren Naidoo
Email: megren@synesys.co.za
Platform: synesys.app