The short version
- You can ask us for records we hold. South Africa's Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) gives you the right to ask a private company for its records when you need them to exercise or protect a right.
- Use Form 2 and send it to our Information Officer, Benjamin Rodrigues, at hello@creatormatch.co.za with "PAIA request" in the subject line.
- It may cost a little. A R140 request fee, unless you're asking for records about yourself, plus the cost of copies and search time if we grant your request (clause 9).
- We decide within 30 days, and tell you why if we refuse. You can complain to the Information Regulator or go to court if you disagree.
- Just want your own personal information? You can simply ask, as our Privacy Policy explains. Confirming what we hold about you is free.
1. About this manual
1.1This is the manual of Ben Rodrigues Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, which trades as CreatorMatch ("we", "us" or "our"). Section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) requires every private body to have one.
1.2It explains what records we hold, which of them you can see without asking, how to ask for the rest, what it costs, how we decide, and what you can do if you disagree. Because the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) amended PAIA, it also describes how we process personal information (clause 7).
1.3This manual covers all of our company's records, including those of the CreatorMatch platform at creatormatch.co.za (the Platform). Words in capitals that aren't defined here, such as Creator, Brand and Deal, have the meaning our Terms give them.
2. Our contact details
2.1Send requests for records, and questions about this manual, to our Information Officer:
| Registered name | Ben Rodrigues Enterprises (Pty) Ltd, a private company incorporated in South Africa |
|---|---|
| Trading name | CreatorMatch |
| Registration number | 2024/281497/07 |
| Head of the company and Information Officer | Benjamin Rodrigues, Managing Director |
| Deputy Information Officer | None appointed |
| Registered with the Information Regulator | Registration number 2026-071186, registered on 4 November 2026 |
| hello@creatormatch.co.za, with "PAIA request" in the subject line | |
| Telephone | 063 688 2309 |
| Physical address | 7 Spray Avenue, St Francis Bay, Eastern Cape, 6312, South Africa |
| Postal address | 7 Spray Avenue, St Francis Bay, Eastern Cape, 6312, South Africa |
| Website | creatormatch.co.za |
3. The Regulator's guide to PAIA
3.1The Information Regulator has published a guide on how to use PAIA and POPIA, as section 10 of PAIA requires. It explains your rights, how to make a request, and the help available to you. It is available in all the official languages and in braille.
3.2You can get it from the Regulator's website at inforegulator.org.za/paia, or from the Regulator itself:
| enquiries@inforegulator.org.za | |
| Telephone | 010 023 5200 |
| Physical address | Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191 |
| Postal address | PO Box 31533, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2017 |
3.3You can also look at a copy of the guide at our office during business hours, or ask us to email you one.
4. Records you can see without asking
4.1We have not published a notice under section 52 of PAIA. The following are available to anyone, free, on our website, without a PAIA request:
- our Terms and earlier versions of them, on request;
- our Privacy Policy and earlier versions of it, on request;
- this manual; and
- the information on our public web pages, such as how the Platform works and our pricing.
4.2Our company's registration details are also public through the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC).
5. Records we keep under other laws
5.1We keep records under the following laws, as far as they apply to us. Where a law gives you a right to a record, you can ask for it under that law instead of PAIA.
- Companies Act 71 of 2008;
- Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 and Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011;
- Value-Added Tax Act 89 of 1991, once we are registered for VAT;
- Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008;
- Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002;
- Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013;
- Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000;
- Copyright Act 98 of 1978; and
- if we employ staff: the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, Unemployment Insurance Act 63 of 2001 and Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993.
6. The records we hold
6.1These are the subjects on which we hold records, and the kinds of records on each. Listing a record here doesn't mean we will give it to you: we may have to refuse on one of the grounds in clause 11.
| Subject | Records we hold |
|---|---|
| The company | Registration documents and Memorandum of Incorporation, records of directors and shareholders, resolutions and minutes, and records filed with CIPC |
| Finance and tax | Accounting records, financial statements, bank statements, invoices and receipts, and tax returns and correspondence with the South African Revenue Service |
| Creators, Brands and other Users | Account and profile details, applications and verification images, Briefs, likes and Matches, messages, Deal records, reports and complaints, and records of what each User agreed to |
| Deals and payments | Deal terms and delivery records, Content delivered for Deals, and payment, refund, payout and subscription records, including those from our Payment Partner |
| Brand partnerships and bookings | Enquiries from brands and agencies, proposals, agreements and invoices for content and partnership work |
| Our team | If we employ staff or engage contractors: agreements, contact details, payroll and tax records, and confidentiality undertakings |
| Suppliers and service providers | Agreements, including data processing terms with our operators, invoices and correspondence |
| Communications | Emails and other messages sent to and from us, including support requests and complaints |
| Website and systems | The Platform's code and content, security and sign-in logs, and records of our technical and security measures |
| Legal and compliance | Our Terms and Privacy Policy and their earlier versions, this manual, records of requests under PAIA and POPIA, security compromise records, and legal correspondence |
7. How we process personal information
7.1Our Privacy Policy explains this in full. In short, as section 51(1)(c) of PAIA requires:
7.2Why we process it. To run the Platform: create and manage Accounts, review applications, match Creators with Brands, support Deals, take and make payments, keep the Platform safe, deal with reports and complaints, and send the messages Users need. Also to run our company: our brand partnership work, accounting, tax and legal duties, and protecting our rights (Privacy Policy clause 7).
7.3Whose personal information we hold, and what kind:
| People | Personal information |
|---|---|
| Creators | Name, email address, date of birth, city, languages, niche, social media handles, portfolio links, bio and photos, verification images, messages, Deal and payout records, and bank details once payouts launch |
| Brands, agencies, artists and their team members | Names, work email addresses, company details, Briefs, messages, and Deal and payment records |
| Guardians of Creators aged 16 or 17 | Name and email address and, if needed, proof of identity and guardianship and bank details |
| Visitors to our website | IP address, browser and device details, and the pages requested |
| People who contact us or report an account | What they tell us, and their contact details |
| Business contacts, suppliers and our team | Names, contact details, and agreement, invoice and payment details |
7.4Who receives it. Other Users, only as far as matching and Deals need (Privacy Policy clause 10); our team, under a duty of confidentiality; our operators, which host, store and send information for us (Supabase, Resend, Zoho, Anthropic, Cloudflare and others listed in clause 11 of the Privacy Policy); our Payment Partner, Stitch; our professional advisers, such as accountants and lawyers; and authorities, courts and others where the law requires it. We don't sell personal information.
7.5Sending it outside South Africa. Our database is hosted on Amazon Web Services in Ireland, in the European Union, and some of our operators process information in the United States and elsewhere. We do this only where section 72 of POPIA allows it, for example where the recipient is bound by laws or agreements that protect it to a standard substantially similar to POPIA (Privacy Policy clause 11).
7.6How we keep it secure. Encryption in transit (HTTPS) and at rest, hashed passwords and expiring sign-in links, database rules that limit each person to what they need, private storage for verification images, secret keys kept out of the website's code, written agreements with our operators, and regular checks for new risks. If personal information is accessed or acquired without authority, we tell the Information Regulator and the people affected as section 22 of POPIA requires (Privacy Policy clause 13).
8. How to ask for a record
8.1Under section 50 of PAIA, you may ask for a record we hold if you need it to exercise or protect a right. Use Form 2, Request for Access to Record, which you can download from the Regulator's website or ask us for.
8.2Send the completed form to our Information Officer by email, by post or by hand, using the details in clause 2. In it:
- describe the record well enough for us to find it;
- say which right you want to exercise or protect, and why you need the record for it;
- say how you would like access, for example a copy by email, and how we should tell you our decision;
- include a copy of your identity document; and
- if you're asking on someone else's behalf, include proof that you may act for them.
8.3If your request is about your own personal information, you can also simply ask us, without Form 2 (Privacy Policy clause 16).
8.4If you need help filling in the form, contact our Information Officer and we will help you.
9. Fees
9.1These are the fees the PAIA Regulations set for private bodies, as published by the Information Regulator. We are not registered for VAT, so we don't add VAT.
| Request fee | R140.00, payable before we process your request. You don't pay it if you're asking for records about yourself. |
|---|---|
| Photocopy or printed copy, per A4 page | R2.00 per page or part of a page |
| Copy on a flash drive you give us | R40.00 |
| Copy on a CD | R40.00 if you give us the CD, or R60.00 if we provide it |
| Transcription of an audio record, per A4 page | R24.00 |
| Copy or transcription of visual images | The cost of an outside service provider, which we will quote first |
| Search and preparation | R145.00 for each hour or part of an hour after the first hour, up to R435.00 in total |
| Deposit | If the search will take more than 6 hours, we may ask for a deposit of one third of the access fee before we start |
| Postage or email | The actual cost, if any |
9.2If we grant your request, we will tell you the access fee on Form 3, and you pay it before we give you access. If we refuse your request, we refund any deposit.
10. Our decision and time limits
10.1We decide within 30 days of receiving a complete request and tell you in writing. We may extend this once, by up to 30 more days, if the request is for a large number of records, needs a search of records held elsewhere, or needs us to consult others; we will tell you before the first 30 days end, and why.
10.2If a record contains information about someone else (a third party), we will try to tell them within 21 days, and they have 21 days to agree or to explain why we should refuse. We then decide and tell you both.
10.3If we refuse, we give our reasons and the section of PAIA we rely on, and tell you about your options in clause 12. If we don't decide in time, PAIA treats your request as refused.
10.4If we can't find a record, or it doesn't exist, we tell you so in an affidavit or affirmation, with the steps we took to find it.
11. When we may refuse
11.1Chapter 4 of Part 3 of PAIA says when a private body must or may refuse access. The main grounds are where giving access would:
- unreasonably disclose personal information about someone else, including someone who has died (section 63);
- disclose a third party's trade secrets, or financial, commercial, scientific or technical information that would harm their interests (section 64);
- breach a duty of confidence we owe a third party under an agreement (section 65);
- endanger someone's life or physical safety, or the security of property or systems (section 66);
- disclose a record that is privileged from production in legal proceedings (section 67);
- disclose our own trade secrets, or financial, commercial, scientific or technical information that would harm our commercial interests, or our computer programs (section 68); or
- disclose research by us or a third party that would put the research or the researcher at a serious disadvantage (section 69).
11.2Even then, we must give access if the record would reveal a substantial contravention of, or failure to comply with, the law, or an imminent and serious public safety or environmental risk, and the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs the harm (section 70).
11.3Where only part of a record must be refused, we give you the rest of it (section 59).
12. If you're unhappy with our decision
12.1As a private body, we have no internal appeal. If you disagree with our decision, with the fees, or with an extension of time, you may, within 180 days of our decision:
- complain to the Information Regulator on PAIA Form 5, through the Regulator's website or online portal (contact details in clause 3); or
- apply to court.
12.2A third party who disagrees with our decision to give access to a record about them has the same options.
13. Where to find this manual, and updates
13.1This manual is on our website at creatormatch.co.za/paia, and a copy is at our office for anyone to look at during business hours. We will email a copy free on request, or post or hand a printed copy for the per-page fee in clause 9. We give the Information Regulator a copy when it asks.
13.2We review this manual at least once a year and whenever our contact details or the way we work changes, and publish each new version here with a new effective date.
Version history
Version 1.0, effective 4 November 2026: first published.