Legal
PAIA Manual
This manual is published under section 51 of the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA). It explains what records Hearth & Co holds and how to ask for access to them.
Last updated: 8 November 2026
This manual covers Hearth & Co (Pty) Ltd, a South African private company (registration number 2026/543457/07), which operates the online store at hearthco.co.za.
Who to contact
Head of the private body and Information Officer: Hearth & Co has a registered Information Officer, who can be reached using the details below.
Email: hello@hearthco.co.za
Website: hearthco.co.za. You can also use our contact page.
The Information Regulator's guide
The Information Regulator publishes a guide on how to use PAIA. You can find it, and the forms, on the Regulator’s PAIA page. You can also contact the Regulator at enquiries@inforegulator.org.za or on 010 023 5200.
Records available without a request
The content of this website is available to everyone without a request. That includes our product information, buying guides, and the Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Returns & Refunds, Delivery, and Warranty pages, and this manual.
Records held under other laws
We keep records that other laws require, including under the following. These are available as those laws allow.
- Companies Act 71 of 2008
- Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011 and the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962
- 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
Categories of records we hold
| Subject | Records |
|---|---|
| Company | Registration documents, directors and shareholder records, company decisions |
| Finance and tax | Accounting records, bank records, tax and invoice records, payment and refund records |
| Customers and orders | Orders, delivery details, account details, return and warranty requests, support messages, marketing preferences |
| Suppliers and partners | Supplier agreements, order and delivery records, price and stock information, correspondence |
| Website and systems | Website content, system and security logs, backups |
Records are kept electronically. Whether we may give you access to one of these records depends on PAIA, which includes grounds for refusing access, such as protecting the privacy of another person or confidential commercial information.
Personal information we process
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Why we process it | To take and deliver orders, manage accounts, give support, handle returns and refunds, meet legal duties, and prevent fraud. Marketing only where you have opted in. Measuring our advertising only where a visitor has accepted advertising cookies |
| Whose information | Customers, people who contact us, and suppliers' contacts |
| What information | Names, contact details, delivery addresses, order history, payment status, and the messages and photos people send us. Where a visitor has accepted advertising cookies: pages and products viewed, items added to cart, purchase value, Meta cookie identifiers, IP address and browser details |
| Who we may share it with | Our payment provider, our supplier and its couriers, our hosting and email provider, our advisers, and authorities where the law requires. Meta, where a visitor has accepted advertising cookies |
| Sending it abroad | We do not send personal information outside South Africa ourselves, except advertising information sent to Meta where a visitor has accepted advertising cookies |
| How we protect it | Encrypted connections, scrambled passwords, restricted access, and hosting in South Africa |
More detail is in our Privacy Policy.
How to request access to a record
- Complete the request form for a private body (PAIA Form 2), which is available on the Information Regulator’s PAIA page, or write to us.
- Send it to hello@hearthco.co.za and say which record you want, why you need it, and how you would like to receive it.
- We will confirm we have received it and decide within 30 days. The law allows one extension of up to 30 days in some cases, and we would tell you.
- A fee set by the PAIA regulations may apply to the request and to copying or searching for records. We will tell you the amount before we go ahead.
If we refuse a request, we will give you our reasons and tell you how to complain to the Information Regulator or apply to a court.
Availability of this manual
This manual is on this website. You can ask for a copy by email. We update it when our records or processes change.