Acceptance of terms

Most people scroll past terms and conditions until something goes wrong. By using this site, however briefly, you agree to follow the rules set out on this page. If you do not accept these terms, you should stop using the site and any content you accessed. Your continued browsing, downloading, or sharing of our guides counts as acceptance of these conditions, which may be updated from time to time for clarity, legal changes, or operational reasons.

Use of the site

You may use the site to read, download, and share reasonable portions of our content for personal use or internal organisational reference. You may quote short extracts, provided you credit Tavarelith as the source and do not change the meaning. Use of the site must remain consistent with its purpose: providing general information about social assistance for pensioners in South Africa. You may not misrepresent our content as official guidance, nor may you use it to promote unrelated products or services.

Your responsibilities

Using a site like this is a shared effort. We work to keep the information careful and up to date; you work to use it thoughtfully and within the law. The responsibilities below explain what we expect from anyone who visits, reads, or shares our content, whether in a personal or professional role.

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  You are responsible for ensuring that any information you share with us is accurate, lawful, and appropriate. When you submit feedback or questions, avoid including identity numbers, full medical records, or highly sensitive financial details. If you act on our content, you do so at your own risk and should confirm important points with official sources or professional advisers before taking steps that could affect your rights, health, or finances.

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  If you use the site on behalf of an organisation, you are responsible for making sure that your staff understand these terms and apply them correctly. This includes clarifying that Tavarelith provides general information only, not case-specific advice, and that results may vary depending on individual circumstances and changing rules. You should not present our guides as official decisions or commitments from any authority.

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  You are responsible for keeping any login or access credentials associated with the site secure, if such features are provided. Do not share passwords with unauthorised persons or reuse them across unrelated services. If you suspect unauthorised access to an account or to content reserved for your organisation, you should notify us promptly using the contact details provided so we can take appropriate steps.

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  You remain responsible for complying with all laws and policies that apply to you, including data protection, confidentiality, and professional conduct rules. Using our content does not transfer your obligations to us. When in doubt, you should seek legal, medical, financial, or other professional advice before relying heavily on any general information from the site in your work or personal planning.

Prohibited uses

To keep this site useful and fair for everyone, certain behaviours are not allowed. These rules protect pensioners, caregivers, professionals, and the integrity of our service. If you use the site, you agree not to engage in the following activities, whether directly or by encouraging others to do so.

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  You may not use the site for any unlawful purpose or in any way that violates applicable laws, regulations, or official guidance. This includes using our content to mislead others about their rights, impersonate authorities, or present our explanations as official decisions. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the site, to other users’ data, or to the systems that support the service.

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  You must not copy, reproduce, or distribute substantial portions of our content in public materials without permission, especially in a way that suggests we endorse your organisation, product, or service. Automated scraping, bulk downloading, or framing of our pages is also prohibited where it undermines site performance, confuses users about who is responsible for the content, or breaches technical controls designed to protect our intellectual property and service availability.

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  You must not interfere with or disrupt the normal operation of the site, including through malicious software, denial-of-service attacks, or attempts to test system vulnerabilities without our explicit written consent. Activities that place unreasonable load on our infrastructure or bypass access controls are not allowed, even if they do not result in obvious damage at the time.

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  You must not use the site to transmit or publish content that is abusive, discriminatory, defamatory, or otherwise harmful to others. This includes messages sent through our contact forms. While we support critical feedback about our content, we do not permit harassment of individuals, disclosure of sensitive personal information about third parties, or language that targets people based on age, race, gender, disability, or other protected characteristics.

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  You must not rely on our content as if it were personalised legal, medical, financial, or social work advice. Using our guides as the sole basis for important decisions, without checking with relevant authorities or qualified professionals, goes against the intended use of the site. Where health, medication, or treatment decisions are involved, you must consult your physician before use of any treatment or change in routine that you consider in response to information found here.

Feedback and user contributions

From time to time, we may invite you to submit feedback, suggestions, or other material through forms or contact channels. You remain responsible for the content you send and must ensure that it is lawful, respectful, and does not disclose sensitive personal information about others without their consent. We may review, edit, or delete submissions that breach these expectations or that pose risks to privacy, security, or compliance.

General disclaimer

Many people treat website content as if it came with built-in guarantees. Ours does not. This site provides general information about social assistance for pensioners in South Africa, written in plain language. It does not replace conversations with authorities, physicians, or regulated advisers who can assess your particular circumstances. You remain responsible for decisions you make, and you should always confirm important details before acting.

Limitation of liability

We work hard to keep our explanations careful and balanced, but we cannot accept unlimited responsibility for how they are used. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude liability for indirect, consequential, or special losses arising from your use of the site. Direct losses are also limited, except where the law does not allow such limitation, for example in cases of fraud or certain statutory rights. You remain responsible for verifying key information with authorities or qualified professionals before making important decisions.

Indemnification

To the extent allowed by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Tavarelith, its operators, and contributors from any claims, demands, losses, damages, costs, and expenses arising out of or related to your use of the site in breach of these terms or in violation of any law or third party rights. This includes reasonable legal and professional fees incurred in responding to or managing such claims. This clause does not apply where such consequences are mainly caused by our own intentional misconduct or gross negligence.

Dispute resolution

Most issues can be resolved informally, for example by clarifying wording or updating a guide. If a more serious disagreement arises between you and Tavarelith about the site or these terms, the steps below describe how we expect both sides to proceed, alongside any rights you have under applicable law.

Arbitration and alternative dispute resolution

Where local rules allow, you and Tavarelith may agree in writing to refer a specific dispute to arbitration or another alternative dispute resolution process. Any such process would take place under recognised rules and before an independent neutral person. Participation in arbitration is voluntary and subject to applicable law. If you prefer to use the ordinary courts, or if arbitration is not suitable, you retain any rights granted by law to pursue claims through those channels instead.

Nothing in this arbitration section removes or limits rights that cannot be waived under applicable law, including any rights to approach public bodies, ombuds services, or courts with jurisdiction over your matter. If a court finds that a particular dispute cannot be resolved by arbitration, that decision will not affect the remainder of these terms, which will continue to apply where they can.

Governing law

This site focuses on social assistance for pensioners in South Africa, so it makes sense that South African law applies. These terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or your use of the site, are governed by the laws of South Africa. Mandatory consumer or data protection rules from other jurisdictions that apply to you are not affected, but South African law provides the main legal framework for our relationship.

Termination

We may suspend or end your access to the site, or to specific features, if we reasonably believe that you have breached these terms, misused our content, or interfered with the operation of the service. Where appropriate, we will try to give you notice of the issue and an opportunity to respond. You may also stop using the site at any time. Termination does not affect rights and obligations that have already arisen, including limitations of liability and intellectual property protections, which continue to apply.

Changes to these terms

We may change these terms from time to time, for example to reflect updates in law, our services, or the way we explain our responsibilities. When we do, we will post the revised version on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the site after changes take effect means you accept the updated terms. If you do not agree with a new version, you should stop using the site. We recommend reviewing this page periodically, especially when you plan to rely on our guides for organisational procedures or sensitive decisions.

Severability

If a court or competent authority decides that any part of these terms is invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that part will be interpreted, limited, or removed to the minimum extent necessary. The rest of the terms will continue in full force and effect. This approach keeps the overall agreement working even if one clause cannot be applied in a particular situation or jurisdiction.

Entire agreement

These terms, together with our privacy policy, cookie policy, and disclaimer, form the entire agreement between you and Tavarelith regarding your use of the site. They replace any earlier understandings, communications, or agreements about the same subject matter, whether written or spoken. If we have separate written agreements with particular organisations, those agreements apply alongside these terms and will govern where they clearly conflict with them, but only for the specific services described in those separate documents.