Terms of Service

Welcome to Indaba & Meer ("Indaba", "we", "us", or "our"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website, mobile applications, editorial dashboard, and related services (collectively, the "Service").

Indaba & Meer is a community news platform that publishes editorial content and allows verified users to submit photos, videos, audio, and news tips for review by our editorial team.

By creating an account, signing in, browsing, uploading content, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. If you are under 18, you may only use the Service with the consent of a parent or legal guardian.

You represent that the information you provide is accurate and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

You may register with an email address, phone number, or supported social login provider (such as Google, Facebook, or TikTok). You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity under your account.

Notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or pose a security risk.

When you upload news tips, media, comments, or other material ("User Content"), you retain ownership of your content. You grant Indaba a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, adapt, publish, distribute, and display your User Content in connection with operating, promoting, and improving the Service and our news products.

All community submissions are subject to editorial review. Submission does not guarantee publication. We may edit, reject, or remove content at our discretion to uphold editorial standards, accuracy, and community safety.

• You must have the rights to any media you upload.
• Do not submit content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, hateful, misleading, or infringes third-party rights.
• Do not upload content depicting violence, exploitation, or private information about others without consent.

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for unlawful purposes or to violate applicable laws.
• Impersonate any person or misrepresent your affiliation.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems, staff accounts, or other users' data.
• Scrape, spam, or interfere with the normal operation of the Service.
• Circumvent moderation, editorial review, or technical access controls.

Indaba & Meer, our logo, branding, editorial articles, videos, and other materials produced by our team are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or redistribute our editorial content except as permitted by the Service or with our written consent.

The Service may integrate with third-party login providers, analytics tools, hosting providers, and payment or advertising platforms. Your use of those services may be subject to their separate terms and privacy policies.

We are not responsible for third-party websites, apps, or services linked from the Service.

Certain users with staff, editorial, or platform administrator roles may access internal dashboards to moderate submissions, manage content, and operate the Service. Those users must comply with additional internal policies and may only use admin tools for authorised business purposes.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time if you breach these Terms, if required by law, or to protect users and the integrity of our newsroom.

You may stop using the Service at any time. Sections that by their nature should survive termination will remain in effect.

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. While we strive for accuracy and timely reporting, we do not warrant that content is complete, current, or error-free. Community submissions and breaking news may be updated or corrected after publication.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Indaba & Meer and its operators will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Service.

Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service will not exceed the amount you paid us in the twelve months before the claim, or ZAR 100 if you have not paid for the Service.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa, unless mandatory consumer protection laws in your country require otherwise.

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the revised version on this page and update the 'Last updated' date. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Questions about these Terms: email ludmilpaulo@gmail.com or visit https://indaba-swart.vercel.app/contact.