Privacy Policy

Effective date: 2 October 2026

1. Who we are

Stratwell Advisory (formerly Traci Harvey Chartered Accountants) is a firm of chartered accountants and registered tax practitioners based at First Floor, North Wing, Arizona House, Madison Avenue, Aspen Business Park, Aspen Lakes Ext 13, Johannesburg.

For the purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), Stratwell Advisory is the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy. This policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information through our website stratwell.co.za and in our day-to-day dealings with clients, prospective clients and job applicants.

2. What personal information we collect

Information you give us

• Contact and consultation requests: your name, email address, phone number, company name and the details of your enquiry.
• Job applications: your name, contact details, area of interest, LinkedIn profile, CV and any information you include in it, such as qualifications and employment history.
• Clients: when you engage us, we collect the information needed to provide our services, such as identity and tax reference numbers, financial records, company and trust documents, and the information we must verify under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act. The details are set out in your engagement letter.
• Correspondence: anything you send us by email, telephone or WhatsApp.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, our hosting provider automatically records basic technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device and the pages you visit. This is used to keep the website secure and working properly. We may also use cookies, which are explained in section 8.

3. Why we use your information

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information, and we do not use it for automated decision-making.

4. Job applications and CVs

CVs and application details submitted through our Careers page are sent directly to our director and used only for recruitment at Stratwell Advisory. We keep applications for up to 12 months so that we can contact you if a suitable role opens. After that, we delete them unless you ask us to keep your details for longer. You can ask us to delete your application at any time.

5. Who we share your information with

We only share personal information when it is necessary to provide our services, when you have asked us to, or when the law requires it. This may include:

• Service providers (operators) who help us run our business, such as our website host, email provider, cloud accounting and payroll software providers, and IT support. They may only process your information on our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential.
• Regulators and authorities such as the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), the Master of the High Court and the Financial Intelligence Centre, when the law or your engagement requires it.
• Professional partners, such as financial planners or attorneys, but only when you have asked us to introduce you.
• Our professional body or auditors, where required for quality reviews or professional obligations.

6. Information stored outside South Africa

Some of our service providers, such as cloud email and accounting software providers, may store information on servers outside South Africa. When this happens, we make sure the provider is subject to laws, binding rules or agreements that give your information a level of protection similar to POPIA, as required by section 72 of the Act.

7. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, or for as long as the law requires. In general:

• Website enquiries that do not lead to an engagement are kept for up to 12 months.
• Job applications are kept for up to 12 months, as explained above.
• Client records are kept for at least five years after the end of the relevant period or engagement, or longer where tax, companies, FICA or other legislation requires it.

When information is no longer needed, we delete or destroy it securely.

8. Cookies

Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website. Our website uses essential cookies that help it work properly and stay secure. We may also use analytics cookies, such as Google Analytics, to understand in general terms how visitors use the site, for example which pages are most popular. Analytics information is aggregated and is not used to identify you personally.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. If you block essential cookies, some parts of the website may not work as intended.

9. How we protect your information

We take appropriate, reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access and unlawful processing. These include secure (encrypted) connections to our website, access controls, password-protected systems and confidentiality obligations for our team and service providers.

If we believe your personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by section 22 of POPIA.

10. Your rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• Ask whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of it
• Ask us to correct or update information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Ask us to delete information we are no longer allowed to keep
• Object to us processing your information, including for direct marketing
• Withdraw your consent at any time, where we rely on consent
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at traci@stratwell.co.za or on 010 035 0350. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. Some requests may be refused where the law requires us to keep the information. Our manual under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) is available on request.

11. Marketing communications

We will only send you marketing communications, such as newsletters or tax deadline reminders, with your consent or, if you are a client, about services similar to those you already receive from us. Every message will include an easy way to unsubscribe, and you can also opt out by emailing us.

12. Children

Our website and services are not aimed at children under the age of 18, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information through this website. Where we process information about minors, for example as beneficiaries of a trust or estate, we do so only with the consent of a competent person or where the law allows it.

13. Links to other websites

Our website may link to other websites, such as SARS, CIPC or our partners. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, so please read their privacy policies.

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:

15. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time, for example when the law changes or we start using new tools. The latest version will always be published on this page with its effective date. Please also read our Website Terms of Use.