1. What FICME is and how these Terms apply
FICME (Pty) Ltd ("FICME", "we", "us") provides the FICME website and mobile applications (the "Service"). The Service enables individuals, businesses and trusts to maintain and share compliance profiles and supporting documents, and subscribing accountable institutions ("Institutions") to request information and use optional verification, screening and electronic-signing services. It supports customer due diligence, know-your-customer (KYC), anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and beneficial ownership enquiries under the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, 38 of 2001 ("FIC Act"). FICME supplies technology and the particular checks described for each feature; it does not assume an Institution’s responsibility for its compliance programme, decisions, statutory reporting or record keeping. Providing these services does not, by itself, make FICME an accountable institution under the FIC Act.
These Terms bind the person accepting them and, where acceptance is authorised on behalf of an organisation, that organisation ("you"). They apply to free and paid accounts and authorised team members. We record electronic acceptance. A purchase becomes binding when we confirm the accepted order electronically, subject to payment and any disclosed approval condition. You may review and correct the order or withdraw before confirmation, and save or request a copy of the terms and transaction record.
The Acceptable Use Policy, Cancellation and Refund Policy and Legal Disclaimer, available through https://ficme.app/legal, form part of the agreement in the versions made available when you accept or purchase, subject to lawful subsequent changes. The Cancellation and Refund Policy governs subscription cancellation, credits and refunds; clause 3 summarises and supplements it without reducing its rights. Clause 9 gives effect to the Legal Disclaimer’s liability framework. An expressly agreed written service order may vary commercial terms, subject to mandatory law. The Core Privacy Policy governs the specific platform processing, with the General Privacy Statement supplying general safeguards; neither these Terms nor a general statement expands those processing permissions. The other notices identified in clause 6 apply within their stated scope. Mandatory law prevails. General website descriptions do not constitute a guarantee of statutory compliance.
Please read clauses 8 to 10 carefully: they explain service limitations, restrict certain claims and contain an indemnity. They must be brought to your attention before acceptance, with a reasonable opportunity to read them.
2. Eligibility and accounts
You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of contracting to operate an independent account. An adult representative must have authority to act for the relevant company, trust or other organisation.
You must take reasonable steps to provide accurate, complete and current registration and profile details and promptly update changing information and correct material errors.
Keep credentials, OTPs, recovery codes, devices and share-link passcodes secure. Use your own authorised login, enable available security controls appropriate to your role, and notify security@ficme.app promptly of suspected compromise. Never use another person’s OTP or credentials to impersonate that person.
We may restrict, suspend or close accounts only in accordance with clause 11, the Acceptable Use Policy and applicable law.
You warrant that you possess the legal capacity and authority required for your use of the Service.
Where you contract for an organisation, you warrant authority to bind it. The organisation is responsible for authorised use and purchases through its account and for managing its team permissions. This does not make every employee personally liable for the organisation’s subscription or transfer FICME’s own legal duties to the organisation.
Owners and administrators must invite team members through the designated process, grant only needed permissions, monitor use and remove access promptly when authority ends. Membership of an organisation, an entity link or payment of its subscription does not itself authorise access to another person’s private documents. Verify the active workspace before uploading, sharing, screening or purchasing.
Institution functionality is subject to FICME’s onboarding and approval process and the applicable subscription. You must provide evidence of the Institution’s identity, representative’s authority and relevant FIC registration where required, and notify us of material changes. Approval is a platform access decision and is not regulatory approval or certification of compliance. Institutions may request clients’ information but may not use an Institution workspace to create or manage a client’s business or trust as if they were its owner.
Children may not operate independent accounts. An authorised adult may submit a child’s information only where a section 35 of POPIA authorisation applies, including prior consent of a competent person where relied upon. Obtain and retain the necessary authority before submission and provide proportionate evidence on request. A later guardian-signature step does not cure unlawful collection that has already occurred.
3. Plans billing credits and refunds
Creating an account is free. Paid access starts when you accept a paid plan or order, with its price, features, limits and billing arrangements shown before confirmation. Plans may include Individual Pro, Business and Institution subscriptions. Charges are in South African Rand The total presented for confirmation includes applicable taxes and disclosed charges. The Pricing page at https://ficme.app/pricing and the accepted checkout or written order identify your purchase. An existing paid period is not repriced retrospectively.
3.1 Subscriptions. Paid subscriptions are billed in advance for the period shown at checkout and renew for a further period of the same length unless cancelled before renewal. Current monthly plans renew monthly. You authorise the disclosed recurring charges to your selected payment method. No optional bundle, extra entity or other paid feature is added without an authorised instruction. Checkout identifies any immediate upgrade charge, the next billing date and the next amount. Downgrades take effect at the end of the current billing cycle. Only an authorised account owner, billing administrator or designated subscription administrator may manage subscriptions, paid components, credit purchases and refund requests.
3.2 Payments. Payments are processed through the provider identified at checkout, currently Paystack for the website’s card payments. FICME does not store full card numbers. Payment records and invoices are available through Billing and may be downloaded. A failed charge triggers notice and the published 48-hour grace period; automatic retries are limited to three attempts. Thereafter paid functions may be restricted or the account downgraded without immediate deletion. Legitimately accrued amounts remain due, but we do not impose undisclosed continuing charges for future periods after a cancellation or terminated paid plan. Mandatory notice and remedy periods override the grace period where applicable.
3.3 Credit balance. Institutions may receive credits with their plan and buy additional credits through recurring bundles or once-off packs. Authorised team members use the Institution’s shared balance within their permissions. Only authorised billing users may purchase or change bundles. Credits are prepaid rights to the specified FICME services, not a loan, investment or general payment account. They cannot be sold or transferred outside the account without our written agreement, subject to applicable law. Unused credits roll over and do not expire merely through passage of time. Cancellation or suspension does not by itself forfeit them.
3.4 Credit usage. The service confirmation must show the credit rate, scope and charge trigger before you commit. A document request is charged per recipient when the requested documents are approved and shared, not merely when an invitation is sent. Screening is charged per run and signing per request sent. Bulk or linked-entity requests must identify the recipients and potential total charge; a separate check or authorised re-run may incur a new charge. We keep a usage record. The applicable plan may be required to use institutional functions; a paid balance remains refundable as provided below if you do not reactivate.
3.5 Credits used or reserved and services not supplied. Credits properly redeemed for a service already supplied are not refundable merely because you no longer want that service. A delivered screening may be chargeable whether it identifies a match or no match; a signing request does not promise that the recipient will sign. Where credits are reserved for a pending service, cancellation and any lawful charge depend on the terms disclosed and accepted when you authorised it. Remaining unused credits are released. Incorrect deductions, or deductions for an add-on service not supplied, are corrected and the affected credits restored; restored purchased credits may be included in a refund request. Rights concerning defective or deficient services remain unaffected.
3.6 Refunds of credits. Under the Cancellation and Refund Policy you may request a refund of all or part of your unused purchased credits, subject to verification of the purchase, payment and unused balance. The refund uses the amount actually paid, taking purchase discounts into account; bundle refunds are calculated proportionately using the bundle price. Later price changes do not alter that refundable value. Free promotional, bonus or complimentary credits have no cash refund value, subject to applicable law. Credits covered by a request may be reserved during assessment and cannot also be used. Refunded credits are removed; if the request is declined or withdrawn, available reserved credits are released. The same payment or credits cannot be refunded twice. Cancellation or downgrade does not itself forfeit or automatically refund unused purchased credits.
3.7 Refund procedure. Submit a Billing support ticket or email accounts@ficme.app with the invoice or payment reference, account email, reason and, for credits, the number requested or confirmation that the full unused purchased balance is requested. We acknowledge within two business days and aim to resolve within ten business days; the bank may take a further five to ten business days after approval. Applicable statutory deadlines prevail. Approved refunds are returned through the payment provider to the original card or account, as provided in the Cancellation and Refund Policy; we do not offer refunds to a different payment method. This procedure does not defeat a refund required by law. Subscription cancellation or downgrade does not ordinarily refund unused paid time, including paid subscription components or mid-cycle upgrade amounts. Duplicate, incorrect or post-cancellation charges and amounts refundable under the Policy or law remain refundable. Payment-provider dispute rights remain unaffected.
3.8 Consumer rights. Where ECTA (Electronic Communication’s and Transactions Act, 2002) section 44 applies, a consumer may cancel a service transaction without reason or penalty within seven days after concluding it and receive the required refund within 30 days of cancellation. Its statutory exceptions apply, including where services begin with the consumer’s consent during that period; immediate activation alone is not treated as proof of such consent. Other applicable cooling-off, cancellation, prepaid-value and defective-service remedies are preserved. If a fixed-term agreement subject to CPA (Consumer Protection Act, 2008) section 14 is expressly offered, its notice, cancellation, renewal and refund requirements apply; our more favourable month-to-month cancellation facility remains available.
3.9 Price changes and promotions. Subscription price changes apply prospectively from renewal, with reasonable advance notice of material increases and an opportunity to cancel before they take effect, as provided in the Cancellation and Refund Policy. A period already paid for is not repriced. Changes to credit purchase prices or usage rates are disclosed before a new purchase or service authorisation; confirmed orders and accrued refund rights are not retrospectively reduced. Coupons apply only within their disclosed conditions; expiry of a coupon offer does not cause acquired credits to expire. Business days exclude Saturdays, Sundays and South African public holidays.
4. Your content sharing and additional services
You retain your rights in information and documents you upload or submit ("Your Content"). Third parties retain their rights in their material. You grant FICME a limited, non-exclusive licence to host, organise, process, secure, back up, display and transmit Your Content only as reasonably needed to provide your selected services, carry out authorised sharing and meet lawful obligations consistently with the privacy policies. This does not transfer ownership or authorise unrelated advertising, sale of personal information or training of general-purpose AI models on your compliance documents.
User-directed compliance-document sharing is limited to identified subscribing accountable institutions that you specifically authorise, consistently with the Core Privacy Policy. Authorisation is recorded through the applicable secure sharing process, including OTP or another secure authentication method where implemented. Verify the recipient, purpose, information and access duration before approval. An organisational mandate does not automatically authorise consent for every individual named in a document. Necessary service-provider access and legally justified disclosures are governed separately by the privacy policies.
4.1 Linked people and access windows. Linking a person or entity to a business or trust must follow the relevant authority and approval controls. Linking does not provide unrestricted access to all personal information. Each participant’s required authority and lawful basis must cover disclosures through a group or beneficial-ownership chain. The confirmation must identify the included documents, including any generated declaration, and relevant recipients. An access window is a permission period, not the Institution’s statutory retention period. Expiry or withdrawal stops future access under that permission; it cannot retrieve copies already lawfully downloaded or undo a completed external check. Any ongoing authorisation, including future updates, must be expressly selected with its scope and duration disclosed.
4.2 Exports and sharing controls. You must safeguard downloaded information and use or disclose it only within your authority and applicable law. A file downloaded or sent through a device’s sharing function is a separate copy outside FICME’s link controls. Revoking a link cannot recall it. This technical ability does not expand the recipients permitted for platform-directed sharing under the Core Privacy Policy. Institutions must keep information and reports confidential and secure and must not sell, publish or use them for unrelated marketing or disclose them without a lawful basis.
4.3 Automated assistance. AI autofill, categorisation, document matching and readiness indicators assist with administration. Review and correct extracted data, generated declarations and proposed matches before accepting, signing or relying on them. Maintain source documents and verify material changes. A regenerated document must not imply that new or changed information was previously signed; where renewed attestation is needed, obtain it through the signing process.
4.4 Email uploads and mobile use. If you activate an email-to-vault address, ensure it and any forwarding or trusted-sender settings relate to the correct workspace and information you may lawfully submit. Check automatically filed documents and report unexpected uploads. Ordinary email and external sharing channels may carry risks beyond the platform’s controls. Mobile permissions and device authentication remain subject to the device’s settings. Protect the device, use supported software and revoke access if lost. Device biometric unlock is not itself a separate identity-verification service.
4.5 Additional verification and screening. A subscribing Institution may use enabled add-on services to check information lawfully provided by or released about you or your entity for the relevant due diligence purpose, KYC as required in terms of FIC. This may involve submitting necessary identifiers and other relevant details to authorised providers or lawfully accessible sources. The service notice identifies the check, source or provider category and information submitted and received. Services may include company or identity checks and sanctions, politically exposed person and adverse-media screening where actually available and lawfully enabled. References to CIPC, Home Affairs, SARS, FIC resources, Treasury lists or other sources do not promise direct access to a restricted database.
Institutions must establish an applicable lawful basis and obtain any additional consent or authorisation required for each check, including repeated or bulk checks. A previous document release or saved-client entry is not unlimited permission to screen someone for unrelated purposes. FICME must also meet its own processing and any prior-authorisation obligations (as may be applicable). Using a credit provider’s verification interface does not automatically mean that FICME supplies credit reports. Criminal, credit, biometric or other specially regulated checks may be used only where the feature is expressly identified and its legal requirements have been met.
4.6 Verification reports and statutory records. Verification and screening results are presented through FICME for the Institution to review and download. FICME does not store these verification reports. The Institution must promptly download and securely retain the reports, source documents and other evidence needed for its records while authorised access is available. FICME is not appointed as a statutory record keeper under section 24 of the FIC Act. Institutions retain responsibility for the content, accessibility and event-based retention periods of their own records. Platform audit or billing metadata and stored onboarding or signed documents are distinct from verification reports and follow the applicable privacy and retention rules.
4.7 Electronic signing. Where enabled, FICME facilitates delivery of a document for electronic signature and supplies the resulting document and associated audit evidence. The sender must have authority, choose the correct signers and ensure the document is suitable for the offered signature method. Each signer must review the final document, have capacity and authority, and personally perform the required signing step. FICME is not a party to the signed transaction and does not guarantee its enforceability. An ordinary electronic signature is not represented as an accredited advanced electronic signature. Use an appropriate separate process where law requires an advanced signature, witnessing, certification or another formality, or where the transaction falls outside ECTA’s electronic-execution provisions. Download completed documents and evidence; ongoing platform availability does not replace your own retention duties.
5. Acceptable use and rights in the platform
Use of the Service is governed by the Acceptable Use Policy at https://ficme.app/acceptable-use, which forms part of these Terms. You must not submit forged or unlawfully obtained material, evade security controls, impersonate others, conduct unauthorised scraping or testing, or use the Service for an unlawful purpose. Lawful exports and authorised sharing through the Service are permitted.
FICME and its licensors retain their rights in the software, branding, interfaces and platform materials. Subject to these Terms and applicable fees, you receive a limited right to use the Service for your own lawful personal or organisational purposes. This does not authorise resale, sublicensing or commercial copying of the platform. These restrictions do not prevent lawful use, retention or disclosure of your documents or purchased reports within the permitted service scope, or any use protected by law.
6. Privacy and POPIA
The Core Privacy Policy (https://ficme.app/privacy), General Privacy Statement (https://ficme.app/privacy-statement), General POPIA Notice (https://ficme.app/popia), Website Privacy Policy (https://ficme.app/website-privacy) and Cookie Policy (https://ficme.app/cookies) explain the relevant processing. FICME acts as a responsible party for its platform operations. Institutions and other organisations remain responsible for their own processing. A provider’s role depends on the actual activity.
Provide information about others only with the necessary mandate and lawful basis, give required notices and obtain any required consent beforehand. Institutions must secure received information, limit access and further use, assess findings fairly, respond to relevant data-subject requests and meet their own incident-reporting duties. Promptly report a suspected compromise affecting FICME information and cooperate on containment without delaying any statutory notification.
FICME remains responsible for its own safeguards, processing and required notifications. Your Content is not sold or used for unrelated marketing. Optional marketing or tracking choices are separate from essential service communications. Contact privacy@ficme.app for privacy rights or assistance; no account or subscription is required to exercise statutory rights. The PAIA Manual and privacy notices explain the relevant procedures.
7. Availability support and service changes
We take reasonable steps to provide the Service with appropriate care, skill and security, but do not guarantee uninterrupted access or the availability of external sources. Scheduled maintenance, upgrades and necessary security restrictions may affect access. We give reasonable advance notice where practicable and work to restore affected functions. Unless expressly agreed in writing, no particular uptime or support-resolution service level applies.
We may make reasonable changes to the Service. A material reduction or discontinuation of paid functionality requires reasonable advance notice, ordinarily at least 30 days, and an opportunity to cancel. If we cannot supply prepaid services, we provide an appropriate refund or equivalent remedy required by the agreement or law, including settlement of unused refundable credits. Urgent legal or security action may be immediate. Any beta limitation must be disclosed before use and does not remove mandatory rights.
Support is available through https://ficme.app/help and support@ficme.app. Notifications and reminders are assistance, not a substitute for monitoring your legal deadlines or account. Report missing or incorrect alerts. Institutions must maintain suitable alternative arrangements for urgent compliance requirements. For a disruption beyond our reasonable control we notify affected users where practicable, take reasonable mitigation steps and resume performance when possible; the disruption does not remove refund or statutory rights.
8. Scope and limitations of the services
FICME does not give legal, financial, tax or compliance advice. Institutions must independently assess whether information, checks and documents meet their obligations. Nothing in these Terms or the Legal Disclaimer removes an express service commitment or a duty imposed by law.
Subject to those commitments and duties, FICME does not guarantee:
the authenticity of every uploaded document;
the identity or authority of every user merely because that user has an account or badge;
the legal validity of every uploaded or electronically signed document;
acceptance by any institution or regulator;
suitability for a purpose beyond the described service;
the completeness or currency of an external source;
that a profile, checklist or screening result establishes ongoing compliance;
uninterrupted availability; or
that any electronic system will be free from every security threat.
FICME carries out the particular document checks and integrated verification or screening services described for the selected feature. It does not certify or notarise documents merely by receiving, checking or sharing them.
No endorsement certification.
A document-match badge concerns the particular comparison performed; it is not automatically a Home Affairs identity check, proof of document authenticity or confirmation of beneficial ownership. A completeness score or generated declaration is not a legal opinion or certification of FICA compliance. Reports reflect the inputs, sources and time of the check. False positives, missed matches and outdated information are possible. An adverse result is not proof of wrongdoing and a clear result does not establish the absence of risk. Institutions must review material findings, investigate discrepancies and make their own reasoned decisions.
9. Limitation of liability
IMPORTANT: This clause limits certain claims against FICME and its directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors and other authorised representatives acting in connection with the Service (the "Protected Persons"). To the extent permitted by applicable law, subject to express service commitments and the safeguards below, neither FICME nor a Protected Person is liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from use of, or inability to use, the website or services, whether in contract, delict (including ordinary negligence) or otherwise. In accordance with the Legal Disclaimer, loss of profit, revenue, business opportunity or goodwill is excluded whether direct, indirect or consequential, subject always to those safeguards.
FICME and the Protected Persons do not assume responsibility for the following matters to the extent that loss results from them independently of their own actionable conduct:
a user’s inaccurate, incomplete, unlawful or unauthorised submission or disclosure;
reliance beyond the stated scope and limitations of a document or check;
an Institution’s or other recipient’s independent compliance, onboarding, risk or commercial decision;
a user’s failure to protect credentials, OTPs, devices or share links;
an external network, utility or infrastructure failure beyond FICME’s reasonable control;
a natural disaster, war, civil disturbance or other event beyond FICME’s reasonable control;
an independent third party’s conduct, subject to FICME’s own duties concerning selection, integration, security and processing;
a necessary and proportionate restriction imposed in accordance with these Terms; or
a user’s breach of these Terms or applicable law. These provisions do not exclude liability to the extent that FICME or a Protected Person caused or contributed to the loss through actionable conduct.
Subject to the safeguards below, the total aggregate liability of FICME and the Protected Persons to you for direct loss arising from the services, whether in contract, delict (including ordinary negligence) or otherwise, shall not exceed twice the aggregate of (a) the subscription fee paid or payable for the affected account for the calendar month in which the event giving rise to the claim first occurred; and (b) the amount paid for credits purchased for that account during that same calendar month. This is one combined cap for all claims arising from events first occurring in that month, collectively against FICME and the Protected Persons, not a separate cap for each claim or representative. Claims arising from the same event or a series of related events are attributed to the month of the first event, irrespective of when the loss is discovered or the claim is made. Credit purchases are counted once, irrespective of when used; balances carried forward from earlier months and free or promotional credits are excluded. For a subscription paid in advance for several months, only the proportion attributable to the relevant month is included.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct or gross negligence, or any duty, liability, right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including under the Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008 ("CPA"), POPIA or the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 25 of 2002 ("ECTA"). The cap does not reduce any refund or repayment otherwise due under the applicable agreement or law. Regulatory powers and the statutory rights of non-contracting data subjects are unaffected. This clause binds only persons bound by the relevant agreement; it does not bind someone merely because their information appears on FICME.
The protections expressly afforded to Protected Persons are intended as third-party benefits which each may accept and invoke in their own name, subject to the same limitations, shared cap and statutory safeguards. No person may recover the same loss twice. This clause must be read with the Legal Disclaimer and does not exclude an express service commitment or mandatory liability.
10. Indemnity
IMPORTANT: To the extent permitted by law, you indemnify and hold harmless FICME and the Protected Persons against loss, damage, liability, third-party claims and reasonable legal costs to the extent caused by:
your material breach of these Terms or unlawful conduct;
your intentional or negligent misuse of the Service;
content you submit or disclose without the required authority or lawful basis;
your failure to meet legal duties applicable to your own processing or use of the Service;
your infringement of another person’s intellectual property, privacy or other rights;
use of personal information; or
your unlawful submission or disclosure of personal information, or breach of the authority, consent or accuracy undertakings applicable to that submission. This includes related proceedings and any administrative fine or penalty only to the extent that reimbursement is lawful and attributable to your breach. It does not transfer liability for FICME’s or a Protected Person’s own unlawful conduct, negligence, breach of statutory duty or failure to perform an agreed obligation, or remove a data subject’s rights.
We must notify you promptly of the claim, provide reasonable information and allow reasonable participation in its defence. Failure to notify reduces the indemnity to the extent it prejudices you. No settlement binding you may be made without your consent, not to be unreasonably withheld. We retain control where necessary to protect confidential information or comply with law, mitigate reasonably and may recover only loss properly attributable to the covered conduct. The indemnity does not limit a third party’s or regulator’s rights.
11. Cancellation suspension and account closure
You may cancel a paid subscription through Billing at any time before renewal. Cancellation stops the next renewal; paid features continue until the end of the paid period, after which the account moves to the free plan, subject to its limits. Follow the Cancellation and Refund Policy for cancellation, downgrades, outstanding amounts and refunds. Cancelling the paid plan does not itself close your account, delete its content or forfeit unused purchased credits. Content over free-plan limits may become read-only or unavailable until you upgrade or reduce usage. Reactivation restores access to content lawfully retained.
For a remediable material breach we ordinarily give written notice and a reasonable opportunity to remedy before termination. Immediate proportionate restriction is permitted where reasonably necessary to protect people, information or the Service, prevent unlawful activity or comply with law. We explain the reason and review channel where lawful and appropriate. Termination must still comply with any mandatory notice or remedy period, including CPA section 14 where applicable. You may request review at support@ficme.app.
FICME may otherwise discontinue an account or service on at least 30 days’ written notice, subject to any fixed-term commitment and applicable law, with appropriate settlement of prepaid amounts. Extended free-plan inactivity may lead to deletion only where lawful under the Cancellation and Refund Policy and privacy policies. We give reasonable advance notice and an opportunity to obtain copies. FICME’s retention is for its own justified purposes and is not an assumption of an Institution’s FIC Act record-keeping duties. We may preserve relevant evidence and make disclosures where lawfully justified.
Account closure is separate from subscription cancellation. On a confirmed account-closure request, we ordinarily provide a 30-day export window beginning when we notify you that the request is confirmed, in accordance with the Core Privacy Policy. Access remains subject to security and third-party rights; contact privacy@ficme.app for assistance. After that window, account content is deleted or effectively de-identified unless limited further retention is lawfully justified. Backups are isolated from ordinary use and removed through the applicable deletion cycle, including deletion controls on restoration. Statutory correction or deletion requests are assessed under POPIA and are not automatically deferred for 30 days. Closure does not erase copies already lawfully held by an Institution or override its independent duties.
Before closure we reconcile charges and refundable credit balances. No balance is forfeited merely because an account is closed; any proposed set-off must be lawful, explained and limited to amounts properly due. Terms concerning accrued payments, confidentiality, permitted record retention, intellectual property, liability, indemnity and disputes survive only as necessary to give them effect. Statutory information rights continue after termination.
12. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms for changes to the Service, law or reasonable operational requirements. We publish the revised version and effective date and notify affected users by email or in the app at least 30 days before a material adverse change, allowing cancellation before it takes effect. Earlier changes are limited to what is reasonably necessary for legal or urgent security reasons, with prompt notice where lawful. Changes do not retrospectively remove accrued rights or reduce existing credit balances. Fresh agreement or consent is obtained where required by law. Price changes follow clause 3.
13. Governing law and disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, subject to any mandatory rights that apply.
Please first notify support@ficme.app or legal@ficme.app of a service dispute, with sufficient detail for investigation. The parties will seek a good-faith resolution within 30 days. This process does not suspend prescription or statutory deadlines or prevent an immediate complaint or remedy available by law.
If unresolved, the parties may agree to mediation by mutually agreed mediator, or alternatively one appointed through the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa ("AFSA").
Nothing in this clause prevents urgent court relief, access to a competent regulator, ombud or tribunal, or the exercise of non-excludable consumer, POPIA or PAIA remedies. In particular, a POPIA complaint may be made directly to the Information Regulator without completing FICME’s internal process. PAIA remedies follow the PAIA Manual and applicable law.
If a provision is unlawful or unenforceable, it is severed only to the extent permitted by law and the remaining provisions continue where they can operate fairly. A failure to enforce a right is not a waiver. A transfer of FICME’s business must preserve applicable user rights and privacy obligations and be notified where required. An account or subscription will not otherwise be transferred without agreement. These Terms and the expressly incorporated documents record the agreement, without excluding liability for misrepresentation or mandatory rights.
14. Contact and supplier particulars
Supplier: FICME (Pty) Ltd, a private company registered in South Africa, registration number 2026/646530/07. Website: https://ficme.app/. Physical address: 3 Rose Street, Wellington, Western Cape, 7655. Telephone: +27 21 864 5180. General and technical support: support@ficme.app or the support-ticket facility. Billing and refunds: accounts@ficme.app. Legal notices and contractual enquiries: legal@ficme.app. Privacy and data-subject rights: privacy@ficme.app. Security incidents: security@ficme.app.