Wisdom Bible University, SA

Wisdom Bible University, SA (WBU-SA)

POPIA Student Enrolment Privacy Notice

Wisdom Bible University South Africa (WBU-SA)
Effective date: 16 September 2026

Wisdom Bible University South Africa respects the privacy of applicants and students. This notice explains how the University collects, uses, stores, protects and shares personal information during applications, admission, enrolment, study, assessment, graduation and related student administration.

This notice is issued in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

1. Responsible Party

For enrolment and student administration purposes, the responsible party is:

Wisdom Bible University South Africa (WBU-SA)
77B Sakhasonke Street
Walmer, Port Elizabeth
Eastern Cape, 6070
South Africa

Privacy contact: Office of the Registrar
Email: registrar@wbu-sa.org

The Office of the Registrar is the custodian of official student enrolment and academic records. Privacy enquiries and requests relating to student information should be submitted to this office.

2. What POPIA Requires

  1. Process personal information lawfully, reasonably and without unjustifiably infringing a person’s privacy.
  2. Collect only information that is adequate, relevant and not excessive for the stated purpose.
  3. Collect information for a specific, clearly defined and lawful purpose.
  4. Inform applicants about the information being collected, why it is required and how it will be used.
  5. Collect information directly from the applicant unless POPIA permits collection from another source.
  6. Keep personal information complete, accurate, not misleading and updated where necessary.
  7. Protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised access, destruction, disclosure or unlawful processing.
  8. Retain information only for as long as it is lawfully required.
  9. Allow applicants and students to request access to, correction of or, where legally permissible, deletion of their information.
  10. Apply additional protection when processing children’s information or special personal information.
  11. Notify the Information Regulator and affected persons when a qualifying security compromise occurs.

3. Personal Information We May Collect

Depending on the programme and stage of the application, WBU-SA may collect:

  1. Full names and previous names, where applicable.
  2. Date of birth, age and gender.
  3. Nationality, country of residence and preferred language.
  4. Residential, postal and physical addresses.
  5. Telephone numbers and email addresses.
  6. National identity, passport or other identification information where verification is required.
  7. A photograph where reasonably necessary for identity or student-record purposes.
  8. Previous educational qualifications, certificates, transcripts and academic history.
  9. The level, programme and intake for which the applicant is applying.
  10. Employment, ministry or professional experience where relevant to admission.
  11. Temporary admission numbers, student numbers and other unique identifiers assigned by the University.
  12. Application correspondence, supporting documents and verification records.
  13. Administrative-fee or payment information where applicable.
  14. LMS login, course participation, assessment, academic-progress and graduation information.
  15. Technical records generated through the website or LMS, such as login dates, security logs and account activity.
  16. Special personal information only where it is relevant, necessary and lawfully authorised.

4. How Information Is Collected

Personal information will ordinarily be collected directly from the applicant through:

  1. Online or printed application and enrolment forms.
  2. Documents uploaded or submitted by the applicant.
  3. Email, telephone, WhatsApp or other authorised correspondence.
  4. Interviews, assessments and verification processes.
  5. The University’s website, student portal and LMS.

WBU-SA may obtain information from another educational institution, referee, public record or authorised verification source only where the applicant has consented or another lawful ground under section 12 of POPIA applies.

5. Purposes of Collection

Personal information may be processed for the following specific purposes:

  1. Receiving and assessing applications.
  2. Determining whether admission requirements have been satisfied.
  3. Verifying identity, qualifications and supporting documents.
  4. Communicating application decisions and requests for additional information.
  5. Assigning temporary admission and permanent student numbers.
  6. Registering successful applicants in the University’s official records.
  7. Creating website, student-portal and LMS accounts.
  8. Managing teaching, learning, assessments, examinations and academic progress.
  9. Issuing admission letters, results, transcripts and certificates.
  10. Managing student support, graduation and alumni verification.
  11. Administering applicable fees and maintaining financial records.
  12. Preventing fraud, impersonation, misconduct and unauthorised system access.
  13. Complying with applicable legal, regulatory, accreditation and reporting obligations.
  14. Responding to lawful enquiries from regulators, accreditation bodies or public authorities.
  15. Producing statistical or research reports, preferably in aggregated or de-identified form.

Personal information will not be used for an unrelated or incompatible purpose unless the applicant is informed and a lawful ground exists.

6. Lawful Grounds for Processing

WBU-SA will process enrolment information only where one or more lawful grounds under section 11 of POPIA apply, including:

  1. The applicant has given voluntary, specific and informed consent.
  2. Processing is necessary to take steps requested by the applicant before enrolment or to administer the educational relationship after enrolment.
  3. Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.
  4. Processing protects a legitimate interest of the applicant.
  5. Processing is necessary for the legitimate academic, administrative, security or record-keeping interests of WBU-SA or an authorised third party.

Consent will not be treated as the only lawful ground for essential admissions and student-administration activities. Where processing depends specifically on consent, that consent may be withdrawn. Withdrawal will not invalidate processing already lawfully completed or processing justified by another lawful ground.

7. Mandatory and Voluntary Information

  1. Fields marked as required on an application or enrolment form are mandatory for the relevant application process.
  2. Information not marked as required is normally voluntary unless the applicant is subsequently informed that it is necessary for a particular lawful purpose.
  3. Failure to provide mandatory information may prevent WBU-SA from verifying the application, making an admission decision, enrolling the applicant, creating a student record or providing the requested educational service.
  4. Applicants will not be required to provide irrelevant or excessive information.

8. Special Personal Information

Information relating to religious beliefs, race or ethnic origin, health, sex life, biometric information, political persuasion, trade-union membership or criminal behaviour receives additional protection under POPIA.

WBU-SA will:

  1. Collect such information only when it is genuinely necessary and legally permitted.
  2. Obtain specific consent where consent is the applicable lawful ground.
  3. Restrict access to authorised persons who require the information for their duties.
  4. Treat health or accommodation-related information confidentially.
  5. Not disclose information concerning a person’s religious or philosophical beliefs to third parties without consent, except where another law clearly authorises the disclosure.
  6. Avoid collecting biometric or criminal-behaviour information unless a specific lawful need has been established.

9. Information About Children

For POPIA purposes, a child is generally a person under 18 years of age who is not legally competent to act without assistance.

Where an applicant is a child:

  1. WBU-SA will ordinarily require the prior consent of a legally competent parent, guardian or other competent person.
  2. The competent person must be given this privacy notice.
  3. Additional safeguards must be applied to the child’s information.
  4. The competent person may request access to or correction of the child’s information, subject to applicable law.
  5. Information about a child will not be used for an incompatible purpose without proper legal authority.

10. Persons Who May Receive the Information

Personal information may be disclosed, strictly on a need-to-know basis, to:

  1. Authorised staff in the Registrar’s and Admissions Offices.
  2. The Assistant Registrar, Senior Registrar and authorised admissions officers.
  3. Academic officers, deans, lecturers, examiners and student-support personnel where necessary.
  4. Authorised LMS, website and information-technology administrators.
  5. Finance or administrative personnel where payment or record-keeping functions require it.
  6. Graduation and records-verification personnel.
  7. Contracted service providers that host or support the website, LMS, email, cloud storage or related systems.
  8. Regulators, accreditation bodies, courts or public authorities where disclosure is authorised or required by law.
  9. Previous institutions, referees or verification services where verification is lawful and necessary.

WBU-SA will not sell applicants’ or students’ personal information.

11. Service Providers and Operators

A service provider that processes personal information on behalf of WBU-SA is an “operator” under POPIA. WBU-SA must ensure that:

  1. The operator processes information only with WBU-SA’s knowledge or authority.
  2. Personal information is treated as confidential.
  3. Appropriate security measures are maintained.
  4. The security obligations are recorded in a written contract where required.
  5. The operator promptly informs WBU-SA if unauthorised access or acquisition is suspected.

12. Transfers Outside South Africa

The University’s website, LMS, email, hosting or cloud-service providers may process or store information outside South Africa.

Where a cross-border transfer occurs, WBU-SA will rely on a ground permitted by section 72 of POPIA, such as:

  1. Adequate legal or contractual protection in the receiving country.
  2. A binding agreement requiring protection substantially similar to POPIA.
  3. The applicant’s informed consent.
  4. A transfer necessary for the application or educational relationship.
  5. Another lawful ground recognised by section 72.

Further information about relevant service providers and transfer safeguards may be requested from the Registrar’s Office.

13. Information Quality

Applicants and students must provide information that is accurate and complete.

WBU-SA will take reasonably practicable steps to keep personal information accurate, complete, not misleading and updated where necessary. Applicants and students should promptly notify the Registrar’s Office of changes to their name, address, email, telephone number or other important enrolment information.

14. Security of Personal Information

WBU-SA will apply appropriate and reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect enrolment and student information. These measures should include:

  1. Role-based and password-protected access.
  2. Limiting access to staff who require the information for authorised duties.
  3. Confidentiality obligations for staff and service providers.
  4. Secure storage, transmission and backup procedures.
  5. Strong authentication and responsible password practices.
  6. Periodic assessment of internal and external information-security risks.
  7. Regular review and improvement of safeguards.
  8. Procedures for responding to suspected loss, misuse or unauthorised access.

No internet-based system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but WBU-SA will take reasonable measures required by section 19 of POPIA.

15. Retention and Destruction

Personal information will not be retained longer than is necessary unless:

  1. Retention is required or authorised by law.
  2. It is reasonably required for lawful academic, administrative, accreditation, financial, contractual or record-verification purposes.
  3. The applicant or student has consented to longer retention.
  4. It is retained for historical, statistical or research purposes with appropriate safeguards.

Core academic records, including student numbers, enrolment history, results, qualifications and transcript-verification records, may need to be retained for an extended period for legitimate academic-record purposes.

When WBU-SA is no longer authorised to retain information, it must be securely destroyed, deleted or de-identified so that it cannot reasonably be reconstructed.

16. Further Use of Information

Information collected for enrolment will not be used for an incompatible purpose. Before using information for a new purpose, WBU-SA will consider:

  1. The relationship between the original and proposed purposes.
  2. The nature and sensitivity of the information.
  3. Possible consequences for the applicant or student.
  4. How the information was originally collected.
  5. Applicable contractual and legal obligations.

Where necessary, a new notice, consent or other lawful authority will be obtained.

17. Direct Marketing and Publicity

Administrative messages about an application, enrolment, course, assessment, account or graduation are service communications and are not treated as optional marketing.

For promotional messages, testimonials, photographs or publicity:

  1. Separate consent or another lawful ground must be established.
  2. Consent for marketing must not be bundled unnecessarily with essential enrolment processing.
  3. Every electronic marketing communication must identify the sender and provide a reasonable method to opt out.
  4. An applicant’s photograph, testimonial or personal story will not be published merely because the person completed an enrolment form.

18. Automated Decisions

WBU-SA does not intend to make final admission decisions based solely on automated processing that produces legal or similarly significant consequences.

If automated decision-making is introduced, applicants must be informed and provided with appropriate safeguards, including an opportunity to make representations where required by section 71 of POPIA.

19. Applicant and Student Rights

Subject to POPIA, PAIA and adequate proof of identity, an applicant or student may:

  1. Ask whether WBU-SA holds personal information about them.
  2. Request access to or a description of that information.
  3. Request information about third parties or categories of third parties that have received it.
  4. Request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, irrelevant, excessive or outdated information.
  5. Request deletion or destruction where WBU-SA is no longer legally authorised to retain the information.
  6. Object to processing based on legitimate interests where reasonable grounds exist.
  7. Withdraw consent where processing depends on consent.
  8. Object to direct marketing at any time.
  9. Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.
  10. Institute civil proceedings where permitted by POPIA.

A reasonable prescribed fee may apply to certain formal access requests. The applicant will be informed of any applicable fee before the requested records are supplied.

20. Security Compromises

Where there are reasonable grounds to believe that personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, WBU-SA must notify the Information Regulator and affected persons as soon as reasonably possible, subject to lawful investigative requirements.

The notification must provide sufficient information to help affected persons take protective measures.

21. Privacy Requests and Internal Complaints

Requests for access, correction, objection, restriction or deletion should be sent to:

Office of the Registrar
Wisdom Bible University South Africa
Email: registrar@wbu-sa.org
Address: 77B Sakhasonke Street, Walmer, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape 6070, South Africa

The person making the request may be required to provide adequate proof of identity. Identification documents supplied for this purpose will be used only to verify the request.

22. Complaints to the Information Regulator

A person who believes that their personal information has been processed unlawfully may lodge a complaint with:

Information Regulator South Africa
Woodmead North Office Park
54 Maxwell Drive
Woodmead, Johannesburg, South Africa
Telephone: 010 023 5200
Toll-free: 0800 017 160
Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
Complaints portal: https://eservices.inforegulator.org.za/

23. Acknowledgement of This Notice

Submitting an enrolment form confirms that the applicant has been given an opportunity to read this notice. It does not constitute blanket consent to every possible use of personal information.

Where POPIA requires specific consent – for example, for an optional testimonial, photograph, direct marketing or particular special personal information – WBU-SA will request that consent separately.

24. Changes to This Notice

WBU-SA may update this notice when its enrolment processes, systems, service providers or legal obligations change. The current version and effective date will be published on the University website.

25. Legal References

This notice should be read with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013, particularly sections 8-24, 26-35, 55, 57-58, 69, 71 and 72.

Official Act:
South African Government – Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013

Information Regulator:
Information Regulator South Africa