Legal & trust
Terms and Conditions
The rules that apply when you visit, register, publish, buy, sell or advertise through The Whereabouts.
Effective 28 July 2026 · Last updated 28 July 2026
Platform operator and contact details
The Whereabouts is a trading name and publication operated by Owlytic (Pty) Ltd, a South African private company with registration number 2024/576231/07.
References to “The Whereabouts”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean Owlytic (Pty) Ltd in its capacity as platform operator, publisher or direct service provider, as the context requires. The statutory Information Officer is the head of Owlytic (Pty) Ltd.
1. Acceptance and related terms
By using the website, creating an account, submitting content, placing an order or buying advertising, you agree to these Terms. The Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Marketplace Buyer Terms, Seller Agreement, Advertising Terms, Listing Guidelines, Shipping and Delivery Policy and Returns, Refunds and Cancellations Policy form part of the agreement where they apply to your activity.
You must be at least 18 years old and have legal capacity to transact, or act with the authority and supervision of a parent, guardian or authorised representative.
2. What the platform provides
The Whereabouts provides local discovery, directory, editorial, advertising, subscription, account and marketplace technology. We may review and moderate submissions, but moderation is not an endorsement, guarantee or professional verification of a user, seller, product, service, event, job, property, statement or advertisement.
For marketplace goods and seller-supplied services, the seller named on the product page and order is the supplier and contracting party. Owlytic supplies the platform and may collect payment as the seller’s limited collection agent. When Owlytic sells its own advertising, publishing or platform service, Owlytic is the direct supplier of that service.
3. Accounts and security
You must provide accurate information, protect your password and promptly tell us about unauthorised use. You are responsible for activity through your account unless the law provides otherwise. We may require verification, suspend access, reverse an unsafe action or close an account where reasonably necessary to protect users, comply with law, investigate fraud or enforce these Terms.
4. Listings, reviews and user content
You retain ownership of content you submit. You grant Owlytic a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, reproduce, resize, format and display that content for operating and promoting The Whereabouts and the relevant listing, product, event or campaign. You warrant that the content is accurate, lawful and that you hold every required right and permission.
We may refuse, edit for formatting, pause or remove content that is unlawful, harmful, misleading, inaccurate, duplicated, infringing, unsafe, discriminatory, defamatory, deceptive or inconsistent with the Listing Guidelines. We will not materially alter the commercial meaning of paid advertising without the advertiser’s approval.
5. Pricing, payment and transaction review
Prices are displayed in South African rand. Before payment, the checkout allows you to review the items, quantities, seller, delivery selections, totals and contact details and to return to the cart or fields to correct errors. A submitted order is an offer to transact and is accepted when the applicable supplier confirms it or starts performance, subject to stock, payment verification and lawful cancellation rights.
Payments may be processed by PayFast or another disclosed payment provider under that provider’s terms and security controls. Never send card details by email or support message.
6. Third-party sellers and services
Each marketplace seller is solely responsible for its products, descriptions, stock, pricing, product safety, licences, customer communications, packaging, delivery or courier appointment, warranties, returns, refunds, cancellations, taxes and compliance with consumer and other applicable law. Courier and payment services remain responsible for their own services and terms. Owlytic does not take possession of, pack, warehouse, manufacture or deliver seller goods.
Owlytic may facilitate communications, preserve records, hold or reverse settlement, provide a complaint channel or issue a refund where required by law, payment-provider rules, fraud controls or these Terms. Doing so does not make Owlytic the seller or courier and does not assume the seller’s underlying fulfilment obligations.
7. Availability and acceptable use
You may not misuse the platform, introduce malicious code, scrape personal information, interfere with security, impersonate another person, manipulate reviews, evade charges, make unlawful offers or use the service to infringe rights. We may update, secure, limit or discontinue a feature on reasonable notice where practical.
8. Intellectual property
The Whereabouts name, logo, site design, original editorial work, software and other Owlytic materials are protected by intellectual-property law. No licence is granted except the limited right to use the website for its intended purpose.
9. Disclaimers and limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the platform is provided on an “as available” basis. Owlytic does not guarantee uninterrupted access, a particular audience, ranking, sales volume, advertising result or the accuracy of third-party content.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Owlytic is not liable for indirect, special or consequential loss arising from a seller’s goods, a courier’s service, third-party content or an event outside Owlytic’s reasonable control. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by a legally responsible party, or any right or liability that the Consumer Protection Act, Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, Protection of Personal Information Act or other applicable law does not permit to be excluded.
10. Complaints and disputes
First contact the seller about a marketplace product, delivery, return or refund and keep a written record. If unresolved, send the order number and supporting information to hello@whereabouts.co.za. Complaints about Owlytic services may be sent to hello@owlytic.co.za. We will acknowledge and route the matter, preserve relevant platform records and take any action required of us by law.
These Terms are governed by the laws of South Africa. The parties submit to the jurisdiction of a competent South African court, without limiting a consumer’s right to approach the National Consumer Commission, a consumer tribunal, the Information Regulator or another competent statutory body.
11. Changes and severability
We may update these Terms for legal, security, operational or feature changes. The date above shows the current version. Material changes will be communicated where reasonably required. If a provision is unenforceable, it will be limited or severed without invalidating the remaining provisions.
