Our commitments
- No surfer profile goes live without signed consent from the surfer's parent or guardian.
- Consent is renewed annually. A surfer (or parent/guardian) can revoke consent at any time, and the profile is removed within 7 days, no questions asked.
- We never publish a minor's contact details, school name, or home address. Locations are at the level of "Umzumbe Point" or "South Coast", not specific to where a child can be found.
- No direct contact surface to any surfer. Every contact form, DM, and email routes through a named adult at USC.
- We never share surfer photos, videos, or information with third parties — including sponsors, media, or partners — without renewed, written consent for that specific use.
- Merch tied to a specific surfer (e.g., a Khanya-edition t-shirt) requires a separate signed likeness license over and above the media consent.
Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO)
Our DSO is responsible for all safeguarding concerns and decisions on consent, takedowns, and contact. The DSO is structurally independent of USC's content publishers and fundraising leads.
Current DSO: TBD
Confidential email: safeguarding@umzumbesurfclub.com
Pending appointment. Per DESIGN.md, the DSO must be appointed and named before public launch. An independent DSO (not the founder or content owner) is the required end-state.
How to raise a concern
If you have any concern about a child featured on this site, or anyone associated with USC, please contact our DSO directly. All reports are treated confidentially and acted on without delay.
For urgent concerns about a child's immediate safety in South Africa, contact Childline SA on 116 (24/7, free from any phone) or visit childlinesa.org.za.
Takedown SLA
Any surfer or guardian can request the immediate removal of a profile, photo, story, or merch listing tied to them. Removal is fulfilled within 7 calendar days. There is no impact on funds already raised — those remain ringfenced in the surfer's account.
Right to be forgotten
A surfer at 16 may not want their 22-year-old self associated with content on this site. Annual consent renewal is the default, with a one-click off-ramp to archive (private) or fully delete (public) their profile.
Training and selection
Every adult with publishing access to USC's site has completed South African Sports Federation safeguarding training and submitted to a criminal background check. We do not work with anyone whose background check returns a child-protection-related concern.
Reviews
This policy is reviewed annually by the DSO and our NPO lawyer. Material changes are published here and communicated to all featured surfers and their parents/guardians.