Terms & Conditions

1. About these terms

The BHUTI Safety Hub (the platform) is operated in the Republic of South Africa. These terms are published in terms of section 11 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA) and apply to every visitor and registered user.

By using the platform you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please stop using the platform. Where you use the platform on behalf of a business or organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to accept these terms for it.

2. Who may use the platform

You must be 18 or older to register, make bookings or upload content. A parent or legal guardian may use the platform on behalf of a minor in an emergency or safety matter.

You must give accurate information, keep your login details confidential and tell us immediately if you believe your account has been used without your permission. You remain responsible for activity under your account.

3. Our role as an intermediary

BHUTI is a technology platform that lists independent service providers and lets you contact them. We are not a security company, armed response service, ambulance service, law enforcement agency or emergency dispatch centre.

Providers are independent third parties. They are not our employees, agents or representatives, and they are responsible for their own licences, registrations, insurance, staff, equipment and the services they deliver. A listing or verification badge confirms only that the documents we asked for were supplied and reviewed; it is not a guarantee of the quality or availability of a service.

4. Bookings, rates and payment

Rates, call-out fees and availability shown on a listing are indicative and supplied by the provider. A booking request is an invitation to the provider to quote or accept, and a contract for services comes into existence between you and the provider when the provider accepts.

The platform may charge fees for certain features, such as Guard Credits used for live escorted trips. Any such fee is shown before you confirm the transaction. Payments made directly to a provider are governed by that provider's own terms.

5. Emergencies and high-risk use

The platform is not a replacement for the national emergency numbers. In a life-threatening emergency, call 10111 (SAPS), 10177 (ambulance) or 112 from any mobile network first.

Emergency alerts sent through the platform depend on network coverage, device location and provider availability. Delivery of an alert is not confirmation that a responder is on the way, and you should always follow up with the official emergency services.

6. Acceptable use

You may not use the platform to break the law, threaten or harass anyone, publish hate speech, share another person's private information without consent, impersonate a police officer, official or another user, submit knowingly false reports, or interfere with the security and operation of the platform.

You may not scrape, copy or resell platform data, upload malware, or use the platform to send unsolicited marketing. We may suspend or close an account that breaches these rules, and we may report unlawful conduct to the South African Police Service.

7. Content you upload

You keep ownership of the photos, videos, statements and other content you upload. You give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display and share that content for the purpose of operating the platform and, where you reported an incident, routing it to the relevant authority.

You confirm that you own the content or have permission to share it, and that it does not infringe anyone else's rights. Content that is unlawful, harmful or misleading may be removed.

8. Liability

We take reasonable care in operating the platform, but it is provided on an "as available" basis. We do not warrant that every listing is accurate, that a provider will respond, or that the platform will be free of interruptions.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for the acts and omissions of independent providers. Nothing in these terms limits rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, or our liability for gross negligence, wilful misconduct or death and personal injury caused by our own conduct.

9. Changes, termination and governing law

We may update these terms from time to time and will publish the current version on this page with a new date. Continued use after an update means you accept the updated terms.

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Disputes should first be raised with us so that we can try to resolve them. Consumers may also approach the National Consumer Commission, and either party may approach a court with jurisdiction.

10. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent through the contact channels listed on our Contact page.