Terms & Conditions

These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle personal information under POPIA, and our Commission & Referral Disclosure.

1. About these Terms

1.1 These Terms govern your use of Aerarium, a record-keeping and transparency tool for stokvels, burial societies, investment clubs and savings groups, provided by Aerarium (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2026/614186/07, a company incorporated in the Republic of South Africa (“Aerarium”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

1.2 By creating an account, recording information, or opening a shared ledger link, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1.3 These Terms are written in plain language on purpose. Where a word is capitalised, it has the meaning given in clause 2.

2. Definitions

2.1 “Service” means the Aerarium website, application, and related features.

2.2 “Group” means a stokvel, burial society, investment club, savings group or similar association using the Service.

2.3 “Treasurer” means the person who creates and administers a Group’s record on the Service. “Owner” means the Treasurer who created the Group and holds its highest permissions.

2.4 “Member” means a person belonging to a Group whose contributions or payouts are recorded. Members access a read-only ledger link and are not required to create an account.

2.5 “Referrer” means a person who introduces Groups to Aerarium and earns a commission for doing so (see clause 9).

2.6 “Record” means the information a Treasurer or authorised person enters into the Service.

3. What Aerarium is — and is not

3.1 Aerarium is a tool for recording and displaying a Group’s money movements. It helps a Group keep an honest, transparent record and share it with its Members.

3.2 Aerarium never takes custody of your money. We do not hold, receive, move, invest, or control any Group’s funds. All money stays with the Group and its Members at all times. The Service is a record of money, not a bank, wallet, or payment processor.

3.3 Aerarium does not give financial advice. Nothing in the Service is financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, or a recommendation to save, lend, invest, or transact in any way. Decisions about a Group’s money are made entirely by the Group and its Members.

3.4 Aerarium does not share a Member’s personal information without that Member’s own consent. See clause 11.

3.5 Aerarium records what it is told. We do not verify, guarantee, or take responsibility for the accuracy of information a Treasurer or other person enters. The Group is responsible for the truth of its own Record.

4. Eligibility and accounts

4.1 You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a binding agreement to create an account.

4.2 A Treasurer signs in using a secure link sent to their email. You are responsible for keeping access to your email account secure, and for activity that happens under your account.

4.3 Members are not required to register. A Member accesses a Group’s ledger through a link shared by the Treasurer, and, where the Group has enabled it, may verify their own phone number to view certain items (such as bank statements).

5. Treasurer responsibilities

5.1 The Treasurer is the Group’s record-keeper. You are responsible for entering accurate information, for how you run the Group, and for complying with the Group’s own rules and constitution.

5.2 You must have the authority to record information about your Group and its Members, and to share the ledger link with them.

5.3 Corrections are made by voiding an entry with a reason, not by silent deletion. This keeps the Record honest and is a core feature of the Service.

5.4 Disputes between Members, or between a Member and a Group, are the Group’s responsibility to resolve. Aerarium is not a party to them.

6. Member access

6.1 Members are given a read-only view of the Group’s ledger. Members cannot record, edit, or void entries.

6.2 The ledger shows contribution and payout information and the Group’s recorded position. Where a Group lends money, individual borrower identities are not shown on the shared ledger — only aggregate totals.

7. Fees, trial and billing

7.1 The Service is billed to the Treasurer on a per-Member basis per month. The first Member of each Group is free; each additional active Member is charged at the then-current rate. Pricing is shown on our website and may change on reasonable notice.

7.2 New Groups may receive a free trial period. For founding pilot Groups, any trial and rate arrangement communicated to that Group applies as agreed.

7.3 Aerarium does not accept or store card details on the Service. Payment is made by invoice, through a hosted payment link provided by our payment partner, or by EFT using the reference on your invoice. You enter payment details only with the payment partner, never with Aerarium.

7.4 If an invoice is unpaid, we may soft-lock recording for the Group after reasonable notice. A soft-lock stops new entries being recorded; it never takes the Group’s existing ledger offline. The public ledger link stays available.

7.5 Fees are exclusive of any taxes that may apply. You are responsible for any taxes on your side.

8. The loan book

8.1 Where a Group lends money, the loan book records what the Group tells us: amounts lent, repayments, any interest the Group says it received, and any write-offs. Aerarium does not calculate interest, set repayment terms, assess affordability, manage debt, or provide any credit or lending service.

8.2 The Service is not a credit provider and does not perform any function regulated under the National Credit Act or the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act. Any lending a Group does is the Group’s own arrangement, recorded for transparency only.

9. Referrals and commissions

9.1 People who introduce Groups to Aerarium (“Referrers”) earn a commission from Aerarium based on the active membership of the Groups they refer. Referrers may include individuals who also act as a Group’s Treasurer or Member.

9.2 All such commissions are paid by Aerarium and do not affect the fees payable by any Group. A referred Group pays exactly the same as any other Group.

9.3 Referrers receive only aggregate membership counts and no Member personal information. Commissions are single-level and are paid only on Groups a Referrer personally refers. There is no multi-level or recruiting structure.

9.4 Full details are set out in our Commission & Referral Disclosure, and Referrers are additionally bound by a separate Referrer Agreement.

10. Partner offers

10.1 The Service may display offers from third-party partners (for example funeral cover, savings products, or bulk-buying). These are listed alphabetically. Aerarium does not rank, recommend, endorse, or advise on any offer.

10.2 Your details are only shared with a partner if you actively choose an offer and give your explicit consent first. Any product you take up is a matter between you and that partner, on their terms.

11. Your data and POPIA

11.1 We process personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), and our Privacy Policy.

11.2 A Treasurer records information about their Group and Members to run the Group’s record. In doing so the Group is responsible for having a lawful basis to record that information.

11.3 We do not share a Member’s personal information with third parties without that Member’s own consent. Consent events are logged as an audit trail. Referrers and partners never receive Member personal information except where a Member has personally consented (clause 10).

11.4 You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information as provided by POPIA and our Privacy Policy, subject to records we must retain by law.

12. Acceptable use

12.1 You must not use the Service unlawfully, to defraud or mislead Members, to launder money, to record information you have no right to record, or to interfere with the Service’s security or operation.

12.2 We may suspend access where we reasonably believe these Terms are being breached.

13. Intellectual property

13.1 Aerarium, its name, branding, and software are owned by us. Your Record and your data remain yours; you can export it at any time. You grant us only the permission needed to host and display the Service to you and your Group.

14. Disclaimers

14.1 The Service is provided “as is”. To the extent permitted by law, we do not warrant that it will be uninterrupted or error-free.

14.2 We are not responsible for a Group’s money, for the accuracy of what is recorded, for decisions Members make, or for disputes within a Group. The Service is a record; it is not advice, a guarantee, or a party to your Group’s affairs.

15. Limitation of liability

15.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total liability arising from the Service is limited to the fees paid by the relevant Group to Aerarium in the three months before the event giving rise to the claim.

15.2 We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of a Group’s funds, which we never hold.

16. Indemnity

16.1 You indemnify us against claims arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Service, or information you record that you had no right to record.

17. Suspension and termination

17.1 You may stop using the Service at any time and export your data. We may suspend or end access for breach of these Terms or non-payment, on reasonable notice where practicable.

17.2 Ending a subscription does not take a Group’s existing public ledger offline where these Terms provide for it to remain available, but recording may be disabled.

18. Changes to these Terms

18.1 We may update these Terms. We will post the updated version with a new effective date and, for material changes, give reasonable notice. Continuing to use the Service means you accept the updated Terms.

19. Governing law and disputes

19.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the South African courts. Nothing here limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act or POPIA.

20. Contact

20.1 Questions about these Terms: info@aerarium.co.za.

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Aerarium (Pty) Ltd · info@aerarium.co.za · Read together with our Privacy Policy and Commission & Referral Disclosure.