Compliance, privacy and legal

This page sets out the disclosures Micah Financial Services (PTY) Ltd. is required to make as an Authorised Financial Services Provider. If anything here is unclear, please ask us. We would much rather explain it than have you agree to something you have not read. You can also read our guide on how to check any broker is genuinely FSCA registered, including this one.

Nature of our services

We render financial services as an independent intermediary in respect of short-term insurance products, for both personal and commercial lines. We are not a contracted agent of any single product supplier and we hold no more than a 10% interest in any product supplier, nor does any product supplier hold such an interest in us.

How we are remunerated

We are remunerated by way of commission paid by the product supplier (the insurer) out of the premium you pay, at rates regulated under the Short-term Insurance Act. We may also charge a broker or policy fee where this has been agreed with you in advance and disclosed in writing. You are entitled to ask us, at any time, exactly what we earn on your policy, and we will tell you.

Your right to information

You are entitled to receive, in writing and before entering into a policy: the details of the product, the premium, all charges and fees, any exclusions or restrictions that apply, and the consequences of non-payment. If you have not received this, ask us for it.

A conflict of interest is any situation in which we have an actual or potential interest that may influence the objective performance of our obligations to you, or prevent us from acting in your best interests.

Our policy is straightforward:

• We avoid conflicts of interest where it is reasonably possible to do so.
• Where a conflict cannot be avoided, we disclose it to you in writing, in plain language, at the earliest reasonable opportunity.
• We do not accept any financial interest from a product supplier other than commission and fees permitted under the FAIS Act and its subordinate legislation.
• We maintain a register of any gifts or immaterial financial interests received, which is available for inspection on request.

A full copy of our Conflict of Interest Management Policy is available free of charge on request. Email anton@mfsp.co.za and we will send it to you.

Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) is the outcomes-based regulatory framework applied by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority. We commit to delivering the six TCF outcomes:

• You can be confident that fair treatment is central to how we run this business.
• Products and services we recommend are designed to meet the needs of the clients we serve.
• You are given clear information, and kept appropriately informed, before, during and after the point of sale.
• Where you receive advice, it is suitable and takes your actual circumstances into account.
• Products perform as we have led you to expect, and service is of an acceptable standard.
• There are no unreasonable barriers to changing a product, switching provider, making a claim or lodging a complaint.

Step 1, Tell us

Submit your complaint in writing to anton@mfsp.co.za, or post it to 26 Bloutulp Road, Verwoerdpark, Alberton. Please include your name, contact details, policy number if you have one, and a clear description of what went wrong and what outcome you are looking for.

We will acknowledge your complaint in writing, record it in our complaints register, investigate it, and respond to you with our decision and the reasons for it. If we need longer, we will tell you why and keep you updated.

Step 2, Escalate to the Ombud

If we cannot resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you may refer it to the relevant statutory Ombud. This service is free to you. Note that time limits apply, so do not delay.

Who is responsible

Micah Financial Services (PTY) Ltd. (FSP 46080), of 26 Bloutulp Road, Verwoerdpark, Alberton, is the responsible party for the personal information described here. Our Information Officer is to be confirmed, contactable at anton@mfsp.co.za.

What we collect

• When you request a quote: your name, contact number, email address if you give it, the area you are in, and a description of what you want covered.
• If you proceed to a policy: the additional information the insurer requires to underwrite, which may include your identity number, physical address, banking details for premium collection, vehicle and property details, and your claims history.
• If you claim: the details and supporting documents relevant to that claim.
• When you use this website: only what is necessary for the site to function, plus anonymised analytics if you have consented to them.

Why we collect it

To prepare quotations, to arrange and administer your insurance, to submit and manage claims on your behalf, and to meet our own legal and regulatory obligations under the FAIS Act, FICA and related legislation. We do not use your information for any other purpose without asking you first.

Who we share it with

Only with the insurers and underwriting managers we approach on your behalf, with assessors and service providers appointed on a claim, and with regulators or auditors where we are legally required to do so. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing.

How long we keep it

For as long as you are a client, and thereafter for the period required by law, generally five years from the end of the relationship or the conclusion of a claim, in line with FICA and FAIS record-keeping requirements. Quote enquiries that do not result in a policy are deleted once they are no longer of use.

How we protect it

We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the size of our business, including access controls, secure storage and confidentiality obligations on anyone who works with us. No system is perfectly secure, but we take this seriously and we will notify you and the Information Regulator if a breach affecting your information occurs.

Your rights

Under POPIA you have the right to:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct or update information that is wrong or out of date
• Ask us to delete information we no longer have a lawful reason to keep
• Object to processing, and withdraw consent you previously gave
• Complain to the Information Regulator if you believe we have not handled your information properly

To exercise any of these rights, email anton@mfsp.co.za. We will respond as soon as reasonably possible. Please note that if you ask us to delete information we are legally required to retain, we will explain which parts we must keep and why.

The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 gives you the right to request access to records held by Micah Financial Services (PTY) Ltd., subject to the grounds for refusal set out in that Act.

Our PAIA manual is available free of charge on request. Email anton@mfsp.co.za and we will send you a copy, together with the prescribed request form.

This website uses the minimum possible. We store one small item in your browser to remember your cookie choice, so that we do not ask you again on every page. That is strictly necessary and requires no consent.

We do not load analytics or advertising scripts, including any Google Analytics or Meta Pixel, unless you have actively accepted them on the banner. Declining costs you nothing and changes nothing about how the site works for you.

To change your choice, clear this site’s data in your browser settings and reload the page. The banner will appear again.

The content of this website is general information about insurance and about the services Micah Financial Services (PTY) Ltd. provides. It is not financial advice, and it does not take your personal circumstances, objectives or needs into account.

A quote request submitted through this website is a request for a quotation only. It is not an application for insurance, it does not place any cover on risk, and it does not bind any insurer. It becomes advice under the FAIS Act only once a licensed representative has engaged with you, considered your circumstances and made a recommendation. Cover begins only when it has been confirmed to you in writing and the premium arrangements are in place.

We take reasonable care to keep this website accurate and up to date, but insurance products, premiums and policy wordings change. Where anything on this website conflicts with your actual policy schedule and wording, the policy documents prevail.

Links to external websites are provided for convenience. We are not responsible for their content or their privacy practices.

This website and its content are the property of Micah Financial Services (PTY) Ltd.. The Micah Financial Services name and logo may not be reproduced without permission.