MyMapcodes.com · Leon Schnell, a sole proprietor trading as MyMapcodes.com
Date compiled: 25 October 2026 · Version 2
1. Abbreviations
- PAIA: Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000
- POPIA: Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013
- Regulator: the Information Regulator of South Africa
- Manual: this PAIA manual
2. Purpose of this manual
This manual helps anyone who wants to see records held by MyMapcodes.com. It explains what records we keep, which are freely available, how to ask for the others, what it costs, and how we process personal information. It is published as section 51 of PAIA requires.
MyMapcodes.com (https://www.mymapcodes.com) is a website for finding, sharing and navigating to places using mapcodes. It is run by one person, Leon Schnell, as a sole proprietor, and has no employees.
3. Contact details
| Head of the private body and Information Officer | Leon Schnell |
|---|---|
| Information Regulator registration number | 2026-070181 |
| Street and postal address | 296 Pendoring Road, Blackheath, Johannesburg, 2195, South Africa |
| Telephone | +27 76 821 8503 |
| leon@mymapcodes.com | |
| Website | https://www.mymapcodes.com |
4. The Regulator’s guide on how to use PAIA
The Information Regulator publishes a guide on how to use PAIA and POPIA to request information, in all the official languages. It explains your rights, how to make a request, the fees and the remedies available. You can get a copy from the Regulator:
- Website: https://inforegulator.org.za/
- Address: Woodmead North Office Park, 54 Maxwell Drive, Woodmead, Johannesburg, 2191
- Email: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
You can also ask us for a copy and we will send it to you.
5. Records available without a request
These are freely available on our website, without a PAIA request or fee:
- Information about MyMapcodes, mapcodes and our tools (all public pages of https://www.mymapcodes.com);
- our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use and this manual;
- our introduction guide to mapcodes (PDF) and the free Excel converter.
6. Records kept because other laws require them
We keep records as required by these laws, where they apply to us:
- Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 and Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011 (income and payment records);
- Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002;
- Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008;
- Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013;
- Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000.
We are not registered for VAT, have no employees and are not a registered company, so records under VAT, employment and company laws do not apply at present.
7. Subjects and categories of records we hold
| Subject | Categories of records |
|---|---|
| Business and finance | Payment records for paid services (through iKhokha), income and expense records, tax returns, bank statements for the business. |
| Customers and enquiries | Messages sent through the Contact us form and by email, quotes and agreements for paid services, records of privacy and PAIA requests. |
| Website operation | Problem reports (kept 12 months), Off-road Navigator test recordings (kept 30 days), anonymous usage statistics (detailed records kept 90 days, then daily totals), website settings, security logs, and backups (kept about a month). |
| Website content | Pages, articles, images, guides, software code written for the website. |
| Service providers | Agreements and correspondence with our hosting provider, payment provider and other suppliers. |
8. How we process personal information (POPIA)
Our Privacy Policy (https://www.mymapcodes.com/privacy-policy/) gives full details. In summary:
8.1 Purposes
To provide the website and its tools, reply to messages, fix problems, provide and charge for paid services, keep the site secure and free of spam, understand how the site is used, and meet our legal obligations.
8.2 Data subjects and categories of personal information
| Data subjects | Personal information |
|---|---|
| Website visitors | Internet address (used for security and to work out a country, not stored by our own statistics), device and browser details, pages and tools used, approximate location of mapcodes used, and precise location only when the visitor chooses to send it in a problem report or test recording. |
| People who contact us | Name, email address, the content of their message. |
| Customers | Name, contact details, payment amount, date and reference (card details are handled by iKhokha only). |
| Blog commenters | Name, email address, optional website, comment, internet address. |
| Suppliers | Names and contact details of contact people. |
8.3 Recipients
Xneelo (website hosting and email, South Africa), Google (maps and addresses, Google Analytics, reCAPTCHA, fonts, backup storage), Defiant Inc. (Wordfence security), Automattic (spam checks and Gravatar for blog comments), iKhokha (card payments), and authorities when the law requires it. We do not sell personal information.
8.4 Information sent to other countries
Some providers (mainly Google, Defiant and Automattic) process information in the United States and other countries. We use only providers bound by laws or agreements that give protection substantially similar to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires.
8.5 Security measures
Encrypted connections (HTTPS), two-factor login for website administration, a security firewall, access limited to the site owner, checks and limits on everything sent to the website, passwords kept out of the database, automatic deletion on fixed schedules, and regular backups.
9. How to request a record
- Complete the prescribed request form (Form 2: Request for access to record), available from the Information Regulator’s website or from us, and email it to leon@mymapcodes.com or deliver it to the address in section 3.
- Give enough detail for us to identify the record, say how you want to receive it, and, if you are asking on someone else’s behalf, show your authority. Under section 50 of PAIA you must say which right you want to exercise or protect and why the record is needed for it (this does not apply to your own personal information).
- We will confirm whether the request fee is payable, and decide on your request within 30 days. We may extend this once by up to 30 days if the law allows, and will tell you why.
- We may refuse a request only on the grounds PAIA allows (for example to protect someone else’s personal information, commercial information or legal privilege). We will give reasons.
- If you are unhappy with our decision, you may complain to the Information Regulator or apply to court within 180 days.
To see or correct your own personal information, you can simply email us (see our Privacy Policy, section 9): this is free, and no form is needed.
10. Fees
Fees for private bodies are set by the PAIA regulations. At the time of writing:
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Request fee (not payable for your own personal information) | R140.00 |
| Printed or photocopied A4 page | R2.00 per page |
| Copy on a flash drive or CD you provide | R40.00 |
| Search and preparation, after the first hour | R145.00 per hour, at most R435.00 |
| Deposit (only if the search will take more than 6 hours) | One third of the access fee |
| Postage or electronic delivery | Actual cost |
We will tell you the fees payable before we prepare any records.
11. Where this manual is available
On our website at https://www.mymapcodes.com/paia-manual/, at the address in section 3 by arrangement, by email on request, and to the Information Regulator when it asks.
12. Updates
We review this manual at least once a year and whenever our details or the records we keep change. The date and version at the top show the latest update.
Issued by: Leon Schnell, Head of the private body and Information Officer (Information Regulator registration number 2026-070181), 25 October 2026.