What you're agreeing to.

Last updated: 8 October 2026

1. Introduction

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Vela guidance platform, including the website at velaguide.co.za and the WhatsApp guidance service, operated by Vela Technologies PTY LTD, Registration Number [To be confirmed upon CIPC registration], a private company incorporated in the Republic of South Africa ("Vela", "we", "us").

By using the website, joining the waitlist, or sending a message to the Vela WhatsApp number, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

2. ECTA Supplier Disclosures

As required by Section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA):

Full legal name: Vela Technologies PTY LTD
Legal status: Private Company (PTY LTD)
Registration number: [To be confirmed upon CIPC registration]
Physical address: [To be confirmed — Cape Town, South Africa]
Email address: hello@velaguide.co.za
Website: velaguide.co.za

3. Eligibility

The Vela WhatsApp guidance service is designed for South African students and school leavers planning what comes after school. You may use the service if you are:

A learner in Grade 10, 11, or 12 in South Africa; or
A parent or guardian accessing the service on behalf of a learner; or
A teacher, counsellor, or institutional partner accessing the service for educational purposes

Learners under 18 must have the consent of a parent or guardian before using the WhatsApp guidance product. By confirming consent in the WhatsApp flow, you represent that this consent has been obtained.

4. Description of Service

Vela is a guidance tool. We provide:

An automated APS calculation based on the marks you provide
Programme matches drawn from our database of verified South African universities, TVET colleges, and trade routes
Funding opportunity matching against your academic and financial profile
A personalised action plan with application deadlines
Deadline reminders via WhatsApp

Vela is not an official application platform. We do not submit applications on your behalf. We do not guarantee admission to any programme or award of any bursary. All final decisions rest with institutions and funders.

The service is delivered via WhatsApp. Your use of WhatsApp is also governed by WhatsApp's own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Vela is not affiliated with Meta Platforms or WhatsApp Inc.

5. Accuracy of Information

We maintain a database of programme requirements, application deadlines, bursary criteria, and salary data drawn from authoritative South African sources. We update this data on an annual cycle, with a data lock on 1 July each year.

Despite our verification process, programme requirements, application windows, and funding criteria can change. Official sources are always authoritative. You must verify all information with the relevant institution or funder before acting on it. Vela accepts no liability for changes made by institutions or funders after our verification date.

6. Paid Tiers and Payment

Vela offers free and paid guidance tiers. Paid tiers are processed via PayFast, a South African payment service provider. By selecting a paid tier you agree to pay the applicable fee at the rate shown at the time of purchase.

Tier	Price	Description
Free	R0	Awareness layer. APS calculation and what it means, every route open to you across university and trades sorted by fit, the full institution list with fees and entry requirements, bursaries matched to you with closing dates, NSFAS check and professional-registration flags, and a shareable summary card
Your full plan	R99	Execution layer. Everything in free, plus all routes to your goal (direct, bridging, TVET articulation, extended, alternate), near-miss closing strategy, a dated action plan in deadline order, reminders before every application and bursary deadline, motivation-letter and CV coaching (you write it in your own words, a real person reviews your own draft — we never write it for you), and the ability to compare two destinations side by side — included, not a separate tier. One once-off payment, no subscription, yours to keep
Covered by your school	R0 (learner)	Full access to the paid plan above, sponsored by a school, funder or CSI partner. Eligibility is assessed automatically based on your financial profile.

These are founding learner rates for the 2026 pilot season and will be reviewed before January 2027.

Refunds

Your full plan is a one-off purchase. It's made as soon as you pay and sent to you on WhatsApp. If it's been more than a day since you last messaged us, WhatsApp only lets us send it after you message us again, so send us any message and your plan will come straight through. If it still doesn't arrive, email hello@velaguide.co.za and we'll get it to you. This is how refunds work:

If your plan isn't delivered after you've paid, we refund you in full.
If you change your mind after your plan has been delivered, we don't give a refund, unless the law gives you a right to cancel (see "Cooling-off" below).
If we get something wrong, for example your plan states a requirement, an eligibility result, a date or a fee incorrectly in a way that affects you, or a part you paid for isn't provided (such as the review of your motivation letter or CV, or your reminders), you choose: we fix it, or we refund a fair part of what you paid, up to the full amount, depending on how much went wrong.
If you choose a fix, we'll deliver it within 10 working days. If we don't, you can ask for the refund instead.
If you're under 18 and bought your plan without a parent's or guardian's consent, your parent or guardian can ask us for a full refund.

How to ask for a refund: send REFUND in your WhatsApp chat with Vela and say what went wrong, or email hello@velaguide.co.za with the phone number you use for Vela. A person on our team decides every request. We'll reply within 5 working days, and approved refunds are paid back through PayFast within 30 days of your request, or sooner where the law requires it. Please tell us about a problem within 30 days of receiving your plan, so we can fix it while it still helps you. This doesn't limit your rights under the Consumer Protection Act.

Cooling-off

Section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA) generally lets you cancel an online purchase of services within 7 days of buying it. Before you pay, we tell you your plan is made and sent straight away, so by paying you agree it starts then. Under section 42(2)(d), that right doesn't apply to services that began with your consent before the 7 days ended. If that ECTA right doesn't apply to your purchase, the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 may instead let you cancel within 5 business days where the purchase resulted from direct marketing (section 16). Separately, the Consumer Protection Act always gives you a fix or a refund when a service isn't delivered to the standard you're entitled to expect (section 54). Nothing in these Terms takes away a right the law gives you.

7. Intellectual Property

All content, methodology, software, branding, and design on velaguide.co.za and within the Vela WhatsApp service are owned by or licensed to Vela Technologies PTY LTD and protected by the Copyright Act 98 of 1978 (as amended). You may not reproduce, distribute, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works from any part of the service without written permission.

Your personal information and the action plan generated for you belong to you. You may download, share, and use your action plan for personal educational purposes.

8. Prohibited Conduct

You may not:

Use the service for any purpose other than personal educational guidance
Provide false information to obtain a action plan (e.g., inflated marks)
Attempt to scrape, reverse-engineer, or automate access to the service
Use the service to collect personal information about other learners without their consent
Resell, sublicense, or commercialise any output from the service without written permission
Introduce malicious code, conduct denial-of-service attacks, or interfere with the service's operation

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

The service is provided "as is" and "as available." To the maximum extent permitted by applicable South African law, Vela makes no warranty — express or implied — that the service will be error-free, uninterrupted, or that any specific guidance outcome will result from using the service.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Vela's total liability to you for any claim arising out of or in connection with the service — whether in contract, delict, or otherwise — is limited to the amount you paid for the tier that gave rise to the claim, or R100, whichever is greater.

Vela is not liable for: decisions made by institutions or funders; changes to programme requirements or deadlines after our data verification date; loss of data caused by factors outside our control; or any indirect, consequential, or special loss.

Nothing in these Terms limits Vela's liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot lawfully be limited.

11. Consumer Rights

If you are a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, these Terms do not limit your statutory rights. You have the right to fair, honest, and transparent dealing. If you believe Vela has treated you unfairly, you may contact the National Consumer Commission:

Website: www.thencc.org.za
Email: complaints@thencc.org.za

12. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the service if you breach these Terms, engage in fraudulent conduct, or misuse the service. Termination does not affect any rights or obligations that arose before termination. If you have paid for a tier and we terminate your access without cause, we will refund the unused portion of your payment.

13. Amendments

We may update these Terms as the product or legal environment changes. Material changes will be communicated via the website with reasonable notice. Continued use of the service after notice of a change constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.

14. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be submitted to the jurisdiction of the South African courts. We encourage you to contact us first — most issues can be resolved quickly by emailing hello@velaguide.co.za.

15. Contact

Legal enquiries and Terms questions: hello@velaguide.co.za