Hosting Terms

1. Who These Terms Are Between

These Hosting Terms apply between the customer purchasing or using WebCoZa hosting services and:

By ordering, paying for or continuing to use a WebCoZa hosting service, you agree to these terms, subject to any rights that applicable law gives you.

2. The Hosting Service

WebCoZa provides hosting for websites and related services according to the package agreed with the customer.

The standard hosting arrangement associated with WebCoZa’s R0 five-page website offer includes:

• Hosting for the standard five-page website
• Professional domain-based email
• SSL for secure HTTPS access
• Normal hosting administration
• Reasonable technical assistance relating to the hosting service

Larger websites, ecommerce stores or websites requiring additional server resources may require a different hosting package and price.

3. Hosting Price

The standard hosting price for the WebCoZa five-page website package is:

Any different or additional charges will be explained before the relevant additional service is supplied.

WebCoZa may revise hosting prices after an initial fixed term. Where this happens, reasonable advance notice will be given before the new price applies.

4. Initial Hosting Term

The R0 five-page website design offer is provided together with an initial hosting term of 12 months.

The reason for the initial term is that WebCoZa provides the standard website design without a separate upfront design charge as part of the hosting arrangement.

After the initial term, the service continues on a month-to-month basis unless it is cancelled, renewed on different agreed terms or otherwise lawfully terminated.

5. Cancellation

During the initial term

The standard commercial arrangement is an initial 12-month hosting term.

Where applicable law gives the customer a right to cancel a fixed-term agreement before its expiry, that right will apply notwithstanding the initial term stated above.

Where permitted by law, the customer remains responsible for amounts properly owing up to the effective cancellation date and WebCoZa may apply a reasonable cancellation charge where legally permitted.

After the initial term

Once the initial term has ended and the hosting continues month-to-month, the customer should give WebCoZa 30 days’ written notice if they wish to cancel.

Where applicable law requires a different notice period or gives the customer additional rights, the law will take precedence.

Cancellation notices should be sent in writing to the WebCoZa contact address specified in these terms.

6. Payment

Hosting fees are payable according to the billing arrangement shown on the customer’s invoice or account.

Customers are responsible for ensuring that payments are made by the applicable due date.

If an account becomes overdue, WebCoZa may contact the customer and request payment.

Where an overdue account remains unpaid after appropriate notice, WebCoZa may suspend some or all hosting services where permitted by law.

Suspension does not automatically cancel amounts properly owing on the account.

7. Domain Names

A domain name is separate from the monthly hosting service.

Where WebCoZa registers or manages a domain for a customer, the intention is that the domain belongs to the customer, subject to the relevant domain registry’s rules and payment of applicable fees.

Customers should provide accurate registrant and contact information when required for domain registration or transfer.

Domain registration and renewal charges may change because registry or supplier pricing is outside WebCoZa’s control.

WebCoZa cannot guarantee that a requested domain will remain available until registration has been successfully completed.

8. Professional Email

Professional domain-based email is included with the standard five-page website hosting package.

Email accounts are provided for legitimate business communication and remain subject to reasonable server, storage, security and anti-abuse limits.

Email services must not be used for spam, unsolicited bulk messaging, unlawful communication, phishing, malware distribution or other abusive activity.

Customers remain responsible for keeping email passwords confidential and for promptly notifying WebCoZa if they suspect an account has been compromised.

9. SSL Certificates

SSL is included with the standard hosting service so that supported websites can use HTTPS.

SSL helps encrypt the connection between a visitor and the website. It does not mean that a website, server or online transaction can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

10. Reasonable Use of Hosting Resources

The R200 monthly hosting package is designed for the standard WebCoZa five-page business website and normal small-business usage.

If a website grows substantially or begins using materially more storage, traffic, processing, email or other server resources than the standard package is intended to support, WebCoZa may recommend or require a suitable upgraded hosting arrangement.

Any proposed change in package or price will be discussed with the customer before it takes effect, except where immediate action is reasonably necessary to protect the service or other users from technical or security harm.

11. Acceptable Use

WebCoZa hosting may not knowingly be used for unlawful, abusive or harmful activities.

Prohibited activities include, without limitation:

• Sending spam or unsolicited bulk email
• Phishing or fraudulent activity
• Distributing malware or malicious code
• Attempting unauthorised access to systems or accounts
• Hosting material that is unlawful under applicable South African law
• Using excessive resources in a way that materially disrupts other hosted services
• Intentionally interfering with server, network or website security

WebCoZa may investigate apparent abuse and may take reasonable steps to protect its systems, service providers, customers and other users.

12. Security

WebCoZa uses reasonable technical and organisational measures intended to protect hosted services.

However, no internet-connected service can be guaranteed to be completely secure or immune from attacks, software vulnerabilities, account compromise or third-party failure.

Customers must use reasonable security practices, including protecting passwords and notifying WebCoZa promptly if they suspect unauthorised access.

13. Backups

WebCoZa may maintain backups as part of normal hosting and website administration arrangements.

Backups are an important recovery measure, but no backup system should be treated as an absolute guarantee that every version of every file or message can always be recovered.

Customers with particularly important business data should discuss any specialised backup or retention requirements with WebCoZa.

14. Hosting Is Not the Same as Website Maintenance

Hosting keeps the website available on the server. It does not automatically include unlimited WordPress maintenance, content changes, redesigns or website development.

Ongoing WordPress maintenance can be supplied as a separate service where agreed.

New pages, major design changes, ecommerce functionality, integrations and other development work may require a separate quotation.

See: Website Maintenance .

15. Service Availability

WebCoZa aims to provide reliable hosting, but does not promise that a website, email account or server will be available without interruption 100% of the time.

Temporary interruptions may occur because of:

• Scheduled maintenance
• Emergency maintenance
• Server or network failure
• Power or connectivity failures
• Software faults
• Cybersecurity incidents
• Third-party provider failures
• Events outside WebCoZa’s reasonable control

Where reasonably possible, WebCoZa will work to restore affected services within a practical timeframe.

16. Third-Party Services and Software

Hosting and websites may depend on third-party products or services such as:

• Domain registries
• Server and infrastructure providers
• WordPress
• Themes and plugins
• Security services
• Backup services
• Email software
• Payment or ecommerce providers

WebCoZa does not control every change, failure, price increase, discontinuation or security issue arising from an independent third-party service.

Where a third-party product must be replaced, upgraded or separately licensed, WebCoZa will explain the practical options to the customer.

17. Suspension or Termination by WebCoZa

WebCoZa may suspend or terminate a hosting service where reasonably necessary and permitted by law, including where:

• The account remains materially overdue after appropriate notice
• The service is being used unlawfully
• The service is being used for spam, fraud, phishing or malicious activity
• The website creates a serious security risk
• The customer’s use materially harms the hosting environment or other users
• The customer materially breaches these terms and does not remedy the breach after appropriate notice where required

WebCoZa may take immediate protective action where delaying action would create a significant security, legal or operational risk.

18. Moving Your Website Away From WebCoZa

Customers are not required to remain with WebCoZa indefinitely.

Once the hosting arrangement has been validly terminated and amounts properly owing have been settled, WebCoZa can provide an appropriate website backup or migration files for a WebCoZa-hosted WordPress website where technically available.

The customer is responsible for arranging hosting at the new provider and ensuring that the receiving environment is suitable.

Migration work performed by WebCoZa beyond providing the normal available files may be quoted separately.

Third-party premium themes, plugins, software or licences supplied through WebCoZa do not automatically transfer to another provider.

A customer moving away may need to purchase their own licences for software they wish to continue using.

19. Responsibility and Liability

Nothing in these terms is intended to exclude or limit liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Subject to applicable law, WebCoZa is not responsible for losses caused solely by matters outside its reasonable control, including failures of independent networks, registries, external service providers or customer-controlled systems.

Customers remain responsible for the legality and accuracy of content, products, claims, images and other material they provide for use on their websites.

20. Changes to These Terms

WebCoZa may update these Hosting Terms when its services, technology, suppliers, pricing or legal obligations change.

Material changes affecting an existing customer’s service will be communicated where required or reasonably appropriate.

Changes will not remove rights given to customers by applicable law.

21. Applicable Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

They must be interpreted together with applicable consumer protection, electronic transactions, privacy and other laws where those laws apply to the particular customer or transaction.

22. Hosting Questions and Notices

Questions about these terms, hosting arrangements or cancellation notices can be sent to WebCoZa.