1. Introduction
Welcome to Bruinou.com (“we”, “our”, “us” or “the Website”). These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Website, including all content, features, tools, services and communities available through it.
By accessing, browsing or using the Website, or by registering an account, submitting content or engaging with any of our communities, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other policies published on the Website from time to time.
If you do not agree with these Terms, you must not use the Website.
2. About Bruinou.com
Bruinou.com is a South African community news, culture and entertainment media platform. We publish articles, opinion pieces, interviews, video content, community news and user-generated contributions relating to the Cape Flats, Cape Town and South African communities more broadly.
3. Eligibility
You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Website. If you are under 18, you must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian to register an account or submit content. By using the Website you confirm that you meet these requirements.
4. Acceptance of Terms
Your continued use of the Website after any changes to these Terms constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you of material changes by posting the updated Terms on the Website with a revised “Last updated” date.
5. Accounts and Registration
Registration may be required for certain features, including submitting articles, commenting, participating in forums and accessing community areas. When you register you agree to:
- Provide accurate, current and complete information;
- Maintain the security of your username and password;
- Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account; and
- Notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your account.
We reserve the right to suspend, terminate or restrict any account at our sole discretion where we reasonably suspect a breach of these Terms, abuse, fraudulent activity or unlawful conduct.
6. Acceptable Use
You agree not to use the Website to:
- Post, publish or transmit content that is unlawful, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, hateful, obscene, or that promotes discrimination or violence;
- Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
- Infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights or other rights of any person;
- Post spam, unsolicited advertising or promotional material, except where expressly permitted;
- Introduce or attempt to introduce viruses, malware, ransomware or any other harmful code;
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Website, its servers, databases or networks;
- Use automated tools, bots or scrapers to access, collect or monitor the Website without our prior written consent;
- Interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Website or any networks connected to it; or
- Violate any applicable local, provincial, national or international law or regulation.
7. User-Generated Content and Submissions
We offer opportunities for users to submit articles, stories, photographs, videos, comments and other content (“User Content”) through our platforms, including our front-end submission tools and community features.
7.1 Your Warranties
By submitting User Content, you warrant that:
- You own the content or have the necessary rights, licences and permissions to submit it;
- The content does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights or moral rights of any third party;
- The content does not contain unlawful, defamatory, obscene or otherwise objectionable material; and
- Where the content features identifiable individuals, you have obtained their consent to its publication.
7.2 Licence You Grant to Us
By submitting User Content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable licence to use, reproduce, edit, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute and display the User Content across all media and formats, including in connection with the Website and its promotion.
You retain ownership of your User Content and may request its removal in accordance with section 7.4.
7.3 No Obligation to Publish
We are under no obligation to publish, display or retain any User Content, and we reserve the right to edit, remove, refuse or disable access to any User Content at any time, for any reason, without notice.
7.4 Removal and Take-Down
If you believe any User Content or other material on the Website infringes your rights or violates these Terms, please contact us at editor@bruinou.com with sufficient detail to identify the material, and we will respond promptly. We will investigate and may remove material that we determine, in our reasonable discretion, to be in breach of these Terms or applicable law.
8. Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise indicated, all content on the Website — including articles, headlines, photographs, videos, graphics, logos, branding, software and layout — is owned by or licensed to Bruinou.com and is protected by copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws.
You may not copy, reproduce, republish, download, post, broadcast, transmit, make available to the public, or otherwise use Website content in any way except for your own personal, non-commercial use, without prior written permission from us or the relevant rights holder.
You may share links to our content and quote short excerpts for the purpose of commentary or review, provided that you credit the source and link back to the original article.
9. Advertising and Affiliate Links
The Website may display advertising, sponsored content and affiliate links. Third-party advertisers are responsible for the accuracy of their own content and offers. The presence of advertising does not constitute an endorsement by us of any product, service or business.
We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through affiliate links. Where required by law, this will be disclosed.
10. Third-Party Links
The Website may contain links to third-party websites and resources. We are not responsible for the content, policies or practices of such third parties. Your use of third-party websites is subject to their own terms and privacy policies, and we encourage you to review them.
11. Disclaimers
The Website and all content, features and services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis, without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy and non-infringement.
We do not warrant that the Website will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free or free of viruses or other harmful components, or that the information provided is complete or accurate.
Opinions expressed in articles and User Content are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bruinou.com, its owners, editors or staff.
12. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, including the South African Consumer Protection Act, 2008 (the “CPA”), we shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, goodwill, data or other intangible losses, arising out of or in connection with your use of, or inability to use, the Website or any content provided on or through it.
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
13. Consumer Protection Act
Where you are a consumer as defined in the CPA, nothing in these Terms limits or excludes any rights to which you are entitled under the CPA that cannot be limited or excluded by law, including your rights in respect of defective goods or services. To the extent that any provision of these Terms is inconsistent with the CPA, the CPA shall prevail.
14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa. You agree that the courts of the Republic of South Africa shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms, the Website or any content provided on or through it.
15. Dispute Resolution
We encourage you to contact us first at editor@bruinou.com to resolve any dispute informally. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it shall be referred to mediation or arbitration in accordance with the rules of a recognised South African dispute resolution body, before any legal proceedings are instituted, unless the dispute is not capable of being referred to arbitration by law.
16. Indemnification
To the maximum extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Bruinou.com, its owners, directors, employees, agents and licensors from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with your use of the Website, your breach of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of any third party.
17. Termination
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Website, in whole or in part, at any time and for any reason, including for breach of these Terms, without notice or liability. Upon termination, your right to use the Website ceases immediately. Sections which by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including sections 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 16 and 18.
18. General Provisions
- Entire agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding your use of the Website.
- Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
- Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of that provision.
- Assignment: We may assign or transfer our rights and obligations under these Terms without restriction.
- Force majeure: We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
19. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about these Terms, or if you wish to report content or seek the removal of material, please contact us at:
Email: editor@bruinou.com
Last updated: 6 September 2026