Terms of Use

Acceptance of Terms

By visiting, browsing, submitting content to, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. These Terms constitute a binding legal agreement between you and Ferguson Media (Pty) Ltd.

If you are using the Platform on behalf of an organisation or company, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms, and references to "you" include that entity.

Who We Are

Ferguson Media (Pty) Ltd is a South African media company registered under the Companies Act 71 of 2008. We operate South Africa's Good News Portal — a solutions journalism platform dedicated to finding, documenting, and sharing stories of resilience, innovation, and community impact across South Africa.

Our registered address is 35 Ferguson Road, Illovo, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2196. You can reach us at info@fergusonmedia.co.za or on +27 83 672 2453.

Use of the Platform

You may use the Platform for lawful, personal, and non-commercial purposes, subject to these Terms. You agree that you will:

• Only access the Platform in a manner consistent with all applicable South African laws and regulations
• Not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform, its servers, or any systems connected to it
• Not use automated tools (such as scrapers, bots, or crawlers) to extract content from the Platform without our prior written consent
• Not attempt to interfere with, disrupt, or overload the Platform's infrastructure
• Not misrepresent your identity or affiliation when using the Platform

Ferguson Media reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to the Platform at any time, without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or acted in a manner harmful to our interests or those of other users.

Intellectual Property

All content published on the Platform — including but not limited to written articles, stories, editorial copy, photographs, video content, audio recordings, graphics, logos, and the Ferguson Media brand identity — is the exclusive property of Ferguson Media (Pty) Ltd or its licensors, and is protected by South African and international copyright, trademark, and intellectual property law.

What you may do:

• Read, view, and share links to our content on social media for non-commercial purposes
• Quote brief excerpts from our articles, provided you clearly attribute Ferguson Media and include a link to the original source
• Print single copies of articles for personal, non-commercial reference

What you may not do:

• Reproduce, republish, copy, distribute, or transmit any substantial portion of our content without prior written permission
• Use our content for commercial purposes, advertising, or in any way that implies endorsement by Ferguson Media without written authorisation
• Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or proprietary notices on any content
• Create derivative works based on our content without written consent
• Use the Ferguson Media name, logo, or brand in any way that could cause confusion or misrepresentation

Requests for content licensing, republication rights, or commercial use should be directed to info@fergusonmedia.co.za.

User Submissions

The Platform may allow you to submit story tips, news leads, contact enquiries, partnership proposals, or other content ("Submissions"). By making a Submission, you:

• Confirm that you have the right to share the information and that it is, to the best of your knowledge, accurate, truthful, and not defamatory
• Grant Ferguson Media a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, edit, publish, translate, and distribute your Submission for editorial and journalistic purposes
• Acknowledge that Ferguson Media retains full editorial discretion over whether to publish, modify, or decline any Submission
• Confirm that your Submission does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party

Ferguson Media will handle any personal information included in your Submission in accordance with our Privacy Policy and POPIA.

Prohibited Conduct

When using the Platform, you agree not to engage in any conduct that is unlawful, harmful, or objectionable. The following are expressly prohibited:

• Submitting content that is false, misleading, defamatory, obscene, threatening, or harassing
• Submitting content that promotes or glorifies violence, discrimination, or hate on any basis including race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation
• Impersonating any person, organisation, or entity, including Ferguson Media staff or partners
• Attempting to reverse-engineer, decompile, or extract source code from any part of the Platform
• Using the Platform to send unsolicited commercial communications (spam)
• Engaging in any conduct that could damage the reputation of Ferguson Media, its partners, or the subjects of our stories
• Attempting to introduce malware, viruses, or any other malicious code to the Platform

Third-Party Links & Content

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms, partner organisations, external news sources, and other resources. These links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only.

Ferguson Media does not endorse, control, or accept responsibility for any content, products, services, or practices of third-party websites. We are not responsible for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of any third-party site. We encourage you to read the terms and privacy policies of any external site you visit.

External sites may have their own terms of use, privacy policies, and content standards that differ from our own. Your interaction with any third-party site is solely at your own risk.

Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform and all content provided on it are offered on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without any warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.

Ferguson Media does not warrant that:

• The Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components
• The information on the Platform is complete, accurate, current, or suitable for any particular purpose
• Any defects in the Platform will be corrected

While we strive to maintain the accuracy and integrity of our editorial content through rigorous journalistic standards, all information is provided in good faith for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute professional advice of any kind. You should seek independent professional advice before acting on any information published on the Platform.

To the fullest extent permitted by South African law, Ferguson Media disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable South African law, Ferguson Media (Pty) Ltd, its directors, employees, agents, partners, and licensors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from or in connection with your use of, or inability to use, the Platform or its content.

This includes, without limitation, any loss of revenue, profit, data, goodwill, or other intangible loss, even if Ferguson Media has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Nothing in these Terms shall limit or exclude our liability for fraud, gross negligence, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be excluded under South African law (including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 where applicable).

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Ferguson Media (Pty) Ltd and its directors, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in any way connected with:

• Your use of or access to the Platform
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any applicable law or third-party right, including any intellectual property or privacy right
• Any content you submit to the Platform that causes damage to a third party

Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms and any dispute arising from them shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

You agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

Before initiating any formal legal proceedings, both parties agree to attempt to resolve disputes in good faith through direct negotiation. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally within 30 days, either party may pursue their legal remedies.

Changes to These Terms

Ferguson Media reserves the right to modify, update, or replace these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. The date at the top of this page indicates when the Terms were last revised.

Where changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to notify users — for example, by posting a prominent notice on the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after any changes have been posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

We encourage you to review these Terms regularly to ensure you remain informed of your rights and obligations. If you do not agree with any changes, you should discontinue use of the Platform.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms of Use, or if you wish to report a concern about content on the Platform, please contact us:

• Ferguson Media (Pty) Ltd
• 35 Ferguson Road, Illovo, Sandton, Johannesburg, 2196
• Email: info@fergusonmedia.co.za
• Phone: +27 83 672 2453

For privacy-related enquiries and data subject access requests, please also refer to our Privacy Policy.