Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Strove platform, operated by Strove Group (Pty) Ltd (“Strove”, “we”, “us”, “our”). The platform includes the Strove website (strove.co.za), merchant storefronts (strove.co.za/store/[merchant-slug]), the Strove WhatsApp service, the merchant dashboard, and the Strove buyer application (together, the “Platform”).

These Terms are a binding agreement. By creating an account, subscribing, listing a service, booking a service, or otherwise using the Platform, you agree to them. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

Certain sections apply specifically to merchants (businesses that list and sell services) and others to buyers (people who book or purchase services). Where a section applies to both, “you” and “user” refer to whichever party is using the Platform.

These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use Policy, which are incorporated by reference.

• 2.1 Strove is a commerce platform that connects buyers with verified South African service businesses. Strove provides the infrastructure for merchants to be found, to accept bookings, to be paid, to be reviewed, and to earn repeat business.
• 2.2 Strove is a disclosed intermediary. Strove acts as a limited agent that facilitates the connection, booking, and payment between a buyer and a merchant. The merchant is the direct supplier of every service booked through the Platform, and the direct contracting party with the buyer for that service under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (“CPA”).
• 2.3 Strove is not the supplier of merchant services. Strove does not perform, warrant, or guarantee the services offered by merchants. Strove is not a party to the service contract between a buyer and a merchant, except as the intermediary facilitating it.
• 2.4 Strove does not hold your money. Payments made through the Platform are a straight pass-through from the buyer to the merchant, processed by our third-party payment provider directly into the merchant's designated account, with Strove's platform fee deducted at the point of charge. Strove does not take custody of, hold, or control buyer or merchant funds. Strove does not operate an escrow, wallet, or deposit-taking facility.
• 2.5 If and when Strove introduces any fund-holding, escrow, or similar facility, it will only do so once permitted under the applicable South African regulatory framework, and merchants and buyers will be notified in advance and asked to accept any updated terms before the feature applies to them.

• 3.1 You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering into a binding contract to use the Platform.
• 3.2 Merchants must, at launch, be registered service businesses meeting Strove's onboarding and verification requirements. Strove may extend eligibility to other merchant categories over time, and will make any such change clear at onboarding.
• 3.3 You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide, for keeping your login credentials confidential, and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at support@strove.africa if you suspect unauthorised use.
• 3.4 Strove may decline, suspend, or terminate an account where information cannot be verified, where these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy are breached, or where required by law.

• 4.1 Merchants must complete Strove's verification process, which may include verification of identity (South African ID), business registration, bank account, and professional credentials.
• 4.2 Verified credentials and qualifications confirmed at onboarding may be displayed on your public merchant profile. You warrant that all credentials you submit are genuine, current, and lawfully held, and you must notify us if any lapses or is withdrawn.
• 4.3 Strove relies on third-party verification providers and does not independently guarantee the completeness or ongoing validity of any verification. Verification supports trust on the Platform; it is not a warranty by Strove of a merchant's quality, competence, or fitness.

As a merchant, you agree to:

• accurately describe each service, its scope, price, and any deposit or cancellation terms;
• honour bookings accepted through the Platform and deliver services with the skill and care reasonably expected of your trade;
• comply with all laws applicable to your business, including tax, licensing, professional, and consumer-protection obligations;
• maintain your own compliance with the CPA as the direct supplier to the buyer, including in respect of quality, refunds, and complaints handling;
• keep your availability, pricing, and contact details current;
• respond to buyers and resolve disputes in good faith and within a reasonable time; and
• comply with the Acceptable Use Policy and Strove's storefront and content standards.

You are solely responsible for the services you provide and for any claim, loss, or liability arising from them.

• 6.1 When you book or purchase a service through Strove, your contract for that service is with the merchant, not with Strove. Strove facilitates the booking and payment.
• 6.2 You agree to provide accurate information, to pay for services you book, and to deal with merchants in good faith.
• 6.3 Reviews and ratings you submit must be honest, must relate to a service you actually received, and must comply with the Acceptable Use Policy. Reviews on Strove are tied to completed bookings.
• 6.4 Strove will never send you an unsolicited payment request. Any payment on the Platform follows only after you have registered and initiated a transaction. Treat any unsolicited payment request claiming to be from Strove as fraudulent, and report it to us.

7.1 A booking is confirmed when the merchant's availability is reserved and both parties are notified through the Platform.

7.2 Payment options. Depending on what the merchant offers, a buyer may:

• Pay Now — pay the full amount upfront, sometimes with a small discount set by the merchant;
• Pay a Deposit — pay a deposit set by the merchant, with the balance settled as agreed; or
• Pay Nothing Upfront — pay after the service, as arranged with the merchant.

The options available for a given service are determined by the merchant. Deposit amounts are set by the merchant and are non-negotiable through the Platform.

7.3 Processing fees. Payment processing fees may be disclosed and applied at checkout. Where fees are passed on, this will be shown transparently before payment. The merchant receives their listed price net of the platform fee and applicable processing costs, as set out in the merchant fee schedule.

7.4 Payouts. Merchant payouts are processed by our payment provider on the payout schedule communicated to merchants. Strove does not hold funds between charge and payout; timing depends on the payment provider.

7.5 Currency. All amounts are in South African Rand (ZAR) unless stated otherwise.

• 8.1 Cancellation and refund terms for a service are set by the merchant and disclosed at booking. Because the merchant is the direct supplier, refund claims are handled between buyer and merchant, with Strove facilitating the process where the payment was made through the Platform.
• 8.2 Your statutory rights under the CPA and, where applicable, the cooling-off right under Section 44 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (“ECTA”) apply and are not limited by these Terms. Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude or restrict a right you have under the CPA that cannot lawfully be excluded.
• 8.3 Where a refund is due for a payment made through the Platform, it will be processed through the same payment method where reasonably possible.

• 9.1 Merchant access is provided on a subscription basis across named tiers. The current tiers, monthly fees, included activity allowances, staff seats, over-limit rates, and add-ons are set out in the merchant fee schedule made available at sign-up and in the dashboard. “Activities” refers to bookings, purchases, and transactions processed through the Platform.
• 9.2 Subscriptions are billed in advance on a recurring monthly basis until cancelled. You authorise Strove and its payment provider to charge the applicable fee to your chosen payment method.
• 9.3 Changes to fees and allowances. Strove may adjust subscription fees, allowances, and rates prospectively on reasonable prior notice. Where an included allowance is reduced, or a fee increased, Strove will give notice before the change takes effect, and you may cancel before it applies. Strove will not silently reduce an allowance you are already relying on. Increases to your benefit (for example, a larger allowance at the same price) may be applied without prior notice.
• 9.4 Over-limit charges. Where your activity exceeds your tier's included allowance, over-limit charges apply at the rate shown in the fee schedule for your tier.
• 9.5 Cancellation. You may cancel your subscription at any time, effective at the end of the current billing period. Fees already paid are not refunded except where required by law. On cancellation, your storefront and listings may be deactivated.

• 10.1 The Platform, including its software, design, brand, wordmark, and content created by Strove, is owned by or licensed to Strove and is protected by law. Nothing in these Terms transfers any Strove intellectual property to you.
• 10.2 You retain ownership of the content you upload (your logo, images, service descriptions, and similar). By uploading it, you grant Strove a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, display, adapt for formatting, and promote that content for the purpose of operating and marketing the Platform and your presence on it, including in discovery, search, and advertising.
• 10.3 You warrant that you hold the necessary rights to the content you upload and that it does not infringe any third party's rights.

• 11.1 Strove uses automated and AI-assisted systems to interpret searches, match services, generate storefront and discovery content, and optimise advertising. Search results and rankings are influenced by relevance, reputation signals, and merchant tier, and are not a recommendation or endorsement by Strove.
• 11.2 Where a merchant enables advertising and conversions features, transaction event data may be shared with advertising platforms to measure and improve campaigns. Merchant consent for this use is captured separately, and the handling of personal information is described in the Privacy Policy.

You agree not to misuse the Platform. Prohibited conduct includes unlawful activity, fraud, misrepresentation, circumventing payment through the Platform to avoid fees, posting false reviews, uploading unlawful or infringing content, attempting to compromise Platform security, and using the Platform to harass or harm others. The full standard is set out in the Acceptable Use Policy, which forms part of these Terms. Breach may result in suspension or termination.

The Platform relies on and integrates third-party services, including WhatsApp and Meta, our payment provider, hosting and database providers, AI providers, and email delivery. Your use of those services may also be subject to their own terms. Strove is not responsible for the acts, omissions, or availability of third-party services outside our reasonable control.

• 14.1 The Platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the extent permitted by law, Strove does not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.
• 14.2 Strove does not warrant the quality, safety, legality, or fitness of any service offered by a merchant, nor the accuracy of any listing. Those are the responsibility of the merchant.
• 14.3 Nothing in this section limits any warranty or right that applies to you under the CPA or other law and that cannot lawfully be excluded.

• 15.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, and subject to Section 15.3, Strove is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, goodwill, or data, arising from your use of the Platform or from any service supplied by a merchant.
• 15.2 To the maximum extent permitted by law, and subject to Section 15.3, Strove's total aggregate liability to a merchant arising out of or in connection with the Platform in any twelve-month period is limited to the subscription fees paid by that merchant to Strove in that period. Strove's aggregate liability to a buyer is limited to the platform fee retained by Strove on the relevant transaction.
• 15.3 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability under the CPA, liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or liability for fraud.

You indemnify and hold Strove harmless against claims, losses, and reasonable costs arising from your breach of these Terms, your unlawful conduct, your content, or, in the case of a merchant, the services you supply to buyers, except to the extent the claim results from Strove's own breach or unlawful conduct.

• 17.1 You may stop using the Platform at any time and, for merchants, cancel your subscription as described in Section 9.
• 17.2 Strove may suspend or terminate access, with or without notice depending on the circumstances, where you breach these Terms or the Acceptable Use Policy, where required by law, or where continued access poses a risk to the Platform or other users.
• 17.3 On termination, your right to use the Platform ends. Provisions that by their nature should survive — including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity, and dispute resolution — survive termination.

Strove may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through the Platform or by email before they take effect. Continued use after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not accept a change, you may stop using the Platform and, for merchants, cancel your subscription.

You consent to receive communications from Strove electronically, including through the Platform, WhatsApp, and email, in relation to your account, bookings, payments, and service updates. Marketing communications are governed by the Privacy Policy and your marketing preferences.

• 20.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
• 20.2 If a dispute arises, you agree to first raise it with us at support@strove.africa so that we can attempt to resolve it directly.
• 20.3 If it cannot be resolved directly, the dispute may be referred to the appropriate South African court or, where the CPA applies, to the relevant consumer redress mechanism, including the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud or the National Consumer Commission. Nothing in this section limits your right to approach a court or ombud scheme available to you under the CPA.
• 20.4 You submit to the jurisdiction of the South African courts.

• 21.1 These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Acceptable Use Policy, are the entire agreement between you and Strove regarding the Platform.
• 21.2 If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in force, and the unenforceable provision is limited to the minimum extent necessary.
• 21.3 Strove's failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it.
• 21.4 You may not cede or assign your rights under these Terms without our consent. Strove may cede or assign its rights and obligations, including to a successor entity.
• 21.5 These Terms do not create a partnership, employment, or joint venture between you and Strove. As between a buyer and a merchant, Strove acts only as a disclosed intermediary.

Strove Group (Pty) Ltd

Greenstone Park, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 1609

General support: support@strove.africa

Privacy: support@strove.africa