Terms of Service

Draft Terms of Service pending final legal review. Company registration details below will be finalised before public launch.

1. Who We Are

LOHAPLACE is a product and trading name of Locust Harvest (Pty) Ltd ("Locust Harvest", "we", "us"), a private company registered in South Africa and based in Durban. References to "LOHAPLACE", "the Platform", "we", or "us" in these Terms mean Locust Harvest (Pty) Ltd trading as LOHAPLACE. This website is governed by the laws of South Africa.

2. What LOHAPLACE Does

LOHAPLACE is an online marketplace that connects Customers looking for professional and home services with independent Service Providers (individuals, sole proprietors, and companies) operating in South Africa. LOHAPLACE is not itself a provider of any listed service and does not employ, supervise, or control Service Providers. Any agreement for the performance of services is made directly between the Customer and the Service Provider, and LOHAPLACE is not a party to that agreement.

3. Verification Badges and Ratings

Badges (e.g. "ID Verified", "Licensed", "LOHAPLACE Verified") and star ratings are informational only, based on information Providers submit and reviews Customers leave. LOHAPLACE takes reasonable steps to verify Provider submissions but does not guarantee the accuracy, quality, safety, or legality of any Provider's work.

4. Current Launch Phase — No In-App Payments

As at the date of this version of the Terms, LOHAPLACE does not process any payment for services performed between a Customer and a Provider. Customers and Providers arrange and settle payment for the underlying job directly between themselves, outside the Platform. Provider subscription fees described below will only be charged once LOHAPLACE's payment integration (via PayFast) is live and communicated to Providers in advance. Until then, no card or bank details are collected or charged by LOHAPLACE.

5. Provider Subscriptions and Fees

Once payment collection is enabled, Service Providers may subscribe to a paid plan for enhanced visibility and priority ranking. Browsing, searching, and contacting Providers is, and will remain, free for Customers. Payment will be accepted via Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club or American Express cards, Instant EFT, or other methods made available through PayFast (Pty) Ltd, our payment gateway partner. All payments are made to Locust Harvest (Pty) Ltd, the registered company that operates LOHAPLACE — LOHAPLACE itself is a brand name, not a separate legal entity, and does not hold funds. via PayFast, an approved payment gateway for all South African acquiring banks, using strict encryption (TLS/SSL). No card details are stored on LOHAPLACE's website or servers — they are entered directly on PayFast's secure payment page. The merchant outlet country is South Africa and the transaction currency is South African Rand (ZAR). Subject to availability and receipt of payment, a Provider's paid plan will be activated within 1 business day of successful payment confirmation, confirmed by an in-app notification and email receipt.

6. Cancellation, Returns and Refunds Policy

The provision of LOHAPLACE's subscription service is subject to availability. This policy applies once paid subscriptions are enabled (see Section 4).

Platform unavailability: if LOHAPLACE is unable to provide a paid subscription service that a Provider has already paid for, LOHAPLACE will refund the Provider in full within 30 days of the unavailability being confirmed.
Cooling-off: a Provider may cancel a new paid subscription within 7 days of first subscribing without penalty, provided the paid features have not been substantially used.
Voluntary cancellation: a Provider may cancel their subscription at any time from their dashboard. Cancellation stops future billing from the next billing cycle; LOHAPLACE does not provide pro-rata refunds for the unused portion of a current billing period, except as required by law.
Billing errors: if you believe you were charged in error, contact us within 30 days and we will investigate and refund any confirmed billing error.
Job-level payments: because payment for the underlying service job happens directly between Customer and Provider (see Section 4), LOHAPLACE does not process or refund job payments and cannot act as an escrow or payment-dispute resolver for work performed off-platform.

7. Reviews

Customers and Providers may leave reviews and ratings about each other after a job is marked complete. Reviews must be honest and based on genuine experience; LOHAPLACE may remove reviews that are unlawful, defamatory, abusive, or fraudulent.

8. Prohibited Conduct

You may not circumvent the Platform to avoid applicable fees, misrepresent your identity or qualifications, harass or discriminate against other users, upload unlawful or harmful content, or interfere with the security or operation of the Platform.

9. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

The Platform is provided "as is". To the maximum extent permitted by South African law, LOHAPLACE disclaims all warranties regarding the quality, safety, legality, or timeliness of services performed by Providers. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be excluded under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 or other South African law.

10. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. This website is intended for South African Customers and Providers offering or seeking services within South Africa.

11. Changes to These Terms

LOHAPLACE may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be flagged on the Platform. Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

12. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms can be sent to our support team via the Support page.