Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Chissa Media (Pty) Ltd, a company duly registered in the Republic of South Africa ("Chissa", "we", "us", or "our"), governing your access to and use of the Chissa platform at www.chissa.co.za and its associated mobile applications, APIs, and services (collectively, the "Platform").

By creating an account, subscribing to a Creator, publishing content, or otherwise accessing the Platform, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms, the Acceptable Use Policy, the Privacy Policy, and any other documents incorporated by reference. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Platform.

These Terms are concluded electronically in accordance with the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECT Act"). You consent to electronic communications and the use of electronic signatures or "click-to-accept" mechanisms as legally binding.

Capitalised terms used in these Terms have the meanings given to them below or, where applicable, in the Acceptable Use Policy:

• Creator: a South African registered user who has completed creator onboarding and KYC verification, and who publishes content on the Platform under a Creator Agreement.
• Fan: a registered user who subscribes to one or more Creators to access their fan tier.
• Subscription: a recurring monthly payment of R99 (Rands) made by a Fan to access a specific Creator's fan tier.
• Content: any video, audio, image, text, live stream, comment, or other material uploaded, posted, or transmitted on the Platform.
• AUP: the Acceptable Use Policy published at www.chissa.co.za, as amended from time to time.
• Creator Agreement: the commercial agreement between Chissa and each Creator governing revenue share, payouts, and creator-specific obligations.

You must be at least 18 years of age and have full legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under South African law to use the Platform. By registering, you warrant that you meet these requirements. The Platform is not directed at minors, and Chissa does not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.

You must not be a person prohibited from receiving services under the laws of the Republic of South Africa, or any sanctions regime applicable to Chissa.

To access most features of the Platform, you must register an account using a valid email address. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your authentication credentials and for all activity conducted under your account. You must notify Chissa promptly at support@chissa.co.za if you suspect unauthorised access.

Creator onboarding is currently available only to Creators resident in, operating from, and eligible to receive payouts in South Africa. Chissa may require identity verification (KYC) for Creators and, in certain circumstances, for Fans. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to update it as necessary.

Chissa operates a creator-fan community platform supporting subscription-based relationships between Creators and Fans. Creator onboarding is currently limited to South African Creators. Each approved Creator offers a single fan tier at a fixed monthly price of R99. Chissa Media (Pty) Ltd acts as the merchant of record for all Subscription transactions. Fans pay Chissa, and Chissa distributes Creator earnings in accordance with the Creator Agreement.

There is no platform-wide subscription. Advertising is not currently available on the Platform; Chissa intends to introduce advertising in future, which will be made available to organisations that wish to advertise on the Platform, subject to terms to be published at that time.

6.1 Subscription Fees

Subscriptions are charged at R99 per Creator per month, inclusive of VAT where applicable. Subscription fees are billed in advance on a recurring monthly basis from the date of initial subscription until cancelled.

6.2 Payment Methods

You authorise Chissa (or its payment processors) to charge your designated payment method for all Subscription fees and other charges incurred under your account. You are responsible for keeping your payment information current. If a payment fails, Chissa may suspend access to the affected Creator's fan tier until payment is successfully collected.

6.3 Automatic Renewal

Subscriptions automatically renew each month at the prevailing price, unless cancelled by you before the next billing date. You may cancel a Subscription at any time through your account settings; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle and does not entitle you to a pro-rated refund, except where a refund or cancellation right is required by applicable law.

6.4 Price Changes

Chissa may change Subscription pricing on not less than 30 days' written notice by email and on the Platform. Price changes take effect at your next billing cycle following the notice period. Continued use after a price change constitutes acceptance of the new price.

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable once charged. Chissa may issue a refund where: (i) a Subscription was charged in error; (ii) a Creator's account is terminated within 7 days of a Fan subscribing and no material content has been accessed; (iii) Chissa determines that a refund is appropriate after reviewing the circumstances; or (iv) required by South African consumer protection law, including the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 ("CPA"), the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 ("ECT Act"), or any other non-excludable statutory right.

Refund requests must be submitted to disputes@chissa.co.za within 14 days of the disputed charge, where reasonably possible. Chissa reserves the right to refuse refund requests that are abusive, fraudulent, or made in respect of content that has already been substantially consumed, except to the extent a refund, cooling-off, defective-service, or other consumer remedy is required by applicable law.

Creators are compensated under a separate Creator Agreement. In summary, Creators receive 80% of Subscription revenue attributable to their fan tier, and Chissa retains 20%. Payouts are made on a weekly or bi-weekly cadence, subject to fraud and chargeback clearance and a minimum payout threshold. The Creator Agreement governs the full payout mechanics, taxes, and Creator-specific obligations.

Your use of the Platform is at all times subject to the Acceptable Use Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. The AUP sets out prohibited content and conduct, Creator-specific obligations, content moderation, and enforcement actions. In the event of a conflict between these Terms and the AUP in respect of conduct or content, the AUP prevails.

Chissa's collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information is governed by the Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. The Privacy Policy is published at www.chissa.co.za and describes Chissa's POPIA-compliant practices, sub-processors, and your data subject rights.

11.1 Chissa's Rights

All right, title, and interest in and to the Platform, including its software, design, branding, trademarks, and underlying technology, are owned by or licensed to Chissa. Nothing in these Terms transfers any intellectual property rights to you, except as expressly granted.

11.2 User Content Licence

You retain all intellectual property rights in the original content you publish on the Platform. By publishing Content, you grant Chissa a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to host, store, transcode, display, distribute, and make Content available to authorised users through the Platform, for the duration of your active account and for a reasonable period thereafter to the extent necessary to operate, secure, and audit the Platform.

11.3 Feedback

If you submit suggestions, feature requests, or other feedback, you grant Chissa a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free licence to use that feedback without restriction.

The Platform relies on third-party services to operate, including Mux for video processing and delivery, LiveKit for live-streaming infrastructure, payment processors, KYC verification providers, and email and analytics tools. A current list of sub-processors is maintained in the Privacy Policy. Chissa is not responsible for the acts or omissions of any third party except as required by law or by binding contractual obligations between Chissa and that third party.

Chissa makes reasonable efforts to keep the Platform available, but does not warrant uninterrupted or error-free operation. The Platform may be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance, technical failures, or events beyond Chissa's control. Chissa may modify, add, or remove features at any time, including discontinuing parts of the Platform. Where a change materially diminishes core paid functionality for Fans, Chissa will provide reasonable notice.

Chissa does not guarantee perpetual storage of Content. Video content may be removed, downsampled, transcoded, or archived from time to time for operational, technical, or cost reasons, including after extended periods of account inactivity. Live streams are not made available for replay and are retained only for a minimum operational period of 14 days for moderation review, appeals, and compliance with legal or regulatory requests, after which they are deleted (subject to evidentiary holds).

You are solely responsible for retaining your own master copies of any Content you publish. The Platform is not a backup or archival service.

15.1 By You

You may terminate these Terms at any time by closing your account through your account settings or by emailing support@chissa.co.za. Termination does not entitle you to a refund of fees already paid.

15.2 By Chissa

Chissa may suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, for any breach of these Terms, the AUP, or applicable law, or where required to protect the Platform, other users, or third parties. Where the breach is not material and is capable of remedy, Chissa will use reasonable efforts to provide notice and an opportunity to remedy the breach before termination.

15.3 Effect of Termination

On termination, your right to access the Platform ceases. The following provisions survive termination: payment obligations accrued before termination, intellectual property licences necessary for Chissa to continue operating archived material, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution.

THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CHISSA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING OR TRADE USAGE.

Chissa does not warrant that the Platform will meet your requirements, be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any specific Content will remain available. Nothing in this clause limits any rights you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 that cannot lawfully be excluded.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Chissa's aggregate liability to you arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform, whether in contract, delict (tort), statute, or otherwise, is limited to the greater of: (i) the total fees paid by you to Chissa in the 12 months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim; or (ii) ZAR 1,000.

In no event will Chissa be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, even if Chissa has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for fraud, gross negligence, or wilful misconduct.

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Chissa, its directors, officers, employees, and agents from and against any claims, damages, liabilities, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to: (i) your Content; (ii) your breach of these Terms or any incorporated policy; (iii) your violation of any applicable law; or (iv) your infringement of any third-party right, including intellectual property and privacy rights.

If a dispute arises between you and Chissa, you agree to first contact Chissa at disputes@chissa.co.za and attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for a period of at least 30 days. If the dispute is not resolved within that period, either party may refer the matter to mediation under the rules of the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa ("AFSA") at Johannesburg. If mediation fails, the dispute will be finally resolved by the courts of the Republic of South Africa as set out in clause 20.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa. You and Chissa submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Johannesburg, in respect of any dispute that is not resolved through the procedures in clause 19.

Chissa may give notice to you by email to the address associated with your account, by posting on the Platform, or by any other reasonable means. You must give notice to Chissa by email to support@chissa.co.za, with a copy to disputes@chissa.co.za for payment or commercial matters. Notices are deemed received on the day they are sent (if a business day) or the next business day.

Chissa may amend these Terms at any time. Where an amendment materially affects your rights or obligations, Chissa will provide not less than 14 days' prior notice by email and on the Platform. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of an amendment constitutes acceptance. If you do not accept an amendment, your sole remedy is to terminate your account before the amendment takes effect.

Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the AUP, the Privacy Policy, and (where applicable) the Creator Agreement, constitute the entire agreement between you and Chissa concerning the Platform and supersede all prior agreements.

Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

No waiver. Chissa's failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right or provision.

Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without Chissa's prior written consent. Chissa may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of assets.

Force majeure. Chissa is not liable for any failure or delay in performance to the extent caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, acts of government, network failures, or third-party service outages.

Relationship. Nothing in these Terms creates an employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between you and Chissa.

Electronic communications. You consent to receive communications from Chissa electronically, including by email and via the Platform, and agree that electronic communications satisfy any legal requirement for written communication.