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NIKAHREGISTER.CO.ZA CODE OF CONDUCT FOR IMAMS AND MOSQUE ADMINISTRATORS Version 1.0 | Effective: 1 January 2026 A SAMNET Initiative ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── PREAMBLE ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── NikahRegister.co.za (the "System") is a SAMNET initiative providing a secure, centralised digital register of Muslim marriages (Nikah) performed at masaajid across all nine provinces of South Africa. Access to the System is a privilege granted to verified imams and mosque administrators who have been authorised by their respective Ulama bodies. This Code of Conduct ("CoC") sets out the ethical, legal, and operational obligations of every person granted access to the System. By submitting an application and electronically signing this CoC, you ("the Applicant" / "the User") unconditionally agree to be bound by every provision herein. Failure to comply with this CoC may result in the immediate suspension of your account, formal notification to your Ulama body, and civil or criminal proceedings where applicable. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 1 — DATA INTEGRITY AND ACCURACY ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 1.1 You must ensure that all information entered into the System is accurate, complete, and truthful to the best of your knowledge. 1.2 You must not knowingly enter false, fabricated, misleading, or incomplete Nikah records. This includes but is not limited to: false names, incorrect dates, fabricated witness details, incorrect ID numbers, or inaccurate marriage conditions. 1.3 You must not alter or amend an existing Nikah record unless you have direct knowledge that an error was made and you have the supporting documentation to justify the correction. 1.4 Any correction to a record must be noted with a reason. The System maintains an audit trail of all changes and the original record is never permanently deleted. 1.5 You acknowledge that Nikah records entered into this System may be relied upon by the parties themselves, courts of law, government departments, Ulama bodies, and other authorised institutions. Inaccurate records can cause serious harm. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 2 — CONFIDENTIALITY AND PRIVACY ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 2.1 All personal information accessible through the System is strictly confidential. This includes the names, ID numbers, contact details, addresses, financial information (mahr), and any other personal data of the parties to a Nikah, their witnesses, wali, and family members. 2.2 You must not disclose, share, discuss, or reveal any personal information obtained through the System to any third party, except where explicitly required by law or authorised in writing by SAMNET. 2.3 You must not use personal information obtained through the System for any purpose other than the legitimate administration of Nikah records at your mosque. 2.4 You must not take screenshots, photographs, screen recordings, or any other copies of records from the System for personal storage, sharing, or any other unauthorised purpose. 2.5 If you become aware of any actual or potential breach of confidentiality — whether by yourself or another System user — you must immediately report it to SAMNET at info@nikahregister.co.za. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 3 — UNAUTHORISED ACCESS AND DATA SHARING ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 3.1 Your login credentials (username and password) are strictly personal and non-transferable. You must never share your login credentials with any other person under any circumstances, including other mosque staff, family members, or colleagues. 3.2 You must not allow any other person to access the System using your account, whether physically or remotely. 3.3 You must not access, view, search, or retrieve records of Nikahs that were not performed at your mosque, unless you are explicitly authorised to do so by SAMNET in writing. 3.4 You must not export, download, or extract records from the System in bulk or individually except through authorised export functions provided within the System, and only for legitimate mosque administration purposes. 3.5 Accessing records of other masaajid without authorisation constitutes a serious breach of this CoC and may constitute an offence under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), Act 4 of 2013. 3.6 You must log out of the System whenever you leave your workstation unattended, even briefly. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 4 — PROHIBITION ON FRAUD AND MANIPULATION ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 4.1 You must not register a Nikah on the System if you did not personally officiate it, witness it, or have direct, verified knowledge of it from an authorised source. 4.2 You must not create fictitious, backdated (without proper authorisation), or duplicate Nikah records. 4.3 You must not manipulate or attempt to manipulate the System, its database, or its audit trail in any way. 4.4 You must not use the System to assist, facilitate, or conceal any unlawful marriage, illegal activity, or immigration fraud. 4.5 Any attempt to circumvent the System's security measures, access controls, or audit logging mechanisms constitutes a serious criminal offence and will be reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS). ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 5 — VERIFICATION OF PARTIES ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 5.1 Before registering a Nikah, you must take reasonable steps to verify the identity of the bride, groom, wali, and witnesses. This includes verifying their South African ID numbers or passport numbers where applicable. 5.2 You must not register a Nikah where you have reason to believe that any party is below the legal age of consent or is acting under duress. 5.3 You must not register a Nikah where any party has not given their free and informed consent. 5.4 For polygynous marriages, you must ensure that all applicable Islamic and legal requirements have been met and that all parties are aware of the existing marriage(s) before registering the Nikah. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 6 — COMPLIANCE WITH POPIA (PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION ACT) ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 6.1 The System processes personal information as defined in the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 ("POPIA"). As a user of the System, you are an "operator" within the meaning of POPIA when you access, enter, or process personal information on behalf of SAMNET (the "responsible party"). 6.2 You must process personal information only for the specific, explicitly defined purpose of administering Nikah records at your mosque. 6.3 You must not retain any personal information obtained through the System beyond what is necessary for the administration of Nikah records. 6.4 You must immediately notify SAMNET if you become aware of a personal information breach or a reasonably suspected breach involving information accessible through the System. 6.5 SAMNET's full POPIA Privacy Policy is available at nikahregister.co.za/public/privacy.php and forms part of this CoC by reference. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 7 — IMAM-SPECIFIC OBLIGATIONS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 7.1 As an imam, you may only register Nikah ceremonies that you personally officiated, or that you have directly verified from contemporaneous mosque records in your custody. 7.2 You must maintain your own mosque records in a manner consistent with your Ulama body's requirements, and the System records must accurately reflect those physical records. 7.3 If you are a registered Civil Marriage Officer (CMO) with the Department of Home Affairs, your registration number must be accurately recorded in the System. You must promptly update SAMNET if your CMO status changes (lapsing, renewal, cancellation). 7.4 You acknowledge that you bear personal responsibility for the accuracy of every Nikah record you enter or authorise on the System. 7.5 You must complete any ethics or training requirements stipulated by SAMNET or your Ulama body as a condition of maintaining your System access. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 8 — MOSQUE ADMINISTRATOR-SPECIFIC OBLIGATIONS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 8.1 As a mosque administrator, your role on the System is to support the administrative functions of your mosque's Nikah records. You must not register Nikah records independently unless you have explicit written authorisation from SAMNET and your Ulama body. 8.2 You must ensure that access to the System at your mosque is restricted to yourself only. Account sharing — even with the imam of your mosque — is strictly prohibited. Each user must have their own account. 8.3 You must not use your access to the System for any purpose other than the legitimate administration of Nikah records for your mosque. 8.4 You are responsible for safeguarding any printed or exported records generated through the System at your mosque and must ensure these are stored securely and disposed of properly when no longer required. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 9 — AUDIT LOGGING AND MONITORING ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 9.1 You acknowledge and consent to the fact that all your activity on the System is electronically logged and audited. This includes: every login and logout, every record viewed, every record created or edited, every document downloaded or exported, every search performed, and every failed login attempt. 9.2 These audit logs are stored securely and may be reviewed by SAMNET administrators, by authorised Ulama bodies, or by law enforcement agencies acting under a lawful warrant or court order. 9.3 The existence of audit logging does not authorise any activity that is otherwise prohibited by this CoC — it is an accountability mechanism, not a permission. 9.4 You must not attempt to suppress, delete, alter, or circumvent the audit logging mechanism in any way. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 10 — CONSEQUENCES OF BREACH ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 10.1 Any breach of this Code of Conduct may result in one or more of the following: (a) Immediate suspension or permanent termination of your System access; (b) Formal written notification to your Ulama body; (c) Referral to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for criminal investigation; (d) Civil proceedings for damages arising from the breach; (e) Referral to the Information Regulator under POPIA. 10.2 SAMNET reserves the right to suspend an account immediately and without prior notice where there is reasonable suspicion of a breach of this CoC, pending investigation. 10.3 Where a breach is found to have occurred, SAMNET's decision on the appropriate consequence is final, subject to any applicable legal process. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 11 — ETHICS TRAINING ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 11.1 SAMNET may, from time to time, require all System users to complete mandatory ethics and data protection training as a condition of continued access. You agree to complete such training within the timeframes stipulated. 11.2 Failure to complete mandatory training within the required timeframe may result in temporary suspension of your account until the training is completed. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SECTION 12 — GENERAL PROVISIONS ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 12.1 This CoC must be read together with SAMNET's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which are incorporated herein by reference. 12.2 SAMNET reserves the right to amend this CoC at any time. Users will be notified of material changes and may be required to re-sign the updated version as a condition of continued access. 12.3 This CoC is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any dispute arising from this CoC shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa. 12.4 If any provision of this CoC is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. 12.5 By electronically signing this CoC, you confirm that: (a) You have read and understood all provisions of this Code of Conduct in full; (b) You agree to abide by this CoC as a condition of your System access; (c) You are authorised by your mosque and Ulama body to make this application; (d) All information provided in your application is true and accurate; (e) You understand that your electronic signature carries the same legal weight as a handwritten signature under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 25 of 2002. ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── SAMNET | NikahRegister.co.za | info@nikahregister.co.za Version 1.0 — Effective 1 January 2026 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────