Terms of Use

Daala operates solely as an interactive, two-sided technology venue and gig marketplace connecting independent service providers (“Merchants” or “Sellers”) with users seeking services (“Consumers” or “Buyers”).

Daala is notan employer, recruiter, direct service provider, agent, insurer, or joint venturer. Merchants operating on the platform are independent contractors. Daala does not supervise, direct, control, or monitor a Merchant’s work, performance, tools, schedules, or quality of output.

Daala does not guarantee, warrant, or assume liability for:

• The quality, safety, legality, or timeliness of any services rendered by Merchants.
• The accuracy, truthfulness, or reliability of user profiles, ratings, or uploaded content.
• The conduct, physical actions, property damage, injury, or financial transactions of any user.

Daala is not a Financial Services Provider (FSP), bank, or money transmitter under the National Payment System (NPS) Act of 1998 or the Banks Act of 1990. All escrow operations, digital wallet mechanisms, and fund transfers are managed independently by TradeSafe, an authorised, regulated Third-Party Payment Provider (TPAP).

1. 1

   Agreement lock-in

   When a Buyer accepts a Merchant’s offer on a Gig Request or directly books a Gig Post, the required transactional funds are immediately debited from the Buyer’s payment method or digital wallet and deposited into a secure TradeSafe escrow account.

2. 2

   Execution phase

   Funds are held securely in escrow while the Merchant performs the task.

3. 3

   Completion & release

   Upon task completion, the Buyer marks the job as complete via their platform dashboard, triggering the immediate, automated release of escrowed funds directly to the Merchant’s wallet.

• Standard platform commission: Daala deducts a standard 15% service fee from the total agreed escrow value upon job completion.
• Dynamic fee adjustments: To reward platform fidelity, commission rates may dynamically decrease for verified recurring call-outs or bookings between the same Merchant and Buyer.
• Introductory freemium allocations: Daala may offer introductory zero-commission promotional tiers for new Merchants on their initial completed gig allocations.

• Buyer tier subscriptions: Buyers may subscribe to recurring subscription packages granting access to benefits such as discounted call-out fees or monthly allocations of priority/emergency gig requests.
• Digital content sales: Merchants may offer full-length video courses or digital tutorial guides for purchase, subject to applicable platform commissions.
• Future P2P tool rentals: Peer-to-peer equipment rentals will incur a percentage-based commission fee to cover platform infrastructure and administrative overhead.

Payment processor surcharges levied by TradeSafe (e.g. Credit Card/Visa ~2.5%, EFT ~0.75%, Ozow ~1.5%) are explicitly passed through to the user at checkout.

Users are strictly prohibited from soliciting, arranging, accepting, or paying for gig services outside the Daala platform once a connection has been established via the app.

Any transaction conducted outside the app (“Platform Leakage”) automatically:

• Voids all platform guarantees, insurance policies, mediation services, and escrow protections.
• Results in immediate, permanent suspension or termination of user accounts.
• Authorises Daala to recover lost platform commissions directly from the offending parties.

If a Buyer is unsatisfied with service delivery, or if a Merchant asserts non-approval of a completed task, either party may log a formal dispute through the app dashboard prior to final payment release. Logging a dispute immediately freezes all escrowed funds in the TradeSafe holding account.

Daala provides impartial dispute resolution based on objective proof.

• Required submissions: Users must submit in-app chat logs, platform timestamps, and clear photographic/video proof of completed work.
• Binding determination: Daala’s administrative team reviews the evidence and issues a final, non-appealable decision to release 100% of escrowed funds to the Merchant, refund 100% of escrowed funds to the Buyer, or proportionally split the payout between both parties.

Daala acts solely as a neutral arbitrator. Daala shall have zero liability for any payout decisions rendered in good faith based on the evidence provided.

Daala strictly processes Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.

To fulfil identity verification (KYC/FICA) and financial compliance requirements, Daala collects and securely transmits the following data to regulated partners (VerifyNow and TradeSafe):

• Full legal names and SA ID Number / Passport / Business Registration details.
• Verified phone numbers, email addresses, and bank account settlement details.

• Encryption standards: All data in transit is encrypted using SSL/TLS protocols, and stored using industry-standard database encryption at rest.
• Local storage protection: No sensitive financial credentials or official South African ID documents are stored locally on the user’s mobile device.
• Cryptographic erasure: Account deletion triggers an automated cryptographic wipe of the user’s PII from active production environments, subject to legally mandated financial record-retention requirements.

Daala makes no guarantee of uninterrupted, 100% operational uptime or instantaneous data transmission. While system health is monitored in real time via tools like Firebase Crashlytics and Sentry, the service is provided strictly on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis.

Daala shall not be liable for platform downtime, latency, cloud database outages, API connection failures (including Google Maps or TradeSafe disruptions), or data delivery failures caused by cellular network degradation or local power outages.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY SOUTH AFRICAN LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL DAALA, ITS FOUNDERS (SAKHULA MBUYANE & KAI NELL), DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES. THIS INCLUDES, WITHOUT LIMITATION:

• Loss of profits, data, goodwill, or business opportunities.
• Property damage, personal injury, or death arising from services booked via the app.
• Acts of theft, fraud, or misconduct by third-party Merchants or Buyers.

IN ANY EVENT, DAALA’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO ANY USER FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE PLATFORM SHALL NOT EXCEED THE TOTAL PLATFORM COMMISSIONS ACTUALLY RETAINED BY DAALA FROM TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING SAID USER IN THE THREE (3) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

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

• Your access to or use of the Platform.
• Your breach of these Terms or non-compliance with applicable South African legislation.
• Any service, work product, injury, or damage resulting from a gig performed or requested by you.