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Terms of Service

Last updated July 2026

These terms are written in plain language on purpose — what you read here is what we hold ourselves to. By creating an account or using ThumaAI you agree to them.

1. What ThumaAI is

ThumaAI (“Thuma”, “we”, “us”) is a governed digital assistant that helps you with money and life admin — finding opportunities such as bursaries and jobs, preparing applications, building budgets, drafting documents, and storing your documents securely for reuse.

Thuma assists you; it does not replace a professional. Nothing Thuma produces is financial, legal, tax, or medical advice. For decisions with serious consequences, consult a qualified professional.

2. Who may use Thuma

  • You must have a WhatsApp account with a valid mobile number to create an account.
  • If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must consent before we process your personal information, and some actions remain restricted until they do.
  • You may only use Thuma for yourself or for someone who has asked you to help them.

3. Your account

You sign in by continuing on WhatsApp, where Meta verifies the WhatsApp session — there is no password or separate Thuma one-time code. You are responsible for keeping control of your WhatsApp account and device. Tell us immediately through Settings if you believe someone else has used your account. You can sign out of all sessions by deleting your data in Settings.

4. How Thuma acts on your behalf — the governance promise

These rules are enforced by the product itself, not just stated here:

  • Approval before effect. Any action that moves money, sends a message to someone else, or submits something official is shown to you first and only happens after your explicit approval.
  • Prepare, not submit. For official applications (e.g. NSFAS, job applications), Thuma prepares everything for you to review and submit yourself — it never auto-submits on your behalf.
  • Silence means no. If an approval request expires without your answer, it counts as a decline. Nothing proceeds by default.
  • Transparency. Thuma shows you the sources it read and the actions it took, and keeps an activity log you can inspect.
  • Honest limits. When Thuma is uncertain, degraded, or unable to verify something, it says so instead of guessing.

5. Accuracy and your responsibility to review

Thuma works from the information you give it and from sources it reads. Despite our safeguards, generated content can contain errors. Always review anything Thuma prepares — especially amounts, dates, personal details, and anything you are about to submit or send. You are responsible for what you approve.

6. Credits, caps, and payments

  • Free use has daily and weekly caps. Paid tiers and credit bundles raise them. Current prices and caps are always shown in the app before you pay.
  • We never silently reduce quality. When you reach a cap we tell you, hold your message, and let you choose how to continue.
  • Every purchase is receipted in your credit history. Failed payments grant nothing.
  • Credits are not money, are not transferable, and have no cash value. Where the Consumer Protection Act gives you a right to a refund, that right is unaffected.

7. Connected services (integrations)

You can connect third-party accounts (email, calendar, banking, and others) to unlock more of what Thuma can do. Connections are always your choice, scopes are shown in plain language before you consent, reading is free of side effects, and any action through a connection still passes approval. You can revoke a connection at any time in the app, with immediate effect. Third-party services have their own terms, which apply to your use of them.

8. Your content and documents

  • You own what you upload and what Thuma prepares for you. You grant us only the licence needed to store and process it in order to provide the service to you.
  • Documents in your vault are encrypted at rest and scoped to your account.
  • You can delete any document, conversation, or your whole account at any time.

9. Acceptable use

You agree not to use Thuma to:

  • break the law, or help anyone else break it;
  • harm, harass, defraud, or impersonate others;
  • submit false information to institutions, funders, or employers;
  • attempt to bypass Thuma’s safety, approval, or entitlement controls;
  • probe, scrape, overload, or reverse-engineer the service.

We may suspend or close accounts that do these things.

10. Availability and changes to the service

We work to keep Thuma available and reliable, but we do not promise uninterrupted service. We may add, change, or withdraw features. If we withdraw something material, we will tell you in the app first.

11. Liability

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for outcomes of decisions you make — including applications that are unsuccessful, deadlines that are missed, or transactions you approved. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008.

12. Privacy

How we handle your personal information is set out in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these terms. In short: minimal data, explicit consent, your right to export and delete, and POPIA protection throughout.

13. Ending the relationship

You can stop using Thuma at any time and delete your data in Settings. We may suspend or terminate accounts for material breach of these terms; where reasonable we will warn you first. Sections that by their nature should survive (your content rights, liability, governing law) survive termination.

14. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the product evolves. Material changes are announced in the app before they take effect. If you keep using Thuma after a change takes effect, the updated terms apply. If you don’t agree with a change, stop using the service and delete your data — export is always available first.

15. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa. We’ll always try to resolve a complaint directly first — reach us through in-app support in Settings. Nothing here limits your right to approach a consumer court, ombud, or the ordinary courts.

16. Contact

Questions about these terms? Use the in-app support option in Settings and we will respond there.