Jols Terms of Service

Effective date: 21 September 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and JOLS (PTY) LTD ("Jols", "we", "us", or "our"). They govern your use of the Jols mobile application, the Jols website at jols.co.za (including the ticket checkout pages and the venue portal), and related services (together, the "App" or "Service").

Jols is a South African social event-discovery platform. It helps you find parties and events ("jols"), discover venues, go out with friends, and buy tickets to events run by venues.

Please read these Terms carefully. By creating an account, tapping to accept, or otherwise using the App, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the App.

These Terms include important provisions that limit our liability and require you to accept certain risks (see Sections 10, 11, 12, and 13). We draw them to your attention as the Consumer Protection Act, 2008 requires.

1. Eligibility and age

You must be at least 18 years old to use Jols. When you sign up, we ask for your date of birth, and we do not create accounts for people under 18. By using the App, you confirm that you are 18 or older.
You must have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
If we learn that a user is under 18, we will suspend or delete their account.

We set the minimum age at 18 because Jols helps people find and attend real-world parties and nightlife events, many of them at venues licensed to sell alcohol (see Section 8).

2. Your account

You must give accurate information when you register, including your date of birth, and keep it up to date.
You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and for all activity under your account.
Tell us promptly at admin@jols.co.za if you suspect someone else is using your account.
You may not share, sell, or transfer your account, or create an account for someone else without their authority.
You can sign in with email and password, Sign in with Apple, or Google. Other sign-in methods (such as phone number) may be offered in future.

3. Acceptable use

You agree not to use Jols to:

Harass, bully, threaten, stalk, intimidate, or abuse any person.
Post or share content that is unlawful, defamatory, hateful, discriminatory, obscene, sexually explicit, sexually exploits or involves minors in any way, or incites violence.
Create, promote, or attend events that are illegal, or that break venue rules, licensing laws, or public-safety regulations.
Impersonate any person or misrepresent your identity or affiliation.
Collect or harvest other users' personal information, or use the friend, invite, or chat features to spam people.
Use another person's location information to track, surveil, or harm them.
Upload viruses or malicious code, or attempt to hack, overload, reverse-engineer, scrape, or disrupt the Service.
Use the App for unsolicited advertising, spam, or any commercial purpose we have not authorised.
Resell tickets bought through Jols for profit, or use automated tools to buy tickets (see Section 6).
Get around a suspension or ban, for example by creating a new account.
Break any applicable law, or any other person's rights.

Breaking these rules can lead to the action described in Section 4.3.

4. User content and moderation

"User content" means anything you create, upload, or share through the App. This includes jols (events), photos, chat messages, polls, photo tags, and your profile.

4.1 You are responsible for your content

You alone are responsible for your user content and what happens when you share it. You confirm that you have the rights to share it, and that it does not break these Terms, any law, or anyone else's rights (including the privacy and image rights of people you photograph or tag).

4.2 Licence you grant us

To run the Service, you grant JOLS (PTY) LTD a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, store, reproduce, display, and distribute your user content. We use this licence only to provide and improve the App, and to show your content to the right users (for example, displaying a jol you created or a message you sent). The licence ends when you delete the content or your account, except where the content has been shared with others, is held in backups, is held under Section 4.3 or 4.4, or must be kept by law.

We do not claim ownership of your user content. You keep your rights in it.

4.3 Zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users

Jols has zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive users. This includes content or behaviour that breaks Section 3, such as harassment, hate speech, threats, sexual content involving minors, non-consensual intimate images, graphic violence, and spam.

Report it: you can report users, jols, photos, chat messages, and other content from inside the App.
Block them: you can block any user from their profile or map pin. You and a blocked user will no longer see each other in the App. You can manage the people you have blocked in your profile settings.
We act within 24 hours: we review every report and act on it within 24 hours. If content breaks these Terms, we remove it. We may also warn, suspend, or permanently ban the account that posted it. Where someone is in immediate danger, we act at once and may contact the authorities.
We may also remove content or restrict accounts on our own initiative when we become aware of a breach.
Removed content is held in a restricted store for up to 90 days and then permanently deleted, as explained in our Privacy Policy.

We are not responsible for user content created by others, but we will act on it as set out above.

4.4 Suspended and banned accounts

A banned account can no longer sign in or use the Service. Its profile is hidden and its content is removed.
While a ban stands, the account cannot be deleted from the App, because we keep its identifying information as evidence (see the Privacy Policy, Section 6). You may still email admin@jols.co.za to ask for your information to be erased, and we will consider the request under POPIA.
If you believe we banned you by mistake, email admin@jols.co.za to appeal. We may lift a ban at our discretion.
If we ban an account that is running paid events, the ticket-refund rules in Section 6.4 apply to any affected tickets.

5. Events and venues: Jols is a discovery platform, not the organiser

This is important.

Jols is a discovery and connection platform. Jols (events) on the App are created, organised, hosted, and run by users, hosts, or venues, not by Jols.
We do not organise, host, sponsor, supervise, or endorse any event listed on the App, and we are not responsible for any event or venue.
We do not check whether event details are accurate (such as time, location, age restrictions, entry requirements, or safety arrangements). We also do not check how hosts or attendees behave, or whether an event is lawful or safe.
When you buy a ticket through Jols, we act only as the organiser's agent for selling the ticket and collecting payment (see Section 6). Your contract to attend the event is with the organiser. Any other agreement or arrangement relating to an event (for example, table bookings, drinks, or door charges paid at the venue) is between you and the host or venue.

If you host an event, you are responsible for making sure it is lawful, safe, properly authorised, and accurately described, and for following all applicable laws, licences, and venue rules.

6. Tickets

6.1 Who you are buying from

Some jols run by venues sell tickets through Jols. When you buy one, Jols sells the ticket as agent for the venue or organiser running the event (the "organiser"). The contract for the event itself (entry, the event going ahead, and what happens at it) is between you and the organiser. Jols is responsible for the ticket-selling service: the checkout, issuing your tickets, and processing refunds when an event is cancelled.

6.2 How buying works

You choose tickets in the App. The App then opens a secure checkout page on jols.co.za, where you pay through Paystack. Card payments are processed by Paystack. Jols never sees or stores your card details.
Your order is held for 15 minutes while you pay. If you do not pay in time, the order expires and nothing is charged.
Before you pay, the checkout page shows the event, each ticket type, the quantity, and the total you will pay. You can go back to the App to change your order before paying.
Price: you pay the ticket price the organiser set, in South African rand. Jols does not currently add a booking or service fee for buyers. Our commission comes out of the organiser's share. If a buyer fee is ever added, it will be shown as its own line before you pay.
Once your payment is confirmed, your tickets appear under My tickets in the App, each with its own QR code.

6.3 Using your tickets

Each ticket's QR code can be scanned for entry once. Keep it private. Anyone who has a copy of your QR code may be able to use it first.
Tickets are personal to the buyer and cannot be transferred or resold unless the organiser states otherwise. The App has no ticket-transfer feature.
A ticket gives you the right to try to enter the event. Entry is subject to the venue's rules and to the law. This includes age and ID checks (18+), dress codes, capacity, searches, and the venue's right to refuse entry or remove anyone for safety or behaviour reasons.

6.4 Cancellations and refunds

If the organiser cancels the event, you get a full refund of your whole order, to the card you paid with. We will notify you when the event is cancelled and again when your refund is requested. It can take up to 10 business days for the money to reach your card.
If your payment goes through but your tickets cannot be issued (for example, because your 15-minute hold ran out before your payment was confirmed), we refund the payment automatically.
In all other cases (for example, if you can no longer attend, or you are refused entry), refunds are a matter between you and the organiser, under the organiser's terms and your rights under South African law, including the Consumer Protection Act, 2008. Jols does not issue partial refunds or refunds for part of an order. Nothing in these Terms limits any right you have under the CPA.
The cooling-off right in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 does not apply to tickets for leisure events on a specific date.
If an event is postponed or materially changed (for example a different date, start time or venue), your ticket stays valid for the changed event. If you do not want to attend the changed event, email admin@jols.co.za within 7 days of our notice of the change and we will refund your whole order in full, to the card you paid with. After those 7 days, your ticket is treated as accepted for the changed event.

6.5 Problems with an order

If something goes wrong with a payment, a ticket, or a refund, email admin@jols.co.za with your order reference, and we will help. Disputes about the event itself should go to the organiser first. We will help you contact them.

7. Venue accounts and plans

This section applies if you run a venue on Jols.

Venue accounts, venue plans, and payouts are set up and managed on jols.co.za, in the venue portal. Venue plans are not sold in the App, and the App does not take payment for them.
A venue plan unlocks venue features on Jols (for example publishing jols, ticket sales, guest lists, analytics, and broadcasts to followers). What each plan includes, and its price, are shown on jols.co.za.
A plan runs to the date you have paid for. When it ends, publishing and plan features switch off until you renew. There is no grace period.
When venues sell tickets through Jols, payment is split when the buyer pays: the venue's share goes to the venue's Paystack account, and Jols keeps a commission set by the venue's plan.
If a venue cancels an event with paid tickets, every paid order is refunded in full to the buyers (Section 6.4). The venue must reimburse Jols for the venue's share of those refunds.
Venues must use their guest lists, ticket lists, and other customer information only to run their events, and must follow POPIA.
Venues are responsible for their licences (including liquor licences), for compliance at their premises, and for the content of their listings and broadcasts (see Section 8).
Our separate venue agreement also applies to venues. Venues accept it in writing (a signed or emailed copy) when they sign up, before their plan starts. If it conflicts with these Terms on a venue matter, the venue agreement wins.

8. Alcohol and responsible use

Jols does not sell alcohol. Jols helps you find events, and sells tickets for them as the organiser's agent. Any alcohol at an event is sold by the venue, which is responsible for its liquor licence and for following liquor laws.
Jols is for adults aged 18 and over. Venues may ask for ID at the door and refuse entry or service to anyone who cannot prove their age.
If you drink, drink responsibly. Never drink and drive. Arrange a safe way home, and look out for your friends.
Venues and hosts must not use Jols to promote excessive or irresponsible drinking, or to target anyone under 18. Venue listings and broadcasts that promote alcohol must follow applicable law and the alcohol-industry advertising code.

9. Location and visibility

The App can show where you are to your friends on a map, but only when you choose to:

New accounts start Hidden (sometimes called Ghost Mode). While Hidden, nobody sees you on the map.
Your location is shared only when you tap Going Out or check in at a venue, and only after you have agreed to appear on your friends' map. The App shares a one-time snapshot, not a live, moving location, and only with your friends.
The App uses location only while you are using it, and never in the background.
Discover and the map use your device's location to show and sort what is near you.

You are responsible for your own visibility settings, and you must not use anyone else's location to harm them (Section 3). Our Privacy Policy explains this in detail.

10. Meeting people and attending real-world events: assumption of risk

Jols helps you discover events and connect with people, including people you may not already know. Meeting other users and attending real-world events carries risks.

By using Jols, you understand and agree that:

We do not run background checks on users, hosts, or venues, and we do not verify any user's identity, character, or intentions.
You alone are responsible for your own safety and decisions when chatting with, meeting, or attending events with other people.
You voluntarily accept the risks of meeting other users and attending events, including the risk of injury, loss, or harm.
You should take sensible precautions: meet in public where possible, tell someone where you are going, and trust your judgement.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you release Jols from claims arising out of your interactions with other users, hosts, or venues, or your attendance at any event.

11. Disclaimers

The App is provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by law, we do not promise that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any event, venue, or user information is accurate or reliable.
We are not responsible for how any user, host, or venue behaves, online or offline.
Maps, distances, and location features depend on third parties and on your device, and may be inaccurate or unavailable.

Nothing in these Terms removes any right or warranty you have under the Consumer Protection Act, 2008, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002, or any other South African law that cannot lawfully be excluded.

12. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by South African law:

Jols, its owners, directors, employees, and partners will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data, goodwill, or opportunity, arising from your use of (or inability to use) the App.
Jols will not be liable for any harm, loss, injury, or damage arising from events you attend, people you meet, content posted by other users, or the acts or omissions of hosts, venues, or other users.
Where liability cannot lawfully be excluded, our total liability to you is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law. For a ticket purchase, it is limited to the amount you paid for that order.

This section does not limit liability that cannot be excluded by law, including liability for gross negligence or wilful misconduct, or rights protected under the Consumer Protection Act.

13. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless JOLS (PTY) LTD and its team from claims, damages, losses, and reasonable legal costs arising out of: (a) your user content; (b) your use of the App; (c) any event you host or attend; (d) your breach of these Terms; or (e) your breach of any law or of any third party's rights.

14. Third-party services and app stores

The App relies on third-party services, including Supabase (hosting), Mapbox (maps), Paystack (payments), Apple and Google (sign-in and notifications), Expo (app updates and notifications), Sentry (crash reports), and Vercel (website hosting). We are not responsible for third-party services, and your use of them may be subject to their own terms. Our Privacy Policy lists what each one processes.
If you downloaded the App from Apple's App Store: these Terms are between you and Jols only, not Apple. Apple is not responsible for the App or its content, and has no obligation to provide maintenance or support for it. If the App fails to meet any warranty that applies, you may notify Apple, and Apple may refund the price you paid for the App (if any). To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation for the App. Apple is not responsible for any claims relating to the App (including product-liability claims, claims that the App fails to meet legal or regulatory requirements, consumer-protection or privacy claims, or intellectual-property infringement claims). Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms and may enforce them against you. You confirm that you are not located in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo, and that you are not on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.

15. Suspension and termination

You may stop using Jols and delete your account at any time: in the App, go to Profile → Settings → Privacy → Delete Account, or see the Privacy Policy. A banned account cannot be deleted while the ban stands (Section 4.4).
We may suspend or terminate your access, with or without notice, if you break these Terms, create risk or legal exposure for Jols or others, or if we discontinue the Service.
When your account ends, your right to use the App ends. Tickets you have already bought for events that have not happened yet stay subject to Section 6. Deleting your account does not cancel or invalidate tickets you have already bought: the order and ticket records are kept, with the link to your account removed, so the venue can still honour and scan them at the door; but because your account is gone, the tickets no longer appear in My tickets in the App.
Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive. These include content licences already granted to others, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity, and governing law.

16. Changes to the App and these Terms

We may change, suspend, or discontinue any part of the App at any time.
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will tell you in the App or by other reasonable means, and update the "Effective date" above. When we publish a new version, the App and the venue portal ask you to accept it the next time you sign in. If you do not agree, you must stop using the App.

17. Privacy

Our handling of your personal information is described in our Privacy Policy at https://jols.co.za/privacy, which forms part of these Terms.

18. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. You agree to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Gauteng, South Africa, for any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the App. This is subject to any rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act and any applicable dispute-resolution process.

19. General

Entire agreement: These Terms and the Privacy Policy (and, for venues, the venue agreement) are the entire agreement between you and us about the App.
Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the rest remain in effect.
No waiver: If we do not enforce a provision, that does not mean we have waived it.
Assignment: You may not transfer your rights under these Terms. We may transfer ours as part of a business transfer.

20. Contact us

Support, privacy, and data requests: admin@jols.co.za
Legal entity: JOLS (PTY) LTD (registration number 2026/572774/07)
Registered address: 11 Audocia Place, Hurlingham Ext 5, Sandton, Gauteng, 2196