SmartBills
Privacy policy
Last updated 29 September 2026
SmartBills is operated by Bushveld Technologies (Pvt) Ltd, Harare, Zimbabwe. It is a point-of-sale system used by staff at agent counters to pay bills on behalf of walk-in customers. This policy explains what the app collects, why, and what we do with it.
SmartBills is a staff application, not a consumer wallet. It is used by cashiers and administrators of institutions that have signed up to the service. It holds no customer wallet, stores no card numbers, and shows no advertising.
What we collect
| Information | Why |
|---|---|
| Staff account details — name, username, work email, telephone number, the branch worked at and the role held | To sign a person in, apply the permissions of their role, and record who performed each action |
| Authentication data — password (stored only as a cryptographic hash), authenticator secret, session tokens | To keep accounts secure and support two-factor sign-in |
| Transaction records — the bill account or meter number entered, the amount, the currency, the payment method, and the name the utility returns for that account | To pay the bill, print the customer's receipt, and keep the financial record every payments business is required to keep |
| Device information — a notification token, and the app version and operating-system version | To deliver notifications to the right device and to diagnose faults |
| Diagnostic logs — request timings, error messages and an audit trail of actions taken | To keep the service working, investigate problems, and meet audit obligations |
What we do not collect
- No card details are stored. Where a customer pays by card, the details are passed to the licensed payment provider and are never written to our records.
- No location data. The app does not request or use device location.
- No contacts, photos, files or microphone access.
- No advertising identifiers, and no data is sold or shared with advertisers or data brokers. We do not profile anyone.
Permissions the app asks for
| Permission | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Internet | To reach the SmartBills service |
| Notifications | To tell a cashier that a sale completed, or that an approval is waiting |
| Biometric | To unlock the app with a fingerprint or face, if the user turns that on. Biometric data never leaves the device and is never sent to us. |
| Bluetooth | Only to print a receipt on a counter receipt printer. It is not used to locate anyone, and no scanning data is collected. |
Who we share information with
To pay a bill, the account number and the amount must be sent to the bill payment provider we are integrated with, and on to the utility or service provider concerned. That is the purpose of the transaction and cannot be avoided. Beyond that, information is shared only with:
- the institution that employs the member of staff, for its own transactions;
- infrastructure providers who host the service on our behalf, under contract;
- a regulator, auditor or court, where the law requires it.
We do not sell personal information, and we do not transfer it to anyone for their own marketing.
How long we keep it
Financial records are retained for seven years, as Zimbabwean record-keeping requirements for payment businesses provide. Staff account records are kept while the account is active and for the retention period afterwards. Diagnostic logs are kept for a substantially shorter period and are removed on a rolling basis.
How it is protected
- All traffic is encrypted in transit (TLS).
- Passwords are stored only as salted hashes and are never recoverable.
- Two-factor authentication is required for every staff account.
- Access follows the role a person holds, and sensitive records are limited to the branch or institution they belong to.
- The financial ledger is append-only and every change is recorded in an audit trail.
Your rights
If you are a member of staff using SmartBills, or a customer whose payment was processed through it, you may ask us what information we hold about you, ask for a correction, or ask for it to be deleted where no legal retention period applies. Requests go to the address below, and we will respond within 30 days. For staff accounts, please also contact your own institution's administrator, who manages your access.
Children
SmartBills is a workplace tool for adult staff. It is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
Changes
If this policy changes materially, we will update the date at the top of this page and, where the change affects how staff data is used, notify institutions directly.
Contact
Bushveld Technologies (Pvt) Ltd
Harare, Zimbabwe
bushveld.engineers@gmail.com