Terms of Use

These terms govern your use of the Cape Town Gem & Mineral Club website and your membership of the Club. By browsing the site, registering an account or joining the Club, you agree to them.

1. About the club

The Cape Town Gem & Mineral Club is a non-profit society based at the clubhouse in Bothasig, Cape Town, operating as the Mineralogical Society of Southern Africa. The Club is run by a volunteer committee.

2. Using this website

• Most of the site is open to the public; the member dashboard and profile are for members.
• You agree not to misuse the site, attempt to break into it, scrape it, or interfere with other users.
• Content is provided for general information and education. It is not professional geological, legal or financial advice.

3. Your account

• You must give accurate information when you register and keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for keeping your password secret and for activity on your account.
• We may suspend or close an account that is used fraudulently, abusively or in breach of these terms.

4. Membership

• Membership is available in Adult and Junior categories. Fees are shown on the join page and in the shop.
• A membership runs for the period stated when you join and is renewed by paying the renewal fee. Where auto-renew is switched on, we will remind you before it is due.
• Membership benefits are for the member personally and are not transferable.
• We may decline or cancel a membership where a member behaves in a way that endangers others or harms the Club, and we will explain why.
• Fees are reviewed from time to time by the committee and any change applies from your next renewal.

5. Payments, shop items and refunds

• Payments are processed by our third-party payment provider. Card details are handled entirely by that provider and never reach the Club.
• Prices are in South African Rand and include VAT where applicable.
• Shop items are subject to availability, and specimen photographs are a guide — natural specimens vary in colour and size.
• Membership fees are generally non-refundable once the membership has been activated. If you believe a payment was taken in error, contact us within 14 days and we will look into it.
• Event and field trip fees may be non-refundable where costs have already been committed.

6. Open Days, workshops, outings and field trips

• Club activities take place at the Bothasig clubhouse and at field locations. Times and venues may change; check the diary before travelling.
• Field trips and collecting involve real outdoor risk. You take part at your own risk and are expected to follow the instructions of the trip leader, stay within the permitted area, and respect landowners, permits and conservation rules.
• Junior members must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
• You are responsible for your own safety, transport, equipment and insurance.

7. Content you send us

If you send us photographs, specimen details, newsletter items or other material, you confirm that you own it or have permission to share it, and you give the Club permission to publish it on this site and in club communications. You keep ownership of your material. We may edit or decline material for reasons of space, accuracy or suitability.

8. The Crystal Mining Adventure game

The game is offered for fun and education. Scores are stored on our servers and shown on a public leaderboard together with the display name you choose, so do not use your full name or any other personal detail as your player name. We may reset scores or remove entries that appear automated or abusive.

9. Intellectual property

The Club name, logo, text, photographs, illustrations and site design belong to the Club or the members who contributed them. You may not copy or republish them commercially without our written permission. You are welcome to share links to our pages and to quote short extracts with credit to the Club.

10. Links to other sites

We may link to other websites, such as a field trip venue or a supplier. We do not control those sites and are not responsible for their content or their privacy practices.

11. Availability and liability

We run this site with volunteers and aim to keep it available and accurate, but we cannot promise it will always be uninterrupted or error free. To the extent permitted by law, the Club is not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising from use of the site, from reliance on its content, or from taking part in club activities. Nothing here limits any right you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 that cannot be limited.

12. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy and Cookie Notice explain how we handle your personal information and form part of these terms.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top of the page shows when they were last changed, and continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, and any dispute will be dealt with by the South African courts.