Community Standards
How everyone in the Hive is expected to treat one another and conduct business.
Effective date: 17 June 2026
Welcome to the Hive
Market Hive SA is built on a simple idea: bringing South Africa's market community together in a safe, respectful, and supportive environment. Whether you are a Market Organiser, Vendor, Supplier, Service Provider, Venue, or Patron, you are part of our Hive. Every interaction should contribute to a positive experience that supports local businesses, creativity, and community growth. As a proudly South African platform, we embrace the diversity of our Rainbow Nation and expect all members of our community to treat one another with dignity and respect.
Our Hive Values
- Trust: be honest and transparent; keep your promises; communicate openly.
- Growth: support local businesses; encourage innovation and collaboration; share opportunities that benefit the community.
- Community: treat everyone with kindness and respect; celebrate diversity and inclusion; help create a welcoming environment.
- Professionalism: conduct yourself with integrity; resolve disagreements respectfully; represent your business accurately.
1. Be Respectful
We expect all members to:
- treat others with courtesy and dignity;
- respect different cultures, backgrounds, languages, and opinions;
- use polite and professional language;
- encourage positive conversations.
We do not tolerate:
- bullying;
- harassment;
- personal attacks;
- intimidation;
- threats;
- hate speech;
- discrimination.
2. Be Honest
Your profile, products, and services should accurately represent your business. Always:
- use genuine photographs;
- provide truthful descriptions;
- display accurate pricing where applicable;
- clearly communicate availability and delivery expectations;
- honour advertised promotions.
Do not:
- mislead customers;
- create fake listings;
- post fake reviews;
- impersonate another person or business;
- misrepresent qualifications or certifications.
3. Support Fair Business Practices
Members should:
- promote their own businesses professionally;
- respect competitors;
- build partnerships rather than conflict;
- share knowledge and opportunities.
Not permitted:
- defamation of competitors;
- copying another business's branding or content;
- sabotaging events or listings;
- misleading comparisons;
- spam advertising on another member's profile.
4. Keep the Hive Family-Friendly
Content must be suitable for a general audience. Not permitted:
- pornographic material;
- explicit sexual content;
- excessive profanity;
- graphic violence;
- offensive imagery;
- disturbing content.
5. Respect Intellectual Property
Only upload content that you own or have permission to use. This includes:
- logos;
- product photographs;
- videos;
- artwork;
- written content;
- marketing material.
If you believe your copyright has been infringed, you may report the content for review.
6. Protect Privacy
Respect the privacy of others. Do not:
- share personal information without permission;
- publish private contact details;
- share confidential business information;
- post screenshots of private conversations without consent.
7. Responsible Communication
Good communication includes:
- asking questions respectfully;
- providing helpful feedback;
- offering solutions instead of criticism;
- supporting fellow members.
Avoid:
- arguments;
- public shaming;
- aggressive behaviour;
- repeated unwanted messages;
- trolling;
- provoking conflict.
8. Reviews and Recommendations
Reviews should be:
- honest;
- relevant;
- respectful;
- based on real experiences.
Reviews may not:
- contain false accusations;
- be written to harm competitors;
- include abusive language;
- contain personal attacks.
9. Marketplace Safety
For your own protection:
- meet in safe public places where appropriate;
- verify information before making purchases;
- use secure payment methods;
- exercise reasonable caution when interacting with new businesses.
Market Hive SA does not guarantee the quality, safety, or reliability of products or services offered by third parties.
10. No Spam
Spam includes:
- posting the same advertisement repeatedly;
- sending unsolicited promotional messages;
- tagging unrelated businesses;
- posting irrelevant content;
- using automated posting systems.
Repeated spam may result in account suspension.
11. Illegal or Prohibited Activity
Strictly prohibited:
- fraud;
- counterfeit goods;
- stolen property;
- illegal products;
- pyramid schemes;
- unlicensed financial services;
- dangerous goods prohibited by law;
- scams;
- identity theft.
Any unlawful activity may be reported to the appropriate authorities.
12. Environmental Responsibility
We encourage members to:
- reduce waste;
- recycle where possible;
- support sustainable products;
- promote locally sourced goods;
- respect animals and nature;
- use environmentally friendly packaging.
13. Reporting Concerns
If you see behaviour or content that violates these Community Standards, please report it through Market Hive SA's support channels. Reports may include:
- harassment;
- fake listings;
- copyright infringement;
- fraudulent activity;
- offensive content;
- spam;
- safety concerns.
All reports will be reviewed fairly and confidentially.
14. Enforcement
Market Hive SA may:
- issue a warning;
- request content edits;
- remove posts or listings;
- suspend advertising privileges;
- temporarily suspend an account;
- permanently remove an account;
- report unlawful conduct to relevant authorities where appropriate.
Actions will be taken based on the seriousness and frequency of violations.
15. Building a Better Hive Together
By following these Community Standards, you help create a platform where small businesses can grow, local markets can thrive, patrons can shop with confidence, suppliers and service providers can build lasting partnerships, and communities across South Africa can connect and prosper.
The Hive Promise
At Market Hive SA, we believe that every stall tells a story, every vendor brings creativity, every market builds community, and every connection strengthens local business. Together, we create a Hive built on Trust, Growth, Community, and Professionalism, where everyone is welcome, everyone is respected, and everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Policy Amendments and Continued Participation
Market Hive SA reserves the right to amend, update, modify, replace or discontinue this policy at any time, where permitted by applicable law. Any amendments become effective upon publication on the Market Hive SA website or upon notification to users through any reasonable communication channel.
It is the responsibility of users, members, subscribers, vendors, suppliers, service providers, venues, markets, partners and patrons to review the applicable policies periodically. Continued use of the Market Hive SA website, services, directory listings, subscriptions, applications, accounts or participation in the Market Hive SA community following the publication of any amendment constitutes acceptance of such changes and agreement to be bound by the updated terms. If you do not agree to any amendment, you must discontinue use of the relevant services and may request cancellation of your account or subscription in accordance with the applicable cancellation policies.
Document version: 1.0
Last updated: 2 July 2026
The most current version of this policy is always available on the Market Hive SA website.
Questions about this policy? Email [email protected].