Effective date: 25 July 2026 · Africakai group — see Definitions below for which entity applies to you
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of KAINEX, a bookkeeping, invoicing, and tax compliance platform for South African businesses. KAINEX is a product of the Africakai group; which specific Africakai group company you are contracting with depends on your package, as explained in section 1 (Definitions). Please read these Terms together with our Privacy Policy.
"KAINEX" means the software platform made available at kainex.co.za and its subdomains. "Africakai"means Africakai (Pty) Ltd, the South African holding company that wholly owns Africakai Technologies (Pty) Ltd ("Technologies") and Africakai Business Compliance (Pty) Ltd ("Business Compliance"). "Provider", "we", "us", and "our" mean whichever of Technologies or Business Compliance you are actually contracting with under these Terms: Technologies for a Self-Service account, or Business Compliance for a Managed Package. "Services" means the bookkeeping, invoicing, reporting, and compliance features made available through KAINEX, including any Managed Package. "Managed Package" means a subscription tier under which a Business Compliance accountant reviews and prepares your books and statutory submissions. "Self-Service" means using KAINEX without a Managed Package, relying on AI-assisted tools you operate yourself. "You" and "your" mean the individual or business that registers for or uses KAINEX.
By creating a KAINEX account, or by using the Services in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. If you are registering on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you confirm that you have the authority to bind that entity, and "you" in these Terms refers to that entity. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not register for or use KAINEX.
KAINEX is a software platform for bookkeeping, invoicing, and South African tax and compliance support. Depending on the package you choose, it is either a Self-Service tool that you operate yourself with AI assistance, or a Managed Package under which a Business Compliance accountant reviews and prepares your books and statutory submissions on your behalf. The specific features included in each package are described at kainex.co.za and may be updated from time to time in accordance with section 17.
KAINEX uses artificial intelligence to categorise transactions, parse bank statements, and draft financial statements and tax calculations. This output is a starting point, not a substitute for professional judgement. On a Self-Service plan, you are responsible for reviewing AI-categorised transactions and AI-drafted figures before relying on them for any purpose, including filing with SARS or any other regulator. On a Managed Package, a Business Compliance accountant reviews and signs off figures before they are treated as final. We are not liable for decisions made solely on the basis of unreviewed AI output.
You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement to use KAINEX. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately at support@kainex.co.za if you suspect unauthorised use of your account.
You are responsible for the accuracy of the information and documents you upload or enter, for keeping your login credentials secure, and for your own compliance with SARS, CIPC, and any other regulator that applies to your business. KAINEX and we support this process; we do not replace your legal obligation to keep accurate records and file on time.
You agree not to: use KAINEX for any unlawful purpose or to submit fraudulent financial information; attempt to gain unauthorised access to another user's account, data, or any part of the platform's infrastructure; interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Services; reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the platform, except as permitted by law; or use the Services to build a competing product. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate this section.
Self-service subscriptions are billed monthly in advance. Managed Packages are billed monthly or annually in advance, as selected at onboarding — annual billing is charged at ten months' price for twelve months of service. Fees are shown in South African Rand and are exclusive of VAT unless stated otherwise. Monthly subscriptions are billed automatically each month against the payment method on file via our payment processor, PayFast. We may change our fees with notice under section 17; continued use after a fee change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the new fee.
For monthly subscriptions, our payment processor retries a failed card charge automatically over the following days. If those retries are unsuccessful, your account moves to the entry-level Self-Service plan — you keep your login and all your data exactly as it was, but Managed Package services and any higher-tier features stop until you resubscribe from your account settings, and the Self-Service plan's own subscription fee applies from that point. For annual subscriptions, which are once-off charges rather than automatic renewals, the same downgrade happens if the plan isn't manually renewed within seven days of its expiry date. In both cases we notify you in-app, and nothing is ever deleted as a result of a payment issue — a lapsed subscription only removes paid-tier access, never your records.
Subscription fees already charged for the current billing period are generally not refunded, except where required by law or at our discretion in cases of a service failure on our side. Once-off compilation and engagement fees cover work already performed or scheduled and are non-refundable once that work has started.
You may cancel a Self-Service subscription at any time from your account settings; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period and you keep access until then. Managed Packages require thirty days' written notice to support@kainex.co.za, since ongoing bookkeeping and compliance work is typically in progress. We may suspend or terminate your account for breach of section 7 (Acceptable Use) or non-payment under section 9. On cancellation or termination, you remain responsible for retrieving any records you need — we retain financial records for the SARS-required period regardless of account status.
KAINEX, its software, design, branding, and underlying technology are the property of Africakai and its licensors and are protected by South African and international intellectual property law. These Terms grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Services for your own business purposes. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Services, nor reverse engineer or attempt to extract the source code, except as expressly permitted by law.
As between you and us, you own the financial records, documents, and other content you upload to KAINEX ("Your Data"). You grant us a licence to host, process, and analyse Your Data solely to provide and improve the Services, including AI-assisted categorisation and statement preparation. See our Privacy Policy for how personal information within Your Data is handled.
Important — please read this section carefully
Sections 14–16 below limit our liability to you, disclaim certain warranties, and require you to cover our costs if your use of KAINEX causes us loss. In plain terms: our maximum liability to you is capped at what you paid us in the three months before a claim (except for gross negligence, fraud, or anything the law does not allow us to limit), we do not guarantee the Services will be error-free, and you are responsible for costs we incur because of your own breach of these Terms or misuse of the platform.
The Services are provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that AI-generated output will be accurate in every case — see section 4.
To the maximum extent permitted by South African law, our total liability arising from your use of KAINEX is limited to the fees you paid for the Services in the three months before the claim arose. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential loss, including lost profits or lost data, arising from use of the platform, except where such liability cannot be excluded by law, including under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 where applicable. Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for gross negligence, fraud, or wilful misconduct, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.
You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claim, loss, or damage, including reasonable legal fees, arising from your breach of these Terms, your violation of any law, or your infringement of any third party's rights in connection with your use of the Services.
We may update these Terms or the features included in a package from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email or an in-app notice before they take effect. Continued use of KAINEX after a change takes effect means you accept the updated Terms.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. The parties will first attempt to resolve any dispute through good-faith negotiation. Any dispute that cannot be resolved directly will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the South African courts.
Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect.
Entire agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Services, and supersede any prior agreements on this subject.
No waiver
Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of our right to do so later.
Questions about these Terms can be sent to support@kainex.co.za.