Retiring or disposing of assets?

Universe Direct has a 24-year track record in the refurbishment and disposal of used IT equipment (ITAD) in a way that is fully compliant with the POPI Act.

"We have disposed, refurbished and recycled IT assets for many of South Africa’s best-known companies and institutions. Our list of clients includes corporations such as Absa, BAT, Old Mutual, Rand Merchant Bank, Sanlam, Investec, VISA, Ernst & Young and PwC, along with educational institutions such as CPUT, Stellenbosch University and UWC. We have refurbished the computers of the National Prosecuting Authority and government departments and municipalities and are contracted to Dell Financial Services to refurbish and recycle their end-of-lease computer equipment, a function we have performed for more than 18 years," says Andrew Craig, founder and owner of Universe Direct.

As one of the largest asset disposal service providers, Universe Direct has developed a secure chain of custody process that begins with a detailed audit of all the equipment, complete and transparent documentation, which includes a certificate confirming the decommissioning and data cleansing of the equipment, the hard drive destruction and if waste, the e-waste disposal compliance certificates.

As South Africa’s largest refurbisher of IT equipment, Universe Direct also offers companies the opportunity to do full data erasure, refurb and resell the equipment to company staff as part of a staff buy-back programme, or Universe Direct will purchase the assets, maximising the value and minimising the overall cost of the e-waste cycle. "If the company would like to donate the assets to charity, we can co-ordinate the logistics of setting up and installing/supporting these units,” says Craig.

The purpose of POPI is to ensure all South African institutions conduct themselves in a responsible manner when collecting, processing, storing and sharing another entity’s personal information by holding them accountable should they abuse or compromise personal information in any way.

Companies that do not comply with the POPI Act, regardless of whether it is intentional or accidental, can face severe penalties.

To ensure you are compliant, work with one of the most respected asset disposal companies in South Africa – Universe Direct.