Welcome to Mthandizi. These terms govern your use of our platform. By using Mthandizi, you agree to these terms. Please read them carefully.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using Mthandizi, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our platform.
You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or use Mthandizi. By using the platform, you confirm that you meet this age requirement.
2. What Mthandizi Is
Mthandizi is an AI-powered information platform and marketplace built for Malawi. Our platform helps you:
- Search and discover — find jobs, scholarships, events, business listings, and other opportunities in Malawi
- Ask our AI chatbot — get answers to questions about Malawi using our community-powered knowledge base
- Shop from local businesses — browse and purchase products from verified Malawian businesses
- Contribute content — share knowledge, articles, documents, and local information with the community
- List your business — register and promote your business in our directory
We are continuously developing and improving our services. Features may be added, modified, or removed as the platform evolves.
3. User Accounts
To access most features, you need to create an account. When you do:
- Keep your account secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
- One person, one account. Each account is for a single individual. Do not share your account or create multiple accounts.
- Provide accurate information. The information you provide during registration must be truthful and up to date.
- Report unauthorized access. If you suspect someone has accessed your account without your permission, contact us immediately.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or pose a risk to our community. If your account is suspended, you will be notified with the reason.
4. Content Rules
Mthandizi relies on community-contributed content to power our knowledge base. If you submit content — whether as a contributor, partner, or user — you agree to the following:
You must:
- Submit content that is accurate, truthful, and relevant to Malawi
- Only submit content you have the right to share (your own work or properly licensed material)
- Follow our content guidelines and formatting requirements
You must not submit:
- Plagiarised or copied content without proper attribution
- Spam, promotional material disguised as informational content, or duplicate submissions
- Hate speech, discrimination, or content that incites violence
- Illegal content or content that promotes illegal activities
- Misleading, false, or deliberately deceptive information
- Sexually explicit or gratuitously violent material
- Content that infringes on someone else's intellectual property rights
We review all submitted content before it is published. We reserve the right to reject, edit, or remove any content that violates these rules. Repeated violations may result in the suspension of your contributor or partner account.
5. Marketplace and Shop
Mthandizi provides a marketplace where partner businesses can list and sell products to customers. Important — please understand:
- Mthandizi is a marketplace, not a seller. We connect buyers with local businesses. We do not own, stock, or fulfil any products listed on the platform.
- Transactions are between you and the seller. When you purchase a product, your contract is with the partner business, not with Mthandizi.
- Partners set their own prices. Product pricing, descriptions, availability, and delivery terms are determined by each partner business.
- We facilitate, not guarantee. While we verify partner businesses and moderate listings, we do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or availability of any product.
- Disputes are handled through our system. If you have an issue with an order, you can raise a dispute through our dispute resolution system. We will mediate between you and the seller to reach a fair outcome.
- Platform commission. Mthandizi charges a commission on marketplace sales. This commission is deducted from the seller's proceeds and does not affect the price you pay as a buyer.
Partners are responsible for accurate product descriptions, fair pricing, timely fulfilment, and compliance with all applicable laws in Malawi.
6. Payments
- Payment processing. All payments on Mthandizi are processed securely by our payment partners. We do not store your payment card numbers, mobile money PINs, or financial credentials.
- Supported methods. We accept payments via mobile money (Airtel Money, TNM Mpamba) and other methods available through our payment processor.
- All sales are final unless a dispute is raised within 72 hours of delivery confirmation. After this period, transactions are considered complete.
- Refunds. If a valid dispute is raised within the 72-hour window, refunds are at the discretion of the partner (seller) and Mthandizi's administration team. We will work to ensure a fair resolution.
- Currency. All prices on the platform are displayed in Malawi Kwacha (MWK) unless otherwise stated.
- Failed transactions. If a payment fails or is not completed, no order will be placed. If you are charged but no order is created, contact us and we will investigate.
7. Partner Terms
If you register as a partner business on Mthandizi, additional terms apply:
- Accurate information. You must provide truthful and complete business information. Misrepresenting your business may result in account suspension.
- Verification. Verified badges are awarded to businesses that provide valid documentation. We reserve the right to revoke verification if information is found to be false or outdated.
- Product listings. You are solely responsible for the accuracy of your product descriptions, images, pricing, and stock levels.
- Order fulfilment. You must fulfil orders promptly and communicate with customers about delivery timelines. Failure to fulfil orders may result in disputes and account penalties.
- Payouts. Partner earnings are paid out after delivery is confirmed by the buyer. Payouts are subject to commission deductions and any applicable fees.
- Commission. Mthandizi charges a platform commission on sales processed through the marketplace. The commission rate is set by the platform and may be updated with notice.
- Compliance. You must comply with all applicable laws and regulations in Malawi, including consumer protection and trade regulations.
8. Contributor Earnings
Contributors who submit approved content to the Mthandizi knowledge base may earn a share of platform revenue.
- Revenue share. Contributors earn a percentage of revenue generated from the platform. The current revenue share rate and any changes will be communicated through the contributor dashboard.
- Earning requirements. You must meet the platform's eligibility requirements before you can earn and withdraw funds. These requirements are outlined in your contributor dashboard.
- Withdrawal minimums. Earnings can only be withdrawn once they reach the minimum withdrawal amount. Withdrawals are processed to your registered mobile money account.
- Adjustments. The platform reserves the right to adjust revenue share rates, withdrawal minimums, and earning terms. Changes will be communicated in advance.
- Content removal. If your content is removed for violating our content rules, any earnings attributed to that content may be forfeited.
- No guaranteed income. Contributing content does not guarantee any specific level of earnings. Revenue depends on platform performance and user engagement.
9. AI Disclaimer
Mthandizi uses artificial intelligence to answer questions and provide information. Please understand:
- Informational purposes only. AI-generated responses are provided for general information. They are not a substitute for professional advice — whether legal, medical, financial, or otherwise.
- No guarantee of accuracy. While we work to ensure the quality of our AI's responses, they may contain errors, omissions, or outdated information. We do not guarantee that any AI response is complete, accurate, or current.
- Verify important information. Always verify critical information through official sources before making decisions based on AI responses.
- Community-powered. Our AI draws from content contributed by our community. The quality of responses depends on the quality and coverage of our knowledge base.
- Not personalised advice. AI responses are general in nature and do not take into account your specific circumstances.
10. Intellectual Property
- Your content, your ownership. Content you submit to Mthandizi remains your intellectual property. You retain all rights to your original work.
- Licence to Mthandizi. By submitting content, you grant Mthandizi a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, display, distribute, reproduce, and adapt your content on the platform. This includes the right to use your content to train and improve our AI systems within the platform.
- Purpose of the licence. This licence allows us to display your content to users, include it in AI-generated responses, and operate the platform effectively. We will not sell your content to third parties.
- Removal. If you remove your content or delete your account, we will remove your content from the platform. However, content that has already been incorporated into AI responses may persist in anonymised form.
- Platform content. The Mthandizi name, logo, design, and platform software are our intellectual property. You may not copy, modify, or distribute any part of the platform without our written permission.
11. Limitation of Liability
Mthandizi is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.
To the maximum extent permitted by law:
- We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform.
- We are not liable for losses caused by inaccurate AI responses, failed or disputed transactions, third-party actions, or service interruptions.
- We are not liable for the actions, products, or services of partner businesses listed on our marketplace.
- Our total liability for any claim related to the platform shall not exceed the amount you paid to Mthandizi in the 12 months preceding the claim, or MWK 50,000, whichever is less.
This does not affect any rights you may have under Malawian consumer protection law that cannot be excluded or limited.
12. Termination
- By us. We may suspend or terminate your account at any time if you violate these terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or harm the platform or its users. We will notify you of the reason unless prohibited by law.
- By you. You can delete your account at any time through your account settings. Upon deletion, your personal data will be removed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
- Effect of termination. When your account is terminated or deleted, your right to use the platform ceases immediately. Any pending earnings or transactions will be handled according to the applicable terms above.
13. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and notify you through the platform or via email if the changes materially affect your rights.
Your continued use of Mthandizi after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using the platform.
We encourage you to review these terms periodically.