Terms of service

1. Acceptance

Nkagothusa is a product of Techempower Proprietary Limited, a company registered in Botswana (registration number BW00009961679) ("Nkagothusa", "we", "us"). These Terms are an agreement between you and Techempower Proprietary Limited. By creating a Nkagothusa account or using the app, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, don't use the app. You must be at least 18 and able to enter a binding contract to register.

2. What Nkagothusa is

Nkagothusa is a marketplace that connects shippers who need cargo moved with independent carriers who move it. We provide the board, bidding, messaging, vetting and payment-facilitation tools. We are not a carrier ourselves, we don't take possession of any cargo, and we are not a party to the transport agreement a shipper and carrier reach when a bid is accepted.

3. Accounts

You register as either a shipper or a carrier and agree to provide accurate information and keep it up to date. You're responsible for everything that happens under your account, and for keeping your sign-in credentials to yourself. One account per person; don't register on someone else's behalf without their authorization.

4. Carrier vetting and the operating-fee subscription

A carrier account starts pending review. An administrator checks your registered vehicle and declared compliance documents before your profile is marked approved, which is what shippers see as "verified." You can browse loads while pending, but you can only bid once approved.

Placing a live bid also requires an active operating-fee subscription, paid through PayGate at the price and period Nkagothusa currently has configured (shown before you pay). The subscription keeps your account eligible to bid; it is not a fee charged per load, and it is not refundable once the covered period has started.

5. Posting and bidding on loads

A shipper posting a load agrees the description, cargo details, pickup/delivery points and price shown are accurate. A carrier placing a bid agrees the amount and any message sent with it are a genuine offer they intend to honour if accepted. Accepting a bid assigns that carrier to the load; other pending bids on it are automatically declined.

6. Payment for a load

Today, payment for a completed load is arranged directly between the shipper and carrier (cash), outside the app. Both sides can confirm in-app that payment was sent/received, which is a record for your own reference, not a payment processed or guaranteed by Nkagothusa. Disagree with what the other side confirmed? Raise it with Nkagothusa support so we can look into it.

7. Cancellations

Either side can cancel an open load before a bid is accepted. Cancelling after a carrier has been assigned affects that carrier's time and, potentially, other loads they turned down. Do it as early as possible, and expect a pattern of late cancellations to factor into your account's standing.

8. Ratings

After a load completes, each side may rate the other. Ratings are shown on public profiles and feed the shipper/carrier trust signals other users rely on when choosing who to work with. Rate honestly; a rating submitted in bad faith (e.g. purely retaliatory) may be removed by an administrator.

9. Prohibited conduct

Don't: provide false information (about yourself, your vehicle, your compliance documents, a load, or a bid); harass, threaten or discriminate against another user; attempt to circumvent the platform's vetting or bidding-eligibility checks; use the app for anything illegal, including cargo you know or should know is prohibited; or interfere with the app's normal operation (e.g. scraping, reverse-engineering, or abusing an API directly).

10. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate an account that violates these Terms, submits fraudulent vetting documents, or otherwise abuses the platform. A suspended carrier can't place new bids; a suspended shipper can't post new loads. Loads or trips already in progress are handled case by case, not silently cut off. You can also delete your own account at any time from Account settings.

11. Disclaimers

Nkagothusa provides the app "as is." We vet carriers' declared documents and vehicle details, but we don't guarantee the accuracy of anything a user submits, the condition of any vehicle, the safe or timely delivery of any cargo, or that any user will honour a bid or payment. You're responsible for your own judgment in choosing who to work with.

12. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, Nkagothusa is not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising from your use of the app, or from the conduct of another user, including lost cargo, a missed delivery window, or a payment dispute between shipper and carrier. Our total liability for any claim relating to the app is limited to the operating-fee amounts you paid Nkagothusa in the 3 months before the claim arose.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as the app changes. If we make a material change, we'll update the date above and, where appropriate, notify you in the app. Continuing to use Nkagothusa after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Botswana. Any dispute arising from them or from your use of the app is subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Botswana.

15. Contact us

Questions about these Terms: [email protected], or write to Techempower Proprietary Limited, Plot 16979, Bobididi Ward, Molepolole, Botswana.