South Africa Launches Registry to Block Unwanted Marketing Calls

South Africa’s National Consumer Commission has launched a National Opt-Out Registry intended to give consumers greater control over unwanted direct marketing.

The system will require direct marketers to register, review and cleanse their marketing databases each month, and account for consumer opt-outs before conducting campaigns. Fintechs, banks, telecommunications companies, insurers, retailers and other digital businesses will also need to incorporate opt-out preferences into their marketing systems.

Phased rollout

According to the commission, direct marketers have been able to register since September 15 and must complete the process by December 2026.

Businesses will then have five months, from December 2026 through April 2027, to clean their marketing lists and prepare to connect with the system at no cost. Consumers who register will be able to block direct marketers from contacting them from May 2027.

The National Consumer Commission said it will issue additional guidance and conduct a consumer education programme as the rollout continues.

The registry gives effect to Section 11 of South Africa’s Consumer Protection Act, which provides consumers with the right to block unwanted direct marketing communication.

Response to rising spam

The launch comes amid reported increases in unwanted calls and messages. Truecaller’s 2026 South Africa Spam Report recorded 17.5 billion spam calls in the country between January and June 2026, a 25.2% increase compared with the same period in 2025.

The report also recorded 3.7 billion spam SMS messages during the first half of 2026, representing a 58.9% increase from the corresponding period a year earlier.

Parks Tau, South Africa’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, said the growing sophistication of spam and scams had made a stronger regulatory response necessary.

“South Africans are becoming more alert, but alertness alone cannot substitute for a proper regulatory backstop,” Tau said at the launch.

He said scam and marketing networks were increasingly using spoofing and artificial intelligence to reach consumers. Tau also linked the initiative to privacy protections under Section 14 of South Africa’s Constitution.

“A person’s phone number, email address and time are not raw material to be harvested and traded without their consent,” he said.

Consumer protection

Hardin Ratshisusu, Acting Commissioner of the National Consumer Commission, described the registry as a significant development for consumers who have faced persistent unwanted marketing.

Ratshisusu said the system would support more responsible direct marketing and protect consumers from unwanted calls, texts, emails and other electronic communications.

The phased timetable is intended to give businesses time to adjust customer databases, campaign-management tools and internal compliance processes before consumer blocking begins in May 2027.