South Africa launches free registry to stop unwanted sales calls

South Africa now has a free national registry where people can say no to unwanted sales calls, texts and emails. The National Consumer Commission (NCC) launched the National Opt-Out Registry on 7 October 2026 at a media briefing in Pretoria. Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau unveiled it.

How it works

The registry is run by the government and costs nothing to use. It covers promotional phone calls, SMS messages, emails and other electronic marketing. It puts into practice Section 11 of the Consumer Protection Act, which protects your right to refuse direct marketing.

Instead of blocking numbers one at a time, you record your choice in one central system. Businesses that market directly must then check their contact lists against the registry and remove anyone who has opted out.

What is not known yet

The NCC is introducing the registry in phases, so the sign-up and opt-out options may not all be open yet. Specific dates for each phase were not available at the time of writing. Creating a profile may not be enough on its own. People will also need to turn on their opt-out preferences.

Several questions remain open: when you can start blocking marketers, what exactly you must register, and what to do if a business ignores your choice. NCC spokesperson Phetho Ntaba discussed the platform with Carol Ofori on East Coast Radio.