National Opt-Out Registry to help consumers block spam calls

The National Opt-Out Registry, a new government-administered platform, aims to help South African consumers block unwanted telemarketing calls, SMSes, and electronic communications. This comes in response to a significant increase in spam calls, with Truecaller's 2026 South Africa Spam Report revealing that citizens received 17.47 billion spam calls between January and June of this year, a 25% surge compared to the same period last year.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC), led by Acting Commissioner Hardin Ratshisusu, is actively working to ensure that consumers are protected from these unwanted calls. Currently, there is no mechanism in place to allow consumers to opt out of these calls, even if they have opted in on some. According to Ratshisusu, some consumers may have opted into calls but are unable to opt out, making the opt-out registry system crucial in addressing this issue.

The NCC has introduced the opt-out registry system to combat this problem. Direct marketers have until December to register on the system, or they may face prosecution by the NNC. This new regulation is designed to prevent consumers from being bombarded with unwanted direct marketing calls and ensure that they have a mechanism to protect themselves from such calls.