Tired of spam calls? New law promises relief for frustrated South Africans

South Africans fed up with spam calls and relentless direct marketing may finally see relief after Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau gazetted new regulations.

The changes, introduced under the Consumer Protection Act, aim to curb unsolicited calls and messages that have become a daily frustration for many.

The regulations take effect immediately.

New opt-out system targets spam calls

A key measure is the creation of an opt-out registry run by the National Consumer Commission.

Consumers who add their details to this registry can block direct marketers from contacting them.

Companies will be required to ‘cleanse’ or scrub their databases every 30 days against the registry to ensure they are not contacting people who have opted out.

In theory, this should significantly reduce spam calls and unwanted marketing messages.

Marketers must follow stricter rules

The regulations also introduce tighter requirements for direct marketers.

They must:

—Register with the National Consumer Commission

—Regularly update their contact databases

—Clearly identify themselves in messages, including name and contact details

Anonymous bulk messaging will no longer be allowed.

Not a blanket ban on marketing

The new rules do not ban all marketing communication.

Consumers who have opted in or have an existing relationship with a company can still receive marketing messages.

This means legitimate communication from banks, retailers or service providers can continue, provided consent has been given.

Enforcement remains the big question

While the regulations are being welcomed, there are concerns about whether they will be enforced effectively.

The National Consumer Commission’s capacity to manage the opt-out registry and ensure compliance is unclear.

There are also unanswered questions about when consumers will be able to register their details and how the system will work in practice.

Spam calls are still a growing problem

Spam calls have become so widespread that many South Africans no longer answer unknown numbers, raising the risk of missing important or emergency calls.

The new regulations attempt to address what has become a national nuisance.

However, similar protections already exist under the Protection of Personal Information Act, and unsolicited marketing has continued.

Whether these latest rules will finally reduce spam calls will depend on enforcement and whether marketers comply.

More on spam calls and direct marketing crackdown

South Africans have been dealing with relentless spam calls for years, and this latest move builds on earlier efforts to curb direct marketing abuse.

In February, EWN reported that an opt-out registry was being proposed to block unsolicited calls, with strong support from consumers frustrated by constant interruptions.

That followed earlier reports in 2024 outlining plans for a ‘Do Not Contact’ system, aimed at giving people more control over who can call or message them.

The latest regulations now put those plans into action, but questions remain over whether they will finally stop spam calls or go the way of previous attempts.

For more details, scroll up to listen to Duncan McLoed, Editor for TechCentral, on 702 using the embedded audio player.