South Africa targets 17.5 billion spam calls with new registry

South Africa’s spam calls reached 17.5 billion in the first half of 2026. Now, the government wants companies to prove they have checked who they call before they press send.

The National Consumer Commission (NCC), South Africa’s consumer watchdog, launched a National Opt-Out Registry on Wednesday that will allow consumers to block unwanted direct marketing pre-emptively.

The registry is part of a sweeping government effort to tackle South Africa’s growing spam-call problem. Marketers will have to register with the system…