Sick of spam calls? Here's how to get on SA's new "leave me alone" list

If your phone has rung in the middle of a braai with "Hello, how are you today?" from someone

selling cover you never asked for, you're in good company. Truecaller says South Africans got

17.47 billion spam calls between January and June this year. That's up about 25% on the same

time last year, and works out to roughly 270 calls for every person in the country.

Help is finally on the way. The National Consumer Commission (NCC) is about to switch on its

national Opt-Out Registry. It's one central list where you tell marketers to stop contacting you.

What is it?

New rules under the Consumer Protection Act came into force in April 2026. Every business

doing direct marketing now has to register with the NCC. Every month, before running a

campaign, they have to check their contact lists against the registry and remove anyone who

has opted out.

For you, that means you can register a "block". You can block all direct marketing in one go. Or

you can be picky and block one company, a whole industry, or a channel like SMS or phone

calls, and still hear from the businesses you actually like.

When does it start?

The NCC says the system is ready. Spokesperson Phetho Ntaba said this week that the official

launch date will be announced within the next two weeks. You don't have to wait, though.

According to Ntaba, you can apply now.

How to register

1. Go to eservice.thencc.org.za.

2. Have a valid email address and your ID number ready.

3. Register using your name exactly as it appears on your ID.

4. Wait for the NCC to verify your details.

5. Once your profile is active, your username and password arrive by email.

6. Log in and choose which marketing you want to block.

No email address? Phone the NCC contact centre on 012 065 1940 and they'll help you set up

a profile. Foreign nationals living in South Africa can register too.

Good to know

• You can change your details and your blocks at any time.
• Give it up to 30 days for your block to kick in, because marketers only clean their lists once a month.You can change your details and your blocks at any time. Give it up to 30 days for your block to kick in, because marketers only clean their lists
• Give it up to 30 days for your block to kick in, because marketers only clean their lists Marketers who ignore the rules face fines of up to R1 million or 10% of their yearly turnover, whichever is bigger.
• The system only works if marketers sign up too. Ntaba was honest about it: without direct marketers on the platform, opting out won't be easy.

What it won't do

The registry is aimed at real businesses doing marketing. A scammer pretending to be your

bank won't register with the NCC and won't check its list. For those calls, hang up, block the

number, and phone your bank on the number on the back of your card. A call-blocking app still

helps.

One more thing. You sign yourself up on the NCC website. If someone phones offering to "put

you on the list" and asks for your ID number, put the phone down.

Run a local business?

If you send marketing SMSes, emails or WhatsApps, or make sales calls, this applies to you.

Marketing without being registered with the NCC is now unlawful, and you'll need to check your

list against the registry every month. Registration is done on the same NCC eService portal,

with an initial fee of R2,574.