{"id":56468,"date":"2026-04-18T13:12:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T13:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=56468"},"modified":"2026-04-18T13:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T13:12:19","slug":"sas-new-anti-spam-law-promises-relief-from-sales-calls-but-theres-a-catch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/04\/18\/sas-new-anti-spam-law-promises-relief-from-sales-calls-but-theres-a-catch\/","title":{"rendered":"SA&#8217;s new anti-spam law promises relief from sales calls \u2013 but there&#8217;s a catch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>South Africans fed up with relentless sales calls and marketing messages may soon get some relief after new anti-spam regulations were officially gazetted this week.<\/p>\n<p>The Consumer Protection Act Amendment Regulations, 2026, published on 15 April, create a stronger opt-out system designed to help consumers block unwanted direct marketing.<\/p>\n<p>In simple terms, it means <strong>consumers can formally register to stop receiving unsolicited calls, SMSes and similar promotions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is one important catch: <strong>the system will only work if it is properly enforced<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-the-anti-spam-rules-work\">How the anti-spam rules work<\/h2>\n<p>Under the new regulations, gazetted by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau, direct marketers must register with the national opt-out registry before contacting consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses must also check their databases against the registry every month and remove anyone who has opted out.<\/p>\n<p>That means consumers who place a \u201cpre-emptive block\u201d on the list should no longer be contacted for marketing purposes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe registry must at all times, except in the case of unforeseen technical interruptions, be accessible to all persons in the Republic for purposes of registering a pre-emptive block,\u201d the regulation states.<\/p>\n<p>Marketers are also required to properly identify themselves when making contact, making it harder for anonymous spam operators to hide.<\/p>\n<p>The move is likely to be welcomed by many South Africans who complain about repeated calls from insurance firms, cellphone providers and other sales agents.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fees-and-enforcement-matter\">Fees and enforcement matter<\/h2>\n<p>The regulations also introduce fees for marketers using the system.<\/p>\n<p>These include an initial registration fee of R2 574, annual renewal fees of R1 930.50, and a \u2018cleansing fee\u2019 of 12 cents per record.<\/p>\n<p>While that places more responsibility on companies, the real test will be enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>If businesses ignore the rules, or if the registry is not actively monitored, consumers may see little change.<\/p>\n<p>That means the National Consumer Commission will likely need to play a central role in ensuring compliance.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-it-means-for-consumers\">What it means for consumers<\/h2>\n<p>For ordinary South Africans, the regulations could offer a practical route to cutting down nuisance calls and unwanted promotions.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of asking individual companies to stop contacting them, consumers can use a central system to opt out.<\/p>\n<p>The regulations stop short of an instant ban on spam, but they do create a clearer legal framework than before.<\/p>\n<p>With many people frustrated by constant interruptions during the workday, dinner time or weekends, the changes may come as welcome news.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the law delivers meaningful silence, however, will depend on how seriously companies take it \u2013 and how firmly authorities act against offenders.<\/p>\n<p><em>Consumers may register a <strong>pre-emptive block<\/strong> by completing the official form in <strong>Annexure O<\/strong> of the regulations, or going to The National Consumer Commission\u2019s online portal. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#SAs #antispam #law #promises #relief #sales #calls #catch<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africans fed up with relentless sales calls and marketing messages may soon get some relief after new anti-spam regulations&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56468"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56470,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56468\/revisions\/56470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}