Consumers get new weapon against direct marketing spam

South Africa has enacted new regulations under the Consumer Protection Act requiring all direct marketers to register with the National Consumer Commission and scrub their databases monthly against a national opt-out registry. The rules, gazetted on 16 April 2026 and effective immediately, introduce registration fees, annual renewals, and per-record cleansing fees. Marketers must also ensure recipients can identify them in all electronic communications, targeting anonymous bulk messaging via SMS, WhatsApp, and social media. The regime overlaps with existing POPIA obligations, creating dual compliance requirements enforced by separate regulators. Questions remain about the NCC's operational readiness to run the registry.