How do I stop cold calls in South Africa?

I am a landlord as well as an agent, with rental properties in Cape Town, and for a long time I got constant phone calls about them. They came when I was busy and in the middle of something, and a rude call cutting into my day irritates me. I have now managed to stop those calls by asking some simple questions. Here they are.

Two laws deal with this, and people often mix them up. The Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) controls how a company may use your details. The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) now has a national opt-out registry for direct marketing. The registry is not part of POPIA, and it is not open to consumers yet. Earlier lists, such as the one the Direct Marketing Association of South Africa (DMASA) has run for years, rely on marketers choosing to check them. They are not a national legal block.

How they got your number

Owner names sit in deeds data that agents buy through property data platforms. Once an agent has your name, POPIA applies to what they do with it: they need a lawful basis, and for people who are not existing customers that generally means consent. Having your name is not permission to ring you.

How to stop cold calls in South Africa today

1. Ask who is calling and where they got your numberThey must be able to tell you. Write down the company name, the date and the number that called.
2. Object in writingEmail or message the company: you object to your personal information being used for direct marketing and you want the calls to stop. POPIA section 11(3)(b) gives you the right to object to direct marketing at any time. Section 69 requires your consent first for unsolicited electronic marketing such as SMS, email and WhatsApp, with a free way to opt out in every message, and the Information Regulator says live calls fall under it as well.
3. Keep a recordDates, numbers, the company and your written objection. A complaint without a record is hard to act on.
4. Complain to the Information RegulatorRegister a profile on its eService Portal and lodge the complaint there. It accepts complaints about spam calls, unwanted SMS, WhatsApp and email, and marketing after you opted out. Enquiries: 010 023 5200.
5. Join the DMASA Do Not Contact listIt is live and works today, but only against DMASA member companies, who check their lists against it. You register at nationaloptout.org or dmasa.org with your contact details and ID number, and members have up to 6 weeks to stop. It does not stop non-members, and it may also stop contact from charities that are members.
6. Diarise May 2027Register on the National Opt-Out Registry as soon as it opens to consumers. Until then, there is no consumer sign-up.

The two routes compared

How to choose: use both. Object now because it is free and starts the paper trail. Register when the registry opens because it stops the whole market, not one caller at a time.

What the registry does to a marketer

The 2026 Amendment Regulations took effect on 15 April 2026. Marketers have been registering since 15 September 2026, and the National Consumer Commission launched the registry on 7 October 2026. Marketers must clean their lists against it each month before any direct marketing campaign. A consumer can register a block generally or for specific purposes. The National Consumer Tribunal can fine a marketer up to R1 million or 10% of annual turnover, whichever is greater (CPA section 112), and serious cases can lead to prosecution. Some details are still draft: the NCC published draft guidelines on 2 October 2026 and may revise them. The rule that bars a marketer from contacting a consumer with a registered block is not in force yet. It starts once the Minister declares a date, which law firms expect by 30 April 2027.

If you own a rental or a home in Cape Town

More on landlord and tenant rights in our guide to the Rental Housing Act.

Frequently asked questions

Can I remove my name from a cold calling register in South Africa?

Not on the national registry yet: it opens to consumers from May 2027. DMASA runs its own Do Not Contact list, which is live today and covers only its member companies, so it does not stop every caller. Until May 2027, object to each company in writing and complain to the Information Regulator.

Does POPIA stop cold calls?

POPIA gives you the right to object to direct marketing by calls and letters (section 11(3)(b)) and requires your consent for unsolicited SMS, email and similar messages (section 69). The Information Regulator treats live calls as electronic communication, but marketers dispute that and no court has decided it.

Is the National Opt-Out Registry free?

Yes. The NCC describes it as a free, government-administered platform for consumers. Marketers pay to clean their lists against it from May 2027.

What happens if a company keeps calling after I opt out?

Complain to the Information Regulator on its eService Portal. Once the registry is live for consumers, you can also report the marketer to the National Consumer Commission.

Does the registry cancel consent I gave before?

According to the NCC, yes: a registered block applies regardless of consent you gave in the past. The registry does not replace POPIA, so a marketer still needs your consent even when you are not registered, and the draft guidelines leave some consent questions open.

Sources: Information Regulator, How to lodge a complaint (inforegulator.org.za/complaints); National Consumer Commission, launch of the National Opt-Out Registry, 7 October 2026 (thencc.org.za); SAnews, 7 October 2026; Werksmans Attorneys, 17 April 2026, and Bowmans, 2026, on the CPA Amendment Regulations; CPA section 112 (acts.co.za); EWN, 8 October 2026, and DMASA (dmasa.org, opt-out service pages, read 24 October 2026); ITWeb, 2011 and 2013, on earlier opt-out lists; Moonstone, 24 November 2025, on live calls under POPIA; Lightstone, POPIA guidance for estate agents (corporate.lightstone.co.za); POPIA section 11(3). Reviewed 24 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.

Paul Grobler, Principal, The Property Bureau, Cape Town. PPRA registered.