The NCC Opt-Out Registry: what outbound call centres must change
South Africa now has a national opt-out registry for direct marketing, run by the National Consumer Commission. If your team makes sales calls or sends marketing SMSes, here is what registration, monthly list cleansing and the new penalties mean in practice.
What does the NCC Opt-Out Registry mean for outbound call centres?
Any business that markets directly by phone, SMS or email must register with the National Consumer Commission, pay a registration fee, and cleanse its contact lists against the registry every month before campaigning. A number on the registry cannot be called, even if that person consented earlier. Penalties reach R1 million or 10% of annual turnover.
What is the NCC Opt-Out Registry?
A national register where consumers block direct marketing, either from one company or from the whole industry, backed by amended Consumer Protection Act regulations.
The Consumer Protection Act Amendment Regulations, 2026 took effect on 15 April 2026. They put section 11 of the Consumer Protection Act, the right to refuse direct marketing, into practice through an Opt-Out Registry administered by the National Consumer Commission (NCC). Consumers register a “pre-emptive block” once, and it covers them until they change it. They can block a particular channel, such as a phone number or an email address.
| Obligation for direct marketers | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| Register with the NCC | Mandatory, with a registration fee from R2,574 for 2026 and annual renewal from R1,930.50. |
| Cleanse lists monthly | Submit marketing lists to the registry every month and remove anyone with a relevant block before marketing to them. |
| Pay per cleansed record | R0.12 for each record that has to be removed or restricted, not for every record submitted. |
| Honour blocks over consent | The NCC says a registry block overrides any consent the consumer gave earlier. |
| Penalty for non-compliance | An administrative penalty of up to R1 million or 10% of annual turnover, whichever is greater. |
The NCC said registration for direct marketers would commence in July 2026. In August it said there was no registration deadline yet, and that it would announce both the deadline and the date from which blocked consumers may no longer be contacted. Private opt-out services run by industry bodies will not be recognised when the NCC handles complaints.
How does the registry fit with POPIA?
They are two separate rulebooks run by two regulators, and an outbound call has to pass both.
Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), the Information Regulator’s guidance note of 3 December 2024 confirms that telephone calls, including VoIP calls, count as electronic communications for direct marketing. That means you need prior consent to cold-call someone who is not an existing customer, and silence is not consent. The registry adds a second test on top: even with consent, a number that carries a registry block is off limits.
| POPIA, section 69 | CPA Opt-Out Registry | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Information Regulator | National Consumer Commission |
| Default | Opt-in: consent first for non-customers | Opt-out: blocked numbers may not be contacted |
| Your job | Get and prove consent | Register, cleanse monthly, honour blocks |
| Where they clash | A registry block wins over earlier consent, according to the NCC | |
Whether the registry covers business-to-business calls is not settled. Some law firms read the rules as applying to individual consumers and small businesses with turnover or assets under R2 million. Others argue section 11 protects all juristic persons. If you sell to businesses, get legal advice rather than assume you are exempt.
For outbound teams the registry turns compliance from a policy into a monthly data job, and the dialler is where that job succeeds or fails.
WhichVoIP editorial viewWhat changes for an outbound call centre?
Mostly the workflow around the dialler: where lists come from, how often they are refreshed, and how blocks are kept out of every campaign.
List hygiene
- BeforeScrub against internal DNC only
- NowMonthly registry cleanse, then load
Dialler setup
- BeforeOne suppression list
- NowRegistry blocks and internal opt-outs, kept current
Outsourced campaigns
- BeforeVendor’s lists, vendor’s risk
- NowAsk who registered and who cleanses
If you run outbound on a cloud contact centre platform, the practical questions are whether it can import a suppression list and block those numbers across every campaign, and how quickly a new opt-out reaches the dialler. If a third party calls for you, find out whose registration covers the campaign and ask for proof of each month’s cleanse.
What should outbound teams do now?
Five steps, most of which cost little and protect you before enforcement starts.
Our verdict
The registry is good news for anyone who answers a phone and a real operational change for anyone who makes outbound sales calls. The rules are in force and the registry is being rolled out, but the NCC has not yet set the date from which blocks must be honoured, so there is a window to get the monthly cleanse working before it matters.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the NCC Opt-Out Registry?
Do call centres have to register on the Opt-Out Registry?
How often must direct marketers cleanse their lists?
Does POPIA consent override the Opt-Out Registry?
What is the penalty for ignoring the Opt-Out Registry?
Does the Opt-Out Registry apply to business-to-business calls?
Keep reading
Sources: National Consumer Commission; SAnews; The Media Online, NCC clarification; Bowmans; Deneys, CPA direct marketing rules; Polity, B2B effect; Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr on the Information Regulator’s guidance note. Verified 30 September 2026.