Government steps up interventions on 17 billion spam calls

0:00You're listening to the Money With, SAFM Market Update podcast. Now we know the pain that comes with unwanted telemarketers and the calls that they've been making, according to the latest data by true caller, telemarketers made about 17 billion spam calls to consumers in the first half of 2026 alone. To this end, the government of South Africa has moved forward with some interesting measures to curb this from their perspective. A national opt-out registry system has been developed. We're going to find out more about that particular system tomorrow when the Minister of the Department of Trade Industry and Competition announces how it is that government intends to roll this out. For now, though, we're going to take a look at it with one of the partners that will be overseeing this once it has been officially launched. This is the National Consumer Commission. Of course, we've spoken to them in the past about this particular matter. We're going to take a look at the latest interventions I'm drawing on the line by spokesperson at the National Consumer Commission, Petro and Tower, and Tower, to take a look at this

1:03and see what we make of it. Petro, lovely having you back on the show. Thanks so much for taking the time. The last time we spoke about this, there was a big focus on how it is that these unwanted calls encroached on things like the Protection of Public Information Act, how they encroached on the consumers' rights to opt-out of these conversations. We now have an intervention that has been in the works for quite some time. Tell us more about this registry system and how it would be intended to work. Thank you so much Jimmy. Yes, it's been a long time coming. We started working on the register. I think it was around 2017, they about when we went out on a study just to check what other countries are doing. We are here now. We have build a system for South African consumers, but looking at best practices internationally. Tomorrow, Minister will be announcing the system. They roll out plan, what is expected. So there's been quite a number of developments, Jimmy, with the system in particular.

2:06For us to be able now to be given the opportunity or the mandate to run the system, Minister had two gazette regulations. Firstly for public comment, and they're now gazetted or promulgated in April. They're given the NCC the right to say you are going to administer the opt-out registry. Where direct marketers, Jimmy, expect head to register to basically announce themselves that hey, we are here, we are running the business in this particular industry and consumers on the other side. They also have to register. And once we have direct marketers in the system, that's where UNI will go in again and connect our options to say I don't want to receive communication from these particular direct marketers or I still prefer to receive one form of communication, either email or SMS or from the entire industry you can block everyone. So you've got those flexibilities.

3:09So we are really excited. We see consumers registering profiles. We see direct marketers. They want to comply with the law with the CPA, but also with the POPI Act as you mentioned earlier because two laws they exist to complement each other. So where you don't have an opt-out as a consumer, they can't use the information willy-nilly or share your information willy-nilly. They still need to comply with the information regulators' POPI. But where you have opted out, they must comply with the provisions of the consumer protection act. Patrick, can we take a look at the measures that have been put in place for those that do not comply? We know that from a national consumer commission perspective, your primary role is to protect consumers, especially in times where they are unable to protect themselves. Can we take a look at some of the measures I know you and I touched on some of them when we were still in the discussion phase, but some of the measures that would be put in place in the event that marketers do not comply, do not register or register and still do

4:12not comply with what is being put in place here. Register and not comply or do not register at all. That would be the duty of contravene the consumer protection act. In that, it means that Jimmy, they are running the risk of calling a consumer who would have opted out from those direct marketers or from that particular direct marketer. So when you look at the consumer protection act, there are quite a number of things or remedies that you can actually put out to say to a direct marketer. You desist, as in we give a compliance notice, or we say to the direct marketer, we are investigating, we are taking the matter to the tribunal or negotiate outside the tribunal. Now there is also this element of a compliance notice that I think from time to time, suppliers in general, those who do not comply either they do not understand or they just do not want to. The CPA, it can empower the NCC to now institute criminal charges against that particular

5:17supplier. So those are the things that will be the last result, even generally under the consumer protection act. That's the last result because our interest is retracing as far as what consumers would have complained about. But in as far as this one is concerned, it's everything that is provided for compliance notice after investigation taken the measure to the tribunal or settling outside the tribunal the last result would be now, you know, those criminal charges. So we've got those powers in this way as the act is concerned to force direct marketers or suppliers to comply with the law. Peter, before I let you go, can you share with us where it is that consumers and marketers can officially register for this particular registry? I have the details on my part on my side from the NCC's website, but can you give us those exact details where consumers can register marketers can register like? Certainly, Jim, you go to the NCC's website on your top right corner, you'll see eService

6:18and OORS, which stands for opt out registry assisting. Once you click way, that page will take you to the portal itself. As a consumer, you will click on new consumer, as a direct marketer will click on new direct marketer, accept the terms and conditions and then you'll populate your information in less than three minutes will be done with creating your profile. So if you've made it easier as well, Jimmy, following concerns or issues that we raised by role players, where now when you look at what was promulgated in April, this is the system, the electronic vision of the form, there are some changes where we had to remove that information to avoid over-processing and just to make it easier, you know, where information is not mandatory, we just remove that information, especially on the side of the direct marketer. On consumer side as well, yes, we've done that. So we believe it's an easy to use system, but very soon we'll be uploading, you know, information just to make it easier for consumers, as well as direct marketer on our website

7:19to get that information before even interacting with the portal. The National Consumer Commission has the opt out registry live and are ready to go. This is, of course, going to be explained in more detail tomorrow by the Minister of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition as to how it is that the government intends to roll this out. For now, though, we'll leave this particular conversation on that note spokesperson as a National Consumer Commission pet on tabo, joining us to take a look at the opt-out registry for marketing purposes and how it is that that will protect consumers from unwanted spam calls. For those interested, I will put up the link to the portal once we put up this particular conversation as a podcast as well in case anybody wants to register from that perspective. You've been listening to another MoneyWeb SAFM market update podcast uploaded weekdays at 7pm. For more MoneyWeb podcasts, go to MoneyWeb.co.z, all the app and follow MoneyWeb news for daily

8:24updates.