{"id":"south-africa","name":"South Africa","url":"https://switchstack.io/cold-calling-services/south-africa","markdown":"https://switchstack.io/md/markets/south-africa.md","businessLanguage":"English, the main language of business in South Africa.","workweek":"Monday to Friday","timeZones":[{"label":"Johannesburg / Cape Town","zone":"Africa/Johannesburg"}],"coldCalling":{"verdict":"Restricted","keyRule":"Needs prior consent under POPIA section 69, except for your own customers.","answer":"Only with consent, in the Information Regulator's view. It treats phone calls as electronic communication under section 69 of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), so a sales call to someone who isn't already your customer needs their consent first. You may contact them once, only to ask for that consent. The rule protects companies as well as people, so calls to businesses are covered too.","rules":["Section 69 of the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) bans direct marketing by any form of electronic communication unless the person has given consent or is already your customer. The Information Regulator's guidance says phone calls count as electronic communication.","The rule protects companies as well as people: section 69 asks for \"his, her or its\" consent. So it covers sales calls to businesses, not just to consumers.","You may approach each new contact once, only to ask for their consent, as long as they haven't refused before. The consent has to be in the prescribed form (the Regulator's Form 4, or one substantially similar), so the sales pitch waits until they agree.","Your own customers are the exception. You can call them about your own similar products or services if you got their details through a sale, and if they can opt out both when you collect their details and on every call.","Under the Consumer Protection Act, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) launched a national Opt-Out Registry in October 2026. Direct marketers must register and clean their lists against it every month, and from May 2027 people can use it to block direct marketing. Penalties can reach R1 million or 10% of annual turnover, whichever is greater.","Before calls start, we go through your list with you. Your caller calls your customers and people who have agreed to hear from you, and approaches new contacts only once, to ask for consent. They say who they are and who they're calling for on every call, and anyone who says no is never called again.","If your company markets to South Africans, check with a South African legal adviser whether you need to register with the Opt-Out Registry. We'll set up the campaign to match."],"source":{"label":"Information Regulator: Guidance Note on Direct Marketing (PDF)","url":"https://inforegulator.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/GUIDANCE-NOTE-ON-DIRECT-MARKETING-IN-TERMS-OF-THE-PROTECTION-OF-PERSONAL-INFORMATION-ACT-4-OF-2013-POPIA.pdf"},"lastReviewed":"2026-10-25","note":"A plain summary, not legal advice."},"callerCountries":[{"id":"south-africa","name":"South Africa","recommended":true,"why":"The same time zone as your prospects, so it's a normal day shift. Many callers speak English as a first language.","shifts":[{"clientZone":"Johannesburg / Cape Town","northernSummer":{"start":"9:00 AM","end":"5:00 PM","kind":"day"},"northernWinter":{"start":"9:00 AM","end":"5:00 PM","kind":"day"}}],"currency":"USD","prices":{"managed":{"name":"We Call for You","pricePerMonth":2899,"launchPricePerMonth":2319,"bookCall":"https://switchstack.io/book-a-call?service=managed&country=south-africa"},"hire":{"name":"Hire a Caller","pricePerMonth":2199,"launchPricePerMonth":1759,"bookCall":"https://switchstack.io/book-a-call?service=hire&country=south-africa"}}},{"id":"india","name":"India","recommended":false,"why":"Our lowest price. India is three and a half hours ahead, so a South African business day is an afternoon shift there.","shifts":[{"clientZone":"Johannesburg / Cape Town","northernSummer":{"start":"12:30 PM","end":"8:30 PM","kind":"afternoon"},"northernWinter":{"start":"12:30 PM","end":"8:30 PM","kind":"afternoon"}}],"currency":"USD","prices":{"managed":{"name":"We Call for You","pricePerMonth":2199,"launchPricePerMonth":1759,"bookCall":"https://switchstack.io/book-a-call?service=managed&country=india"},"hire":{"name":"Hire a Caller","pricePerMonth":1499,"launchPricePerMonth":1199,"bookCall":"https://switchstack.io/book-a-call?service=hire&country=india"}}}]}