# Cold Calling Services in South Africa

Switchstack's cold calling services in South Africa give you a dedicated caller who phones businesses in South Africa during their working day, reaches the person who decides and books meetings on your calendar. We usually recommend a caller in South Africa. We write the script with you, check your list against the local calling rules and record every call. A full-time caller costs $2,199 to $2,899 a month, with no setup fee and no charge per meeting, and calls start in about 2 weeks.

## Is B2B cold calling legal in South Africa?

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.

## Calling 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: [Information Regulator: Guidance Note on Direct Marketing (PDF)](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). Last reviewed October 2026. A plain summary, not legal advice.

## Who makes your calls

English is the main language of business in South Africa. A caller based in the country works your prospects' hours on a normal day shift and sounds local to the people they call.

Cold calling in South Africa is also more tightly regulated than in most countries we cover. Under POPIA, a marketing call needs consent first unless the person is already your customer, and a national Opt-Out Registry for direct marketing is being phased in from 2026. So calling here works best as warm calling: following up on inbound leads, calling your own customers and contacting people who have agreed to hear from you.

- **Callers in South Africa** (We Call for You $2,899/month, Hire a Caller $2,199/month): The same time zone as your prospects, so it's a normal day shift. Many callers speak English as a first language.
- **Callers in India** (We Call for You $2,199/month, Hire a Caller $1,499/month): Our lowest price. India is three and a half hours ahead, so a South African business day is an afternoon shift there.

## Hours and language

Working week: Monday to Friday. Your caller works 9am to 5pm in South Africa.

Language: English, the main language of business in South Africa.

## FAQs

### Is telemarketing illegal in South Africa?

No, but two laws regulate it tightly. POPIA needs consent before you market by phone to anyone who isn't already your customer. The Consumer Protection Act limits the hours for calls to consumers at home and lets people block direct marketing, now through the National Consumer Commission's Opt-Out Registry.

### Does POPIA apply to B2B cold calls?

Yes. POPIA protects companies as well as people, and section 69 asks for "his, her or its" consent. So the consent rule covers sales calls to businesses, not just to consumers. Calls to your own customers about similar products or services are the exception.

### What is the National Opt-Out Registry?

A free register run by the National Consumer Commission (NCC), launched in October 2026, where people can block direct marketing calls, texts and emails from one company or from all of them. Direct marketers have until December 2026 to register, and must then clean their lists against it every month. People can start blocking from May 2027. Breaking the rules can lead to a penalty of up to R1 million or 10% of annual turnover, whichever is greater.

### What are the legal hours for cold calling in South Africa?

For direct marketing to consumers at home, the Consumer Protection Act regulations ban calls on Sundays and public holidays, on Saturdays before 9am and after 1pm, and on other days before 8am and after 8pm, unless the consumer agreed otherwise. Your caller calls business lines during South African business hours, Monday to Friday.

Page: https://switchstack.io/cold-calling-services/south-africa