“We Never Thought This Day Would Come”: SA Gent Shares That It Might Be the End of Spam Calls In SA

• A TikTok user shared exciting news that the government is almost finished developing a National Opt Out Registry to stop spam calls
• If South Africans sign up to the online platform, companies will no longer be legally allowed to contact them for marketing purposes
• South Africans were excited about the news, with many saying they're tired of declining important calls because of spam

TikTok user @coolstorybru_ shared a video on 18 November 2025, sharing that the government is reportedly almost finished developing software that South Africans have been asking for years. The video was captioned:

"The South African government are cracking down on telemarketing 😮."

In the video, the man went on to say:

"This could finally be the end of spam calls and telemarketing in South Africa... It's called the National Opt Out Registry, and how it works is if you sign up to this online platform, which is hosted by the government, companies will no longer be legally allowed to contact you or harass you for marketing purposes, and they will probably roll this out within the next couple of months."

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He continued:

"We never thought this day would come, but not only that, did you know that according to law changes back in April, it's now actually illegal for telemarketers to contact you without your consent? If they do harass you without your consent, you can actually report them, and they'll face fines. Since April, 60 companies have been reported for violating these new laws, and one of them was fined R100,000."

The man noted that some people are concerned the crackdown on telemarketing will threaten jobs in South Africa, but others are very excited about it. The video went viral with over 18,000 reactions.

Mzansi reacts to the end of spam calls

Netizens reacted to the news shared by TikTok user @coolstorybru_:

@Nomfundo wrote:

"This will help us because now we are even declining important calls."

@lalla said:

"Finally, I'm tired of getting a call about car insurance even though I don't own a car."

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@MariusEngelbrecht joked:

"Does this include SARS and debt collectors? 😂😂😂"

@lebongoepe5 shared:

"Death of call centres and 100,000 jobs. It's annoying, yes, but people get paid from this, guys."

@MissKemp added:

"The government worrying about smaller issues as usual 🤣🤣."

@Domenow99 questioned:

"So you're telling me we have to sign up and give our details so they can sell our details themselves???"

@BrianSkhosana commented:

"Can it be today? 🙄 I got like 20 spam calls today alone."

National opt-out registry progressing well

According to the official website, South Africa's national opt-out registry for direct marketers is progressing well, and the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition says it's at an advanced stage. The system comprises two modules: Complaints Handling, which was rolled out in 2023, and the Opt Out Registry, which will be effective once the Minister promulgates the Amended Regulations.

Watch the TikTok clip below:

More spam call stories in SA

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• Briefly News recently reported on a varsity student who dealt with a telesales marketer by getting real about her financial struggles.
• A tech-savvy individual shared a simple iPhone feature to block unwanted calls from call centres and unknown numbers.
• A South African mom creatively handled a spam call by passing her phone to her toddler.

Source: Briefly News