SMS compliance in South Africa

The rules that apply to business SMS sent to numbers in South Africa, with the source for each.

Quiet hours

No statutory quiet hours identified; send promotional SMS 08:00-20:00 local time (industry best practice). Transactional/OTP 24/7.

Source: Industry practice – no official text found

Consent

POPIA s.69: electronic direct marketing only with prior consent (opt-in) or to existing customers for similar products, with opt-out each time.

Source: Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPIA), s.69 direct marketing

Opt-out

Every direct marketing message must include a free opt-out; WASPA Code of Conduct applies.

Source: Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPIA), s.69 direct marketing / regulator rules

Prohibited content

Blocked: phishing/fraud, illegal or unlicensed gambling, adult content, hate/political content (most operators), counterfeit/illegal goods, unlicensed financial offers; URL shorteners often blocked.

Source: Operator content policies / national advertising law

Data protection law

Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPIA), s.69 direct marketing. Supervisory authority: Information Regulator.

Source: Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPIA), s.69 direct marketing

Sender ID rule

Alphanumeric SIDs generally not supported; messages delivered from short/long numeric codes.

Source: Operator rules (see SenderID sheet)

Other

WASPA Code of Conduct applies; alphanumeric SIDs overwritten on main routes.

Source: Regulator/operator rules

This summary is guidance, not legal advice. Last verified 23 October 2026.