How South Africa plans to end billions of spam calls
South Africans received over 5 billion spam calls in just two months. Here is how the country is finally fighting back.
South Africa is facing a significant spam call crisis. In the first two months of 2026 alone, South Africans received 5.38 billion spam calls. Truecaller's director for market development, Mmathebe Zvobwo, described this as 86 million moments of intrusion in homes, offices and daily lives.
In 2025, the figure reached approximately 30 billion spam calls for the year and the trend appears to be accelerating.
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How is Truecaller helping South Africans deal with spam calls?
Truecaller, a call-screening application operating in over 175 countries with more than 500 million users globally, is positioning itself as a solution to the growing problem.
The platform allows users to identify incoming callers, contribute to a shared database, and view what other community members have reported about specific numbers.
Artificial intelligence (AI) validates community feedback and identifies patterns of malicious behaviour. As more users contribute data, the system becomes increasingly accurate at detecting spam.
What does research say about how South Africans respond to spam calls?
Despite widespread awareness of the risks, South Africans may not be protecting themselves in the most effective ways. Research by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance found that 98% of South Africans check a number before answering, reports MyBroadband. However, Zvobwo noted that manual checking is not the most reliable form of protection, advising people to rely instead on tools that use AI to counter AI-driven spam.
What action is the Information Regulator taking against spam calls?
South Africa's Information Regulator has committed to intensifying its crackdown on unlawful direct telemarketing. Several matters have already been escalated to its Enforcement Committee, which reviews complaints and recommends punitive measures.
Offenders first receive an infringement notice, followed by an enforcement notice if they fail to comply. Non-compliance can result in fines of up to R10 million or imprisonment.
The regulator previously issued an enforcement notice to FT Rams Consulting in February 2024, followed by a fine later that year. Spokesperson Nomzamo Zondi confirmed that additional cases are being prepared for referral and that outcomes will be communicated to the public.
Amended regulations have also been introduced, tying binding and enforceable actions to existing direct marketing requirements.
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