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 into homes, offices, and daily lives.
In 2025, the figure reached approximately 30 billion spam calls over the year, and the trend appears to be accelerating.
While everyone is trying different methods in order to avoid this plague, Truecaller is positioning itself as a solution to the growing problem.
Truecaller is a call-screening application operating in over 175 countries with more than 500 million users globally.
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.
Despite widespread awareness of the risks, South Africans may not be protecting themselves as effectively as possible.
Research by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance found that 98% of South Africans check a number before answering, reports MyBroadband.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Zvobwo said 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.
South Africa’s Information Regulator has also 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.
According to MyBroadband, 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.
