South Africa switched to a closed numbering system effective 16 January 2007. At that time, it became mandatory to dial the full 10-digit telephone number, including the zero in the three-digit area code, for local calls (e.g., 011 must be dialed from within Johannesburg). Area codes within the system are generally organized geographically. All telephone numbers are 9 digits long (but always prefixed by 0 for calls within South Africa), except for certain Telkom special services. When dialed from another country, the "0" is omitted and replaced with the appropriate international access code and the country code +27.

Background

History

Numbers were allocated when South Africa had only four provinces, meaning that ranges are now split across the current nine provinces.

Namibia

South-West Africa (including Walvis Bay) was integrated into the South African numbering plan. However, the territory had already been allocated its own country code by the International Telecommunication Union, +264, in the late 1960s. Following its independence, Namibia discontinued direct dialing from South Africa and replaced it with international dialing using the +264 country code. For example, for a call from South Africa to Windhoek, before and after 1992:

Lesotho

Calls to Lesotho could be made using the access code 050 instead of the international code +266; for example, to call Maseru from South Africa, subscribers would dial 0501.

Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe

Calls to Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe could similarly be made using the regional codes 0192, 0194 and 0191, respectively, instead of the international codes +267, +268 and +263.

Number ranges

00

International access code effective from 16 October 2006 and mandatory from 16 January 2007.

01

The old Transvaal province, currently comprising Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and part of the North West:

02

Western and Northern Cape:

03

KwaZulu-Natal:

04

Eastern Cape and eastern parts of the Western Cape:

05

Free State and Northern Cape

06 (Cellular)

Cellular

07 (Cellular)

08

Cellular

Special Services

''Note that from 10 November 2006, mobile number portability was introduced in the cellular market. The cellular prefixes as above are therefore not strictly applicable anymore, although they remain mostly unchanged.''

09X XXX XXX (Premium-rate and machine-related numbers)

There are still some non-automated exchanges which use longer dialing codes, mostly for "farm lines" and remote areas with operator-assisted exchanges. 09X XXX XXXX numbers are no longer in use in South Africa.