The .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) has begun preparations to appoint a new registry operator for South Africa’s commercial .za domains, including co.za, org.za, net.za, and web.za, ahead of the expiry of the current agreement in September 2027.
The initiative comes as the existing five-year contract with the ZA Registry Consortium nears completion. ZADNA said the process is being launched well in advance to maintain stability, ensure uninterrupted services, and support the long-term development of South Africa’s digital infrastructure.
As part of the process, the authority has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to assess the capabilities of potential operators and gather industry input before moving to a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) stage.
ZADNA clarified that the transition planning will not affect current .za domain services, with all systems expected to continue operating normally for registrars, businesses, and domain owners throughout the process.
The regulator explained that the early planning exercise is intended to strengthen governance, improve infrastructure resilience, and safeguard the continued reliability of the .za namespace, which remains an important part of South Africa’s internet and digital economy landscape.
ZADNA is the statutory body responsible for overseeing and regulating South Africa’s country-code domain namespace under the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.
