Send SMS to South Africa online
Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, is a hub for small businesses like hair salons, driving schools, and local restaurants. Schools, clinics, and event organizers rely on text messages to keep customers and parents informed. They send reminders for parent-teacher meetings, updates on clinic hours, and notifications about event schedules. Texts are effective here because they are quick, reliable, and accessible to everyone, even in areas with limited internet access.
South Africa
+27 · Central and Southern Africa
Price per message
$0.00808
- For $40
- 4,950 SMS
- Alphabet
- GSM-7
- 1,000 messages
- $8.08
- Example number
- +27 71 123 4567
What a bulk SMS campaign to South Africa costs
Need a different count? The pricing calculator works it out for any number of messages, and the workspace shows the exact total for your own list, including names merged into the text.
| Recipients | 1 segment | 2 segments |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $0.81 | $1.62 |
| 500 | $4.04 | $8.08 |
| 1,000 | $8.08 | $16.16 |
| 5,000 | $40.40 | $80.80 |
| 10,000 | $80.80 | $161.60 |
Who sends text messages to customers in South Africa
Driving schools
Driving schools in Cape Town text students to confirm lesson times and test dates.
Event organizers
Event planners in Durban notify attendees about event schedules and venue changes.
Clinics
Clinics in Pretoria send patients reminders for appointments and vaccination dates.
Schools
Schools in Bloemfontein text parents about school closures and exam schedules.
Phone number format in South Africa
A mobile number in South Africa has 9 digits after +27. People write it locally with a 0 in front (071 123 4567); paste it like that with South Africa as the default country, or as +27 71 123 4567, and the workspace treats both the same.
Alphabet and message length
Messages in English, Afrikaans, Zulu and other official languages use the plain GSM-7 alphabet, so a text to South Africa holds 160 characters in one segment and 153 in each part of a longer one. Curly quotes or an emoji pasted from another app switch it to Unicode (70 characters); the composer shows those characters and replaces quotes with plain ones in one click.
Main languages: English, Afrikaans.
Best time to send to South Africa
South Africa stays on UTC+2 all year, so 10:00 in Johannesburg is always 08:00 UTC. The scheduler takes your own time zone and shows the same moment in UTC, which makes a 10:00 local send easy to set from anywhere.
Your business
Text Message · Today 09:30
Hi Lee, your order is ready. Collect it today from 2 pm at the front desk.
More SMS destinations in Central and Southern Africa
Questions about texting South Africa
How much does it cost to send an SMS to South Africa?
One message (one segment) to South Africa costs $0.00808. A campaign to 1,000 people with a short text costs $8.08, and a two-segment text costs twice that. Failed messages are refunded to your credit.
How many messages to South Africa does a $40 top-up send?
$40 sends 4,950 single-segment messages to South Africa, and more with the bonus on your first top-up. Credit has no expiry date, so what you do not use stays in your account.
How long can a text to South Africa be?
Messages in English, Afrikaans, Zulu and other official languages use the plain GSM-7 alphabet, so a text to South Africa holds 160 characters in one segment and 153 in each part of a longer one. Curly quotes or an emoji pasted from another app switch it to Unicode (70 characters); the composer shows those characters and replaces quotes with plain ones in one click.
What number format do I use for South Africa?
A mobile number in South Africa has 9 digits after +27. People write it locally with a 0 in front (071 123 4567); paste it like that with South Africa as the default country, or as +27 71 123 4567, and the workspace treats both the same.
What language should I use for texts in South Africa?
English is widely understood, but including local languages like Zulu or Afrikaans can make texts more inclusive.
Are there public holidays when texting is less effective?
During holidays like Heritage Day, people may be less likely to check their phones immediately.
Ready to text South Africa?
Create an account, paste your South Africa numbers and see the exact total before you send. Top up from $40: that is 4,950 messages to South Africa.