The .za Domain Name Authority (Zadna) has put the contract to run .co.za, South Africa’s main commercial internet domain, out to tender, ahead of the expiry of the current operator’s agreement in September 2027.
The request for proposals, issued on Monday, covers registry services for .co.za, .web.za, .net.za and .org.za. The winning bidder will get a 10-year agreement, starting once it has taken over from the incumbent.
That incumbent is the ZA Registry Consortium (Zarc), which Zadna appointed in 2022 for five years from 1 October that year. Zarc was set up by the non-profit ZA Central Registry and Domain Name Services.
The registry operator handles the technical side, including registrations, renewals, transfers and the domain name system that makes addresses work, while Zadna keeps its regulatory, policy and oversight role.
The tender emphasises security, keeping infrastructure and registry data in South Africa, and a managed handover designed to avoid disruption for registrars and domain holders. Bidders must also show what they will contribute to localisation, skills development and transformation.
Bidders must attend a compulsory online briefing on 20 November, and proposals are due by noon on 14 December.
.za Domain Name Authority
“Continuity of service is central to this procurement,” said Lerato Seema, Zadna’s acting CEO, in a statement on Tuesday.
Bidders must attend a compulsory online briefing on 20 November, and proposals are due by noon on 14 December. The tender follows above-inflation increases in .co.za fees announced in July.
It also comes after a turbulent period at Zadna.
The regulator’s CEO, Molehe Wesi, was summarily dismissed on 8 June after a disciplinary process that followed a forensic investigation, according to a written reply to a parliamentary question in August.
The investigation, by Morar Incorporated, looked into allegations that included the use of non-disclosure agreements, premium-class travel and luxury vehicle rentals. – (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media
