South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification API

Onboarding users in South Africa means confirming they are who they claim to be. Returns known phone numbers, emails, and addresses tied to a South African individual. A document or a typed-in detail only proves the data exists — not that it is genuine or belongs to the person in front of you. South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification closes that gap by checking the data against mobile-network-operator data. This guide explains what the check does, the exact technical details, and how to integrate it in minutes.

Key takeaways:

• What it checks — South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification validates phone-number ownership against mobile-network-operator data.
• What you get back — a normalized match_type plus field-level results you can route straight into approve / review / reject logic.
• Why it matters — Confirming that a phone number belongs to the stated person blocks account-takeover and SIM-based fraud before it starts.
• How to use it — one POST to Didit's database-validation endpoint, or a no-code workflow module. $0.35 per conclusive query, results in seconds.

What South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification validates

Returns known phone numbers, emails, and addresses tied to a South African individual. Didit exposes it through a single endpoint so you can verify the submitted data against mobile-network-operator data and receive a structured, normalized result — not a raw registry dump you have to parse yourself.

A conclusive response returns the matched source_data and a per-field validation block, so your risk engine gets a clear, machine-readable verdict.

Why it matters

Confirming that a phone number belongs to the stated person blocks account-takeover and SIM-based fraud before it starts.

For regulated businesses in South Africa — fintechs, crypto platforms, lenders, marketplaces, and gaming operators — checking against an authoritative source produces a defensible, auditable record that identity was confirmed at the source, not merely captured from a form or a photo.

Technical details

Didit exposes this service through the unified database-validation endpoint. It is a single POST — no SDK required.

Endpoint

POST /v3/database-validation/

Request parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
issuing_state	string	Yes	ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code. Use ZAF.
services	string	Yes	Service identifier. Use zaf_contactability.
national_id	string	Yes	National id.

Example request

curl -X POST "https://verification.didit.me/v3/database-validation/" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -F "issuing_state=ZAF" \
  -F "services=zaf_contactability" \
  -F "national_id=1111111"

Example response (conclusive match)

{
  "request_id": "req_01H...",
  "status": "Approved",
  "issuing_state": "ZAF",
  "match_type": "full_match",
  "validations": [
    {
      "outcome_code": "MATCH",
      "service_id": "zaf_contactability",
      "service_name": "South Africa - Contactability Lookup",
      "source_data": {
        "contact_email": "alex.sample@example.com",
        "contact_phone_numbers": "+15550101000",
        "date_of_birth": "1990-01-01",
        "deceased": "sample_value",
        "first_name": "John",
        "gender": "M",
        "identification_number": "SAMPLE-ID-12345",
        "last_name": "Doe",
        "phone_history_count": "+15550101000"
      },
      "validation": {
        "identification_number": "full_match"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Performance and billing

• Latency: typically a couple of seconds.
• Cost: $0.35 per conclusive query. You are billed only on conclusive results — no charge for source downtime, missing fields, or pre-source rejections.
• Reliability: runs on Didit's infrastructure with a 99.9% quarterly uptime target.
• Consent: this service requires documented end-user consent. Capture and store it before you call the endpoint.

Use cases

• Fintech & neobanks — confirm a real, verifiable account holder before opening a wallet or extending credit in South Africa.
• Crypto & Web3 — meet VASP onboarding requirements with authoritative-source identity proof.
• Lending — reduce synthetic-identity and first-party fraud with source-verified data.
• Marketplaces & gig platforms — verify users against authoritative data, not just a self-reported form.
• iGaming — satisfy identity and eligibility checks for South Africa players with an auditable trail.

How to integrate with Didit

You can run South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification two ways:

1. No-code workflow. In the Didit Business Console, open the Workflow Builder, add the Database Validation module, select South Africa → South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification, and activate it. Matching users are routed automatically — no engineering required.
2. Direct API. Call the /v3/database-validation/ endpoint shown above with services=zaf_contactability. Read match_type and the per-field validation block to drive your approve / review / reject logic.

Every Didit account includes 500 free verifications per month, so you can test the full flow end-to-end before you pay for a single query.

Frequently asked questions

What does the South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification check confirm?

It validates the submitted data against mobile-network-operator data and returns a normalized match result, so you learn whether the phone-number ownership exists at the authoritative source and which fields matched.

What happens if the source is temporarily unavailable?

You are not charged. Billing applies only to conclusive results — source downtime, missing fields, and pre-source rejections are free.

How fast is the check?

Database validation typically returns in a couple of seconds, so it fits inside a real-time onboarding flow.

Do I need an SDK?

No. The check is a single HTTPS POST to one endpoint. You can also wire it into a no-code workflow in the Business Console.

Ready to get started?

Validate your first South Africa phone-number ownership today.

• Read the API reference: South Africa Contactability Lookup Verification
• See all database validations: Database Validation pricing & coverage
• Start building: Create a free Didit account — 500 verifications a month, free.