POLICIES &
LEGISLATION

.ZA POLICIES


The Authority follows an inclusive policy development process which includes a public consultation process. In 2005, ZADNA released the draft discussion document which was used to confirm the structure of .ZA and the role of registries and registrars in .ZA. In 2007, ZADNA released the draft .za policies and procedures which was the result of 2005 draft discussion document. The outcome of the 2007 policy consultation process was the decision to establish the ZA Central Registry which was appointed in 2012 following detailed benchmarking and consultation processes with local and international parties.

Between 2012 and 2014, ZADNA focused on several policy development processes, especially involving net.za, org.za and web.za charters. The charters were approved in 2014, and resulted in the re-launch of the 3 second level domains under the operation of the ZACR. .ZA ccTLD .ZA is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for South Africa, delegated according to the two-letter codes in the International Standard ISO 3166-1, which is an identification label that is assigned for a particular country. .ZA is administered by the .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA). .ZA Domains ZA supports a second level domain (SLD) structure which means that domain names can only be registered under an SLD e.g. yourname.gov.za or yourname.net.za. ZADNA decides which SLDs should be added to .za, which current SLDs should be reviewed, and the entities that should be entrusted with operating the SLDs and un-moderated SLDs there are two second-level domain (SLD) categories in .za: moderated SLDs and un-moderated SLDs. – Moderated SLDs These SLDs are only open to designated group/s and as such, require applicants to meet set eligibility requirement/s. – Unmoderated SLDs Un-moderated SLDs accept domain name applications without imposing eligibility requirements.

In April 2015, ZADNA published the ZA SLD General Policy which confirms key principles, standards and practices that underpin the registration and management of Domain Names in the .ZA SLDs. This was followed by the SLD Technical Standards which outlines the (a) the manner in which all ZA Second-Level Domains (SLDs) operation should be handled (b) set and define operational and the technical standards that all ZA SLDs are required to meet.

ZADNA has appointed the ZA Central Registry (ZACR) to operate all un-moderated SLDs. Active vs inactive SLDs most of the .za SLDs are active (i.e. they accept new domain name applications) but there are a limited number of SLDs that remain inactive (i.e. they do not accept any new domain name applications, and only maintain names already registered in the SLD). Private SLDs there a limited number of historical private SLDs that ZADNA inherited when it assumed the management of .za from the previous .za administrator. These are:

  • Agric.za
  • Grondar.za
  • Nis.za

ZADNA no longer accepts any addition of private SLDs because of its commitment to maintaining the SLD structure. Deleted SLDs In August 2007, ZADNA deleted a number of .za SLDs following public consultation based on the .za SLD deletions policy. The SLDs were subsequently removed from the .za zone file and rendered inactive. These are:

  • bourse.za.
  • city.za.
  • cybernet.za.
  • db.za.
  • iaccess.za.
  • imt.za.
  • inca.za.
  • landesign.za.
  • olivetti.za.
  • pix.za.

 

.ZA GENERAL POLICY REVIEW REQUEST

 Date: 20 November 2023
To : ZADNA members, .ZA Registry Operators, .ZA Registrars, South African Internet
Community, South African Public
Closing date: 14 December 2023

The ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) hereby extends an invitation to ZADNA members, .ZA SLD Registry Operators, .ZA Registrars, domain name holders (Registrants), the South African Internet Community (namespace community), and the South African Public to share their feedback and suggestions concerning the potential review of the .za SLD General Policy to allow for multi-year domain name registration and renewal.

All submissions for input or feedback are to be made no later than Thursday, 14 December 2023, to ZADNA via email at submissions@zadna.org.za.

Click here for detailed information: REQUEST FOR SUBMISSIONS FOR REVIEW OF .ZA GENERAL POLICY
 
NOTICE OF EXTENSION OF SUBMISSIONS -REVIEW OF THE .ZA GENERAL POLICY
 
The notice can be downloaded on the link below:
 

.ZA SLD CHARTERS

 

Between 2012 and 2014, ZADNA focused on several policy development processes, especially involving net.za, org.za and web.za charters. The charters were approved in 2014, and resulted in the re-launch of the 3 second level domains under the operation of the ZACR. New domains The .za DNA constitution contains the policy namely Establishment and Disestablishment of New Second Level Sub-domains. However, for the last 5 years the Authority put a moratorium on accepting new domain applications pending introducing the .za domain policy and the licensing of registries and registrars. Dormant domain deletions In early 2009, the Authority decided to delete all the domains that were inactive. For future reference, the Authority has developed a domain deletion policy and procedure. As a policy directive the Authority does not intend to delete a domain as long as it is active (i.e. it has at least a single active registration and/or its name servers are operational). Approved .ZA SLD Charters ZADNA has approved the following SLD Charters:

ZA SLD Published Policies The following policies were developed and published by ZA Central Registry in consultation with ZADNA:

  • CO.ZA Published Policies and Procedures
  • ORG.ZA Published Policies and Procedures
  • NET.ZA Published Policies and Procedures
  • WEB.ZA Published Policies and Procedures

The Global Domain Name Registration Guidelines The Global Domain Name Registration Guidelines outlines domain name registration process as guided by ICANN. The document also covers guidelines regarding registration fees, transfer and renewal process. Global Domain Name Registration Guidelines .ZA Second-level domain Charter Guidelines The SLD Charter Guidelines sets out guidelines on the interpretation of the .ZA Second-level Domain Charters developed by ZADNA for all the SLDs. ZA SLD Charter Guidelines .ZA Registration Practices and Guidelines The SLD Registration practices and Guidelines provide information on the steps of ZA Second-Level Domains (SLD) registration and the process to be followed. .ZA SLD Registration Practices and Guidelines ZACR Registrar Accreditation ZACR registrar accreditation guidelines provide a process in terms of steps for potential registrars to become accredited. ZACR Registrar Accreditation Guidelines

LEGISLATIONS

ECT Act

The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act No. 25 of 2002 ( ECT Act) is the founding legislation of the .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA). Chapter X of the ECT Act sets out the mandate of ZADNA, which is to manage and administer the .za namespace. In doing so, the ECT Act provides for establishing the governing structure and staff of ZADNA, its functions, how the namespace is regulated, and the alternative dispute resolution process critical in dealing with domain name abuse cases.

The critical functions of ZADNA as per the ECT Act include licensing and regulating registries and registrars, publishing the .ZA domain namespace management guidelines, enhancing awareness of the namespace, conducting research on the domain name system, and advising the Minister of the Department of Digital Communication and Digital Technologies, which it directly reports to.

See link: ECT Act