South Africa · anonymous SMS
Send an anonymous text to a South African cellphone
Ghost delivers your text to any South African cellphone without showing your number. A standard text costs 2 credits ($0.40), there is no subscription, and you can send it from a browser on any phone or computer or from the Android app. On the way into South African networks the sender is replaced with a random local number, so the person sees neither your number nor the international one the text left from.
What a text to South Africa costs
One SMS segment to a South African cellphone costs 2 credits ($0.40). Texts to South Africa start with nothing extra, so plain text fits 160 characters in a segment. English and isiZulu are written in basic Latin letters and keep that size. Afrikaans is different: letters such as ê, ô, û, ï and ë are outside the basic SMS alphabet, and one of them switches the whole text to 70-character segments. Curly apostrophes and emoji do the same. The table shows what that does to the cost.
| Text | Characters | Encoding | Segments | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A short message | 82 characters | GSM-7 | 1 segment | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| A longer message | 275 characters | GSM-7 | 2 segments | 4 credits ($0.80) |
| isiZulu | 100 characters | GSM-7 | 1 segment | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| Afrikaans | 67 characters | UCS-2 | 1 segment | 2 credits ($0.40) |
| English, with a rand amount | 97 characters | GSM-7 | 1 segment | 2 credits ($0.40) |
Rates checked October 22, 2026. Rates for every country
How to type a South African cellphone number
Written locally
0xx xxx xxxx
Type in Ghost
+27 xx xxx xxxx
- Open Ghost in your browser or the Android app.
- Choose South Africa (+27) in the country list and type the mobile number.
- Write your text, check the credits shown under it, and send.
Choose South Africa, then type the 10-digit number without the 0 at the front, so a number that starts 082 is typed starting 82. Cellphone numbers start with 060 to 069, 070 to 074, 076 to 079 or 081 to 084; 080, 086 and 087 numbers are toll-free, business and internet lines, not cellphones. If the number is written with +27 in front, leave that out, because Ghost adds it.
What the person in South Africa sees
- Texts to South Africa go out through Ghost’s international carrier partner from a US (+1) number. South African networks do not support international numbers as senders, so on the way in the sender is replaced with a random local number. The person sees that South African number, not yours and not the +1 number.
- Nothing is added to the start of the text, and nothing in it says who you are unless you write it.
- Replying to that local number does not reach you. If you want an answer, switch on a Reply Link: they open it in a browser and send you one reply, still without seeing your number.
- Anyone who would rather not get Ghost texts can block them on the stop page. Ghost will not send to a number on that list.
Writing a text for South Africa
South Africa has 12 official languages. In Census 2022 the languages spoken most often at home were isiZulu (24.4%), isiXhosa (16.3%) and Afrikaans (10.6%), with English at 8.7%. Which language you write in decides how much fits in one segment.
isiZulu
Sawubona! Ngicela ukwazi ukuthi imoto isatholakala yini? Ngingafika ngoMgqibelo ekuseni ukuzoyibona.GSM-7, 100 characters, 1 segment: 2 credits ($0.40)
isiZulu is written in the basic Latin letters and does not mark tones, so it keeps 160-character segments. This text fits in one.
Afrikaans
Hallo, is die bakkie nog te koop? Ek kan môre kom kyk. Sê hoe laat?UCS-2, 67 characters, 1 segment: 2 credits ($0.40)
Switched to UCS-2 by: ô ê
The ô and ê are outside the basic alphabet, so this text is sent in 70-character segments. At 67 characters it still fits in one; a few more words would make it two.
English, with a rand amount
Hi, is the fridge still for sale? I can pay R1500 cash and collect it in Durbanville on Saturday.GSM-7, 97 characters, 1 segment: 2 credits ($0.40)
Writing the price as R1500 keeps everything in the basic SMS alphabet, so this text stays in one 160-character segment.
When people in South Africa keep their number private
Buying and selling on Facebook Marketplace
SAPS has warned people to be careful when buying or selling through Facebook Marketplace and other online trading sites, and to meet in busy public places rather than at someone’s home. Ask your questions and agree a price through Ghost, and share your own number only once you have decided to meet.
Cars and goods on Gumtree
Police in KwaZulu-Natal’s Umgungundlovu North cluster have warned about cars advertised on Gumtree by fraudsters, with buyers paying before seeing the vehicle. Texting the seller through Ghost lets you ask for a viewing first without handing out your cellphone number.
A note you would rather not sign
Telling a neighbour their dog barks all night, or that their car is blocking your gate, is easier without a reply thread on your own phone. Keep it polite: the law below looks at what you write, not at whether your number shows.
South African law on anonymous texts
Sending a text without showing your number is not an offence in itself. What you write is what matters: sending a data message that threatens a person with violence or with damage to their property is an offence under section 15 of the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020, and section 14 covers messages meant to incite violence or damage. Under the Protection from Harassment Act 17 of 2011, unwanted electronic communication can be harassment, and section 4 lets a court order a network to help identify an unknown sender. Direct marketing by SMS needs consent under section 69 of POPIA.
Got a text you did not want?
To report a scam, SAPS asks people to go to their nearest police station or call Crime Stop on 08600 10111. SABRIC advises not clicking links in unsolicited texts, not replying and deleting them, and calling your bank straight away if your phone may be compromised. Unwanted marketing SMSs can be reported to WASPA, and you can add your number to its Do Not Contact list. To stop texts sent through Ghost, add your number on the stop page.
Questions and answers
A text of up to 160 plain characters costs 2 credits ($0.40). English and isiZulu fit that easily; Afrikaans letters such as ê and ô, curly apostrophes and emoji shorten each segment to 70 characters. Ghost shows the cost before you send.
A random South African number, which replaces the international sender on the way into local networks. They do not see your number, and the text does not start with “GHOST:”.
Not by replying to that number. Add a Reply Link when you send: they open it in a browser and send you one reply without seeing your number. A Reply Link costs 3 credits plus the reply’s rate and works for 7 days.
No. Choose South Africa and type the number without the 0, which leaves nine digits starting with 6, 7 or 8. Ghost adds +27 for you.
Yes, hiding your number is legal. Threatening someone with violence or damage to property by text is an offence under the Cybercrimes Act, harassment can lead to a protection order, and a court can order a network to help identify who sent harassing messages.
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