ZA NiC is not an official registry but did provide alternative extensions for clients seeking a South African domain name presence.
ZA Nic recently posted the announcement below on its website. If you have question regarding your za.net and and za.org domain names email [email protected] for assistance.
From 31 October 2012 ZA NiC will no longer be accepting new registrations for za.net or za.org domains.
The primary reason for starting this project in 1998 was to provide an affordable alternative to the domain name prices of the time. Back in the late '90s a .com domain name could easly set you back as much as $100! Today the Internet is a very different place with a .com domain being available for as little as around $8. Even in the primary market we served (South Africa), co.za domains are just R50 per year and org.za domains are free for non-profit organisations.
Unfortunately just as the Internet has become a better place (cheaper!) it has also become a worse place in the last 14 years. Today the admin overhead of managing domain names registered purely for spam or scamming purposes has made running a free, community serving project such as ZA NiC just not fun anymore. And that is our secondary reason for ceasing new registrations.
Just because we will no longer be taking new registrations, it does NOT mean any existing domains will cease to function. Domains registered before 31/10/2012, with valid and responding nameservers, will continue to be served by us indefinitely. The modification system for keeping contact and domain name details up to date will also continue to work as it does today.
Some key dates and facts to be aware of:
| No Further New Registrations | 31/10/2012 |
| First Database Check | 31/10/2012 |
| Second Database Check | 30/11/2012 |
| Database Cleanup (Domain names without any valid, functioning nameservers on both the first and second check dates above, will be put on hold and removed from the live zones) | 30/11/2012 |
| Further Database Cleanups | Approximately every 6 to 12 months |
| Service of existing za.net and za.org domains registered before 31/10/2012 | Unaffected |
| Ability to modify existing domain name details | Unaffected |
If you are a service provider that currently lists za.net and za.org domain names as a service for your customers, please ensure that they are removed from new offers on or before 31/10/2012.
We'd like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters for what has been a fun 14 years of providing this service!