South Africa
WhatsApp Business API South Africa
The official WhatsApp Business API in South Africa, on your own number
DMly connects the number your customers already have saved to Meta's official WhatsApp Business API. Your whole team answers from one inbox, you send approved templates and broadcasts, and bookings and payments run inside the chat. Co-existence keeps the WhatsApp Business app working on your phone.
Your own number
Co-existence with the app
Approved templates
Free setup help
WhatsApp Business API
The basics
What the WhatsApp Business API in South Africa actually is
It is not a new app to download. It is Meta's sanctioned connection between your business number and software your team works from.
A connection, not an app
The API links your business number to Meta. Messages arrive in DMly, where everyone on your team can see and answer them from a laptop or a phone, with the full history of every customer beside the chat.
The app was built for one person
The WhatsApp Business app works well when the owner answers every message from one handset. Once a receptionist, a manager and a stylist all need the same number, passing one phone around the front desk stops working.
Co-existence keeps your phone in the loop
With co-existence, the WhatsApp Business app keeps working on your phone while the same number runs on the API. You can still reply from the shop floor, and your team sees those replies in the shared inbox.
Official means safe for your number
Tools that drive WhatsApp Web from a laptop to blast messages put the number your customers saved at risk. The official API is the route Meta built for businesses, with templates, opt-ins and clear rules.
Compare
The WhatsApp Business app against the official API
Same number, very different tools.
On the API
What your number can do once it is connected
Everything runs from the same number your customers already message.
Inbox
One shared team inbox
WhatsApp sits alongside Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and your website chat, with assignment, notes and full history.
AI agent
Answers in your voice, day and night
Trained on your services, prices, hours and FAQs, it replies, books and hands over to a person with the chat attached.
Bookings
Appointments and classes in the chat
Live availability per staff member, a deposit to hold the slot and a reminder the day before.
Payments
Card and EFT without leaving WhatsApp
Payment links and invoices through Paystack or Flutterwave, with the receipt sent back into the thread.
Broadcasts
One message to every opted-in customer
Segments, approved templates and buttons, with a report of what was delivered, opened and answered.
Reviews
Google review requests after every visit
Every customer gets the request with a direct link, and anyone unhappy can also reach a manager privately.
Getting connected
How we connect your number, in the order it happens
We do this with you on a video call, at no cost.
01
Connect your number through Meta's signup
You log in with Facebook, create or pick your Meta business, and confirm your number with a code. This is the first step, and it can be done in one sitting.
02
Set your display name
This is the name customers see on your chats. It should match your business name or brand so Meta approves it.
03
Verify the business, as recommended
Upload your CIPC registration documents in Meta's Business Manager. Verification lifts the limit of 250 customers a day you can message first.
04
Submit your first templates
Booking confirmations, reminders and a promotion. We write them with you and submit them for Meta's review.
05
Go live
Switch on the AI agent, the booking flow and payment links, and start answering from the shared inbox.
A real flow
A booking on the API at a Rosebank salon
Illustrative conversation for a fictional salon. Nobody on the team typed any of it.
Answered straight away
The AI agent quotes the salon's own price list.
Deposit before the slot is held
The link opens Paystack, so she pays by card or EFT.
Reminder on its own
It goes out the day before, without anyone remembering.
At a glance
What changes when your number moves to the API
Capabilities, not promises.
Official
Meta's own API, on the number your customers already saved.
1 inbox
Every staff member answers the same number from their own login.
24/7
The AI agent replies at midnight on a Sunday as calmly as at noon.
R0.16
About what a utility template costs per delivered message in South Africa (US$0.0095).
Why DMly
Why businesses in South Africa choose DMly
The chats your customers already start on WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, answered, booked and paid for in one place.
01The official WhatsApp APIRuns on Meta's official WhatsApp Business API on your own number, and the WhatsApp Business app keeps working on your phone.
02Every channel, one inboxWhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, SMS, Google Business Profile and website chat, answered by one team.
03Card and EFT in the chatSend Paystack payment links and invoices for card or EFT, or card through Flutterwave. DMly adds no fee.
04An AI agent on every planTrained on your services, prices and hours. It answers day and night, books, and hands over to your team with the chat attached.
05Meta's costs, nothing addedA marketing message costs about R0.63 and a utility message about R0.16 at Meta's South Africa rate. Incoming messages are free.
06Set up with you, freeOur team helps with Meta business verification and builds your setup with you on a video call, at no cost.
Questions
WhatsApp Business API in South Africa, answered plainly
How do I get the WhatsApp Business API in South Africa?
Through a Meta business partner like DMly. You connect your number through Meta's signup, set a display name, and verify your business with your CIPC documents. Our team does it with you on a video call.
Can I keep my current WhatsApp number?
Yes. Your existing business number moves onto the API, so customers keep messaging the number they already have. With co-existence, the WhatsApp Business app keeps working on your phone too.
What does the WhatsApp Business API cost in South Africa?
Two parts. Your DMly plan, from US$29 a month, and Meta's charge per delivered template message, billed in US dollars. A marketing message is US$0.0379 (about R0.63) and a utility message US$0.0095 (about R0.16). DMly adds nothing on top.
Do I need to be registered with CIPC?
Business verification is recommended, and Meta needs proof that the business exists. CIPC registration documents are the clearest way to show that. Verification also lifts the limit of 250 customers a day you can message first.
Is the WhatsApp Business API POPIA compliant?
The API gives you the tools: opt-in records, opt-out handling and STOP on every channel. POPIA section 69 requires consent before direct marketing, so only broadcast to people who opted in, and honour every opt-out.
Put your business number on the official API this week
Seven days free, no card needed. Our team sets it up with you on a video call.