Tl;dr
Co.ZA Domains and the .ZA Name space are under serious threat as ZADNA rushes to find a replacement registry operator and has not provided Registrars with the information or time required to integrate into a new provider. Is it time to find an alternative to co.za domains?
The .ZA Domain name eco system is at serious risk after ZADNA intends to terminate its contact with the current Registry operator, ZA Central Registry (ZACR) on 1 April 2022.
The immanent risk is not in changing the registry operator but rather ZADNA’s lack of understanding of what is required of itself and the newly appointed registry operator in order to perform such a drastic change along with the relevant time required to ensure a smooth transition.
ZADNA published an RFI requesting interested bidders to submit their application by the 13th September 2021 and later published an RFP with an ambitious goal of finding a replacement provider in time for the deadline on the 1st April 2022.
At no point during ZADNA’s rush to replace ZACR has it engaged with its Registrars about the change. ZADNA appears to lack the understanding of what is at risk if things go south – which it will do if they carry on .
ZA Domains made contact with ZADNA’s CEO requesting clarity on the matter and emphasized the importance of sufficient time to allow registrars to integrate into a new registry operator given the up and coming deadline. In addition we also requested transparency on the transition process as well as the list of shortlisted bidders.
ZADNA’s response lacked any substance and failed to address the questions that were posed to it. ZADNA has since failed to respond to our request to answer the questions that we sent to its CEO.
ZADNA has since published a list of shortlisted bidders and after review, a few of the participants are questionable.
The manner in which this process has been handled raises serious concern around interference within the name space and stability of ZA Domains going forward.
Is it time to look for a suitable .ZA Domain replacement and find a gTLD or TLD that is less likely to be tampered with?
