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    • .capetown

    Generic top-level domainsDNSSEC

    Overview

    .capetown is a geographic generic top-level domain (gTLD) created under ICANN's New gTLD Program to represent the City of Cape Town online. The string is intended as a digital identifier for people, businesses, institutions and projects that identify with or are associated with Cape Town.

    • Type: gTLD (geo)
    • Registry operator: ZA Central Registry (ZACR), trading as UniForum SA

    History

    • Applicant and operator: UniForum SA, trading as ZA Central Registry (ZACR), appointed by the ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) with support from the Department of Communications.
    • Delegation: The .capetown gTLD was delegated to the DNS root zone on 05 June 2014.
    • Related activity: The registry operator has also been associated with applications for other regional and regional-related strings such as .africa, .durban and .joburg.
    • Key person listed: Neil Dundas, Director (per applicant/registry information).

    Usage and Audience

    .capetown is intended for use by:

    • Individuals and residents who identify with Cape Town
    • Local businesses, brands and service providers based in Cape Town
    • Municipal and government entities (with reserved name opportunities during sunrise)
    • Tourism and cultural organizations aiming to promote Cape Town-related content

    The registry's stated mission includes positioning .capetown as a proud online identifier that reflects Cape Town's cultural, social and economic diversity, and as a preferred option for those with strong associations to the city.

    Registration Rules

    • Registration model: The registry proposed an unrestricted gTLD operated under the ICANN framework, with policies aligned to ICANN consensus-driven processes.
    • Eligibility: Generally available to all interested parties; a limited number of names may be reserved for the Cape Town Municipality and the South African national government during the sunrise phase.
    • Allocation principle: After sunrise and any landrush phases, registrations are intended to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis upon payment of requisite fees.
    • Policy scope: Registration policy to cover technical and administrative procedures including registrations, cancellations, transfers, suspensions and revocations; the final comprehensive policy is to be established and approved by the registry.

    SEO and Brand Impact

    • Positioning: The registry aims to develop and position .capetown as a strong geographic brand that signals a clear association with Cape Town, supporting local identity and pride.
    • Marketing goals: Intended to boost tourism promotion, showcase local talent, and create new revenue streams tied to the city's online identity.
    • Trust and targeting: As a geoTLD managed by the national-appointed registry, .capetown is presented as a city-focused namespace suitable for targeted local branding and audience recognition.

    Operator

    ZA Central Registry NPC trading as ZA Central Registry

    Whois

    % IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       CAPETOWN

organisation: ZA Central Registry NPC trading as ZA Central Registry
address:      COZA House
address:      Gazelle Close
address:      Corporate Park South
address:      Midrand
address:      Midrand 1685
address:      South Africa

contact:      administrative
name:         Neil Duncan Dundas
organisation: ZA Central Registry NPC trading as ZA Central Registry
address:      PO Box 4620
address:      Halfway House 1685
address:      South Africa
phone:        +27113140077
fax-no:       +27113140088
e-mail:       icann@registry.net.za

contact:      technical
name:         Busdev Manager
organisation: Domain Name Services (Pty) Ltd
address:      PO Box 4620
address:      Halfway House 1685
address:      South Africa
phone:        +27115682800
e-mail:       theo@dnservices.co.za

nserver:      COZA1.DNSNODE.NET 194.146.106.74 2001:67c:1010:18:0:0:0:53
nserver:      NS2.DNS.NET.ZA 196.29.59.175 2001:43f8:790:5901:0:0:c41d:3baf
nserver:      NS4.DNS.NET.ZA 2a01:3f0:0:314:0:0:0:53 77.72.229.251
ds-rdata:     6749 8 2 3b828190e412d1780fd97c538547f6698f1db01570ffae56efb91f4e4735e6a6

whois:        whois.nic.capetown

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: http://registry.net.za

created:      2014-06-05
changed:      2025-08-05
source:       IANA

    Registrars