How to get a South African IP Address from Anywhere

If you’re a South African living or vacationing abroad, one of the best ways to stay connected to ‘home’ is by keeping up with your favorite South African shows. However, due to geo-restrictions, that may not be easy. Since some of the most popular South African platforms like Soweto TV, SABC, and DSTV are currently blocked to non-residents, abroad-based South Africans and non-South Africans may find it difficult to access the country’s content. And this can be frustrating.

While geo-restrictions are becoming increasingly popular these days, nobody can deny how annoying they can be. The good news is that a VPN can easily bypass these geo-blocks. By using a Virtual Private Network, you can mask your real IP address and replace it with a South African IP address, thereby obtaining access to the previously blocked South African content. The process probably sounds alien to you, so in this article, we’ll be walking you through it all.

The Best VPNs for Accessing South African Content

While it’s true that the market is filled with an endless number of VPN services, only a few of them are capable of bypassing geo-restrictions in South Africa. Here, we’ll be recommending our best picks for anyone looking to access blocked South African content.

#1. NordVPN – a large server network

NordVPN is our number one choice for bypassing geo-restrictions in South Africa, and the reasons are easy to see.  With more than 5300 servers across 60 countries, the VPN provider has one of the largest server networks in the industry. In South Africa alone, NordVPN has more than 50 servers, which is a pure testament to the company’s broad coverage. This also means you have tons of options to choose from.

Furthermore, NordVPN is one of the most secure VPN services you can find. It won’t only give you access to blocked platforms but will also protect your privacy while at it. That’s why the company adopts a military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, which prevents anyone from ever intercepting or breaching your data. On top of that, the service features other valuable security features like Perfect Forward Secrecy, DNS leak protection, double VPN feature.

It’s also helpful that the company is located in Panama, a friendly location for VPN companies. There are no data-retention laws, so NordVPN is able to maintain a true no-logging policy. Nothing that can ever be traced to you is ever collected, so you can rest easy knowing your anonymity is guaranteed forever.

Additionally, NordVPN’s special Nordlynx connection protocol has been optimized for speed, so you can enjoy fast speeds when you stream high-definition videos. And there are no bandwidth limits, so you can stream your favorite movies to your heart’s content without worrying about data caps.

Finally, NordVPN has a smooth and user-friendly interface across its clients, making it an easy-to-use platform. You’re not likely to encounter any complications, but if you do, the company’s support team is available round-the-clock to offer quick resolutions to your problems.

NordVPN Prices:

Below are the latest NordVPN subscription prices, current as at April 2024:

• 1 Month: $11.95
• 1 Year: $4.92 (Save 58%)
• 2 Years: $3.67 (3 Months Free + Save 69%)

Note: All prices are in USD, and are Per Month.

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#2. ExpressVPN – Amazing security features and server distribution

ExpressVPN is another excellent option for anyone looking to watch geo-blocked content. While its 3300-server count puts it below NordVPN in terms of server count, its incredible server distribution makes it stand out. The service covers up to 93 countries worldwide, including South Africa. This makes it one of the best options for people looking to watch content restricted to other countries.

ExpressVPN also provides remarkable security features to match its impressive coverage. It also employs military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, which is the world’s most secure security encryption. Of course, other security features complement the fail-proof encryption, which include DNS leak protection, a kill switch, and split tunneling. With these features, your online activity will always remain private.

Like NordVPN, ExpressVPN also offers a user-friendly interface across its clients. You’re not likely to have any difficulties with the whole setup. There are also compatible clients for almost every platform, so no matter the device you use, you can be sure that ExpressVPN offers something for it.

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Can I use a free VPN to bypass geo-restrictions in South Africa?

We know it’s always tempting to use a free VPN as free providers always make big promises. However, we would advise against it for a number of reasons. While free VPNs don’t generate money directly from customers, they have to make money somehow. This is why most of them make their customers “the products” by selling their data to third parties. You never know what the third parties will use the data for, but most free providers don’t care.

Are VPNs illegal in South Africa?

VPNs are not illegal in South Africa, fortunately. The South African government does not impose censorship or online restrictions on its citizens, and VPNs are completely legal within the country. However, this does not give you the allowance to use VPN to carry out illegal activities online. If you do that, then you could be facing the full wrath of the law.

Why are some South African Websites Blocked Abroad?

Some websites or channels in South Africa may be blocked to non-residents because of a number of reasons. Most times, it’s usually because of some agreements between the content owners and the websites. Other times, it could be because the websites’ facilities are not sufficient to handle international users, so they restrict their content to only residents to keep their systems running smoothly.

Are there other VPN Services that Work?

While we have recommended only NordVPN and ExpressVPN in this article, there are many other VPN providers that can help you get past geo-restrictions in South Africa. However, the most reliable ones are those we have recommended above, so if you’re serious about watching South African content, just stick with one of those two.

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Categories: IP Address