Frequently Asked Questions

Lunyazi is an SMS and OTP platform built in Eswatini for Eswatini and Southern Africa. It provides a REST API that lets developers and businesses send bulk SMS messages and add OTP phone verification to their applications. Unlike international platforms, Lunyazi connects directly to MTN Eswatini via SMPP, accepts MTN MoMo payments, and is compliant with the Eswatini Data Protection Act 2022.

Yes. Lunyazi is built by Ekukhuleni Labs, a technology company based in Manzini, Eswatini. It is the only SMS platform built in Eswatini, with a direct MTN Eswatini SMPP connection. No other bulk SMS provider — including Africa's Talking, Twilio, Vonage, or BulkSMS — has a physical presence or direct carrier connection in Eswatini.

Lunyazi is the only SMS platform built in Eswatini, with a direct MTN SMPP connection, SZL pricing, and MTN MoMo payment support. International providers like Africa's Talking, Twilio, and BulkSMS route Eswatini messages through international aggregators, which adds latency and delivery risk. Lunyazi messages go directly from the platform to MTN's SMSC in Eswatini.

Lunyazi supports Eswatini (+268), South Africa (+27), Namibia (+264), Zambia (+260), and Zimbabwe (+263) as primary markets, with international routing available for UK, US, EU, and other destinations. Eswatini and South Africa have the highest delivery rates due to direct carrier relationships.

Lunyazi pricing starts at E0.40 per SMS for Eswatini domestic messages (MTN and Eswatini Mobile). South Africa is R0.40 per SMS. Volume pricing applies for purchases over 1,000 credits — the rate drops to E0.35, with further discounts at 5,000 and 10,000+ credits. There are no monthly fees, no contracts, and no minimum spend.

Yes. MTN Mobile Money (MoMo) is the primary payment method for Lunyazi credit purchases. You receive a MoMo payment prompt on your phone, approve it, and credits are added to your account instantly. No VISA card or bank transfer required.

Credits purchased on the standard plan expire at the end of each calendar month. Unused credits do not roll over. Enterprise plans with non-expiring credits are available — contact sales@lunyazi.com.

Yes. New accounts receive 10 free SMS credits on signup — no card required. This is enough to test SMS and OTP delivery to your own number before purchasing credits.

No. The Lunyazi dashboard lets you send SMS to individual numbers or upload a CSV of recipients without writing any code. The API is available for developers who want to automate sending from their own applications. Both routes use the same account and credits.

Lunyazi provides a REST API that works with any language that can make HTTP requests — Python, Node.js, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, and others. Authentication uses an API key passed as a Bearer token. The API accepts and returns JSON. Full documentation with code examples is at lunyazi.com/sms/ and lunyazi.com/otp/.

Send a POST request to https://api.lunyazi.com/sms with your API key in the Authorization header and a JSON body containing the recipient phone number(s) and message. Full documentation with Python, Node.js, and PHP examples is at lunyazi.com/sms/.

Lunyazi delivers at 99% for Eswatini domestic numbers via the direct MTN SMPP connection. Delivery receipts (DLRs) are returned for each message so you can track delivery status. International delivery rates vary by destination carrier.

Eswatini domestic messages typically deliver within 2–5 seconds via the direct MTN SMPP connection. South Africa messages deliver within 5–15 seconds. International messages typically deliver within 30 seconds but can take up to 2 minutes depending on destination carrier congestion.

Use the full international format: +26876xxxxxx or 26876xxxxxx (no + sign). MTN Eswatini numbers start with 76 or 78. Eswatini Mobile numbers start with 79. 8-digit local numbers (without country code) are also accepted — Lunyazi normalises them automatically.

Yes. Lunyazi's OTP product is designed to support Section 14 of the Eswatini Data Protection Act 2022, which requires organisations to implement appropriate technical measures to verify user identity and protect personal data. OTP verification via SMS is the most widely accepted technical mechanism for meeting these requirements. Lunyazi does not retain OTP codes after expiry and does not use customer phone numbers for any purpose other than delivering messages on your behalf.

Yes. Lunyazi's OTP API generates a 6-digit one-time password, sends it via SMS to the user's phone, and verifies the code the user enters — all with two API calls. This flow meets the technical verification requirements of the Eswatini Data Protection Act 2022 Section 14. OTPs expire after a configurable time window (default 10 minutes) and are stored only as hashed values.

Phone numbers provided to Lunyazi are used only to deliver messages on your behalf. They are never sold, shared with third parties, or used for Lunyazi's own marketing. API keys are scoped per application and can be rotated at any time from the dashboard. All data is stored on AWS infrastructure. OTP codes are stored as hashed values and deleted after expiry.