CAO Contact Details

The CAO call centre number is 031 268 4444. It is the only contact number the Central Applications Office publishes, and no email address is published anywhere on its site. To check an application, log in at cao.ac.za using Check My Application. We read this on 24 September 2026.

Official contact details

Call centre	031 268 4444
Email	None published
Physical address	Gate 11, Central Services Complex, UKZN, Mary Thiphe Street (Cato Manor Road), Cato Manor, Durban
Postal address	Private Bag X06, Dalbridge, 4014
Website	cao.ac.za
Applicant login	cao.ac.za, Check My Application
Report a website error	Report an error link, in the site footer

One number, and no email

We checked the contact page, the apply page, the FAQ, the payments page and the member institutions page. None of them publishes an email address.

So if you have been searching for a CAO email address, there is not one to find. The published routes are the call centre, the post, and your own login.

That matters most in the busy season. A single number serving applicants to four universities and a list of private colleges will be heavily congested around closing dates, so use the online functions below wherever you can.

CAO publishes no operating hours for the call centre, so treat it as weekday business hours.

What the login actually does

Most reasons for phoning CAO are handled by signing in, and the site separates them into distinct functions.

• Check My Application, to follow the progress of an application you have already submitted.
• Upload My Documents, for supporting documents.
• Change of Mind, to change the programmes you applied for.
• Update My Details, for contact and personal information.

Each has its own login instructions page. If your details have changed, update them yourself rather than phoning, because an offer that cannot reach you is the most costly kind of failure in this process.

Who CAO applies to

CAO is a central applications service for KwaZulu-Natal institutions. Its published member institutions are:

• University of KwaZulu-Natal.
• Durban University of Technology.
• Mangosuthu University of Technology.
• University of Zululand.
• A separate list of private colleges.

Applying to a university outside this list means applying to that institution directly. CAO cannot help with an application it does not handle.

One fault to be aware of: the Member Institutions link in the site’s own menu returns an error page reading “An error has occurred during processing”. We saw it on repeated attempts. The working page is reached through the Institutions banner on the home page instead.

The dates that actually cost money

Two rules on CAO’s site are worth reading before you call to ask about them.

Late payment works differently from closing dates. Programmes may each have different closing dates, but there is one date on which late payments take effect: 1 November. Applications and administration fees received from 1 November attract Late Payment status and the late fee applicable at the time, which CAO says is usually, though not always, double the on-time administration fee.

Programme Close is different again. Programmes advertised with the note that no late applications will be considered get this status once their closing date passes, and after that neither an application nor a fee will be considered by that institution.

In other words, paying late may cost you double, but applying to a closed programme costs you the place entirely.

Be careful who applies for you

Application season attracts people offering to secure a place for a fee. CAO publishes its own administration fee structure on its site, and that is the figure to check against.

CAO also publishes a power of attorney form, which is the formal way to let someone act for you. If a third party is handling your application without one, they have no standing with CAO, and you are relying on them entirely.

Nobody can guarantee you a place. Admission decisions sit with the institutions, not with CAO and not with an agent. Pay the published fee through the published payment route, and keep your own login details rather than giving them away.

Before you call

Have your CAO number, your identity number and the programme codes you applied for.

Check your application status online first. The answer to most status questions is already on the screen.

If your question is about admission requirements or a decision on your application, it belongs with the institution rather than with CAO. CAO processes and routes applications; the universities decide them.

Consult the current CAO Handbook for the year you are applying for. The site publishes one per entry year.

Sources

• CAO contact page, cao.ac.za, for the call centre number and the physical and postal addresses (read 24 September 2026)
• CAO home page, for the login functions, the handbook, the administration fee structure, the power of attorney form and the late payment and programme close rules (read 24 September 2026)
• CAO institutions page, for the member institution list, and the Member Institutions menu link, which returned an error on repeated attempts (checked 24 September 2026)