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Youth Month - Financial Resilience Tips
20Jun-23

Four (4) Tips for Building Financial Resilience in Young People

 “Our South African youth is not only a group of passionate individuals and groundbreakers at heart, but they can also exemplify financial resilience, embodying the qualities of true stewards of their finances. And in the process help shape a legacy for others to follow.” highlights managing director, Wikus Olivier. Financial Resilience means being prepared to handle and overcome unexpected financial events, such as dealing with sudden expenses resulting from changes in the economy, interest rate adjustments, or medical emergencies. In today’s [...]

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Repo Rate increase
26May-23

Important Update: South African Reserve Bank Repo Rate Increase

With the recent Repo Rate hike, borrowing costs have been brought to their highest level since May 2009. We understand that this news may cause some concerns, but let’s take a moment to gain some perspective. “In difficult times, it’s important to remember that we have overcome challenges before. During the financial crisis of 2008, the Repo Rate was over 11% and much higher than the current increase relating up to 8.25%. So, don’t be disheartened. History has shown that [...]

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17Nov-19

Debt Intervention – Part 3

Can a consumer apply for credit after debt intervention? In order to be able to apply for credit again a consumer needs to have completed a few very specific steps. The consumer needs to complete the debt intervention successfully by fully settling the accounts included or having those account extinguished.The consumer also needs to illustrate that they have improved their knowledge on managing finances through attending financial literacy training. The consumer’s financial situation must have improved.The consumer needs to apply for rehabilitation.The NCR must notify all credit bureaus and relevant [...]

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12Nov-19

Debt Intervention – Part 2

Debt Intervention – Re-Arrangement or Restructuring of debt The National Credit Regulator will firstly attempt to re-structure a consumer’s debt to solve within a maximum period of 5 years. The NCR must consider the income and expenses of the consumer and look at future possible income and employment opportunities of the consumer when making a determination if the debt can be restructured or if it should be suspended. The NCR will then make a recommendation to extend payment periods and reduce interest rates in an attempt to [...]

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5Nov-19

Debt Intervention – Part 1

What is Debt Intervention? The president has signed the controversial Credit Amendment Bill into law and thousands of consumers are wondering if they will be able to benefit from the provisions of this bill and if they will qualify for Debt Intervention as defined in the bill. CreditSmart would like to debunk some of the rumors and give some clarity regarding Debt Intervention. There are thousands of consumers who seem to interpret the rumors as an indication that their debt will be extinguished, which is not [...]

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Stay Out Of Debt This Valentines Day
6Feb-19

Staying out of debt this Valentine’s Day

February, the month of love… or is it? February is the month where everyone spends crazy amounts of cash (that they don’t have) on romantic things that are way overpriced. Valentine’s day became a totally superficial thing that is driven to extremes by the smart marketing companies who push and pray on the hype of consumerism. The trend these days are that people are more concerned about where their partners will be taking them on the day instead of a small intimate show of love. [...]

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Case For Credit
28Sep-18

The Case for Credit

We have all heard that saying, “money makes the world go round”. In fact, that statement is completely incorrect. The actual truth is that CREDIT makes the world go around. Without access to credit, the world economy will collapse, and poverty will be far worse than it is now. Having a dream of being debt free is great, and one should always work toward it if that is your goal. The reality for most consumers in South Africa and the [...]

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CreditSmart - We Help Single Moms
3Jul-18

5 Ways to Financially Survive Each Month as a Single Mother

Managing your finances alone is only one of the hardships as a single mother. The huge responsibility that rest on you as a single mother often leads to stress, anxiety and definitely feelings of depression or hopelessness. *According to Statistics South Africa, 45.6% of South Africa`s children are raised by single mothers. (*http://www.statssa.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mbalo-Brief-March-2018.pdf) Although this statistic is quite shocking, it helps to remind the single mother that there are others like her. With that said, the question remains: How will you survive [...]

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Credit Report and Credit Profile
6Jun-18

All About Your Credit Profile

Keeping tabs on what’s happening on your credit profile is possibly the single most important aspect of effectively managing your credit. Gone are the days when you only heard about your credit profile when applying for credit. Access to your credit information is so easy nowadays that there simply would be no excuse for not knowing the status of your credit profile. Your credit profile contains all the information about how you manage your credit facilities. Payment History, Defaults, Judgments [...]

Debt Review - Consumer Friendly Breakdown
6Jun-18

Debt Review – A consumer friendly breakdown

You Kept up with the Joneses and now you’re up to your ears in debt with no hope of relief. Luckily for you, the National Credit Act is there to ease your burden. Without bombarding you with all the legal jargon and technical terms, here is the consumer-friendly break down of what Debt review, also known as Debt Counselling, can do for you. In June 0f 2007 the National Credit Act (NCA) and the National Credit Regulator (NCR) came into effect and [...]