Two South African companies use the initials NDC, both in the debt sector, and they do opposite things. One collects debt from you. The other is paid to help you deal with debt. Getting them the wrong way round is a genuinely bad outcome, so check the name before you dial.
National Debt Connection: a debt collector
- Telephone: 012 423 3360
- Address: 1267 Pretorius Street, Hatfield, Pretoria
- Office hours: 08:00 to 16:30. A WhatsApp option is offered on ndcdebt.co.za
National Debt Connection (Pty) Ltd is a debt collections business. It states it is registered with the Council for Debt Collectors, the statutory body for collectors in South Africa, and it also buys debt books from creditors. If this company is contacting you, it is because it is collecting an account — possibly one it has bought, which means the original creditor is no longer involved.
National Debt Consultants: debt counselling
- Telephone: 021 054 1141
- Email: [email protected]
- Address: Buchanan Square, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, 7915
This one offers debt counselling, debt review and debt mediation — the consumer side. Its site is ndcsa.co.za and its footer notes it is powered by Telepride (Pty) Ltd.
Which one do you actually want
- A letter, SMS or call demanding payment: that is a collector.
- You cannot keep up with several debts and want them restructured: that is debt counselling.
- You want a debt removed from your credit record: neither, in most cases — that is a dispute with the credit bureau, and it is free.
Check the registration before you engage either
Both roles are regulated, and both registers are free to search.
- A debt collector must be registered with the Council for Debt Collectors. An unregistered collector may not charge collection fees.
- A debt counsellor must be registered with the National Credit Regulator and has an NCRDC number. Note the standing trap: the NCR debt counsellor register matches the individual counsellor’s name, not the firm’s, so ask for the counsellor’s name and NCRDC number and search that. A firm that will not give you both is the warning sign.
If a collector contacts you
- Ask for the original creditor, the account number and a full statement in writing before you pay anything.
- A debt can prescribe. Under the Prescription Act most ordinary debts prescribe after three years without acknowledgement or payment — and making a payment or admitting the debt restarts the clock. Never make a goodwill payment on an old debt before checking whether it has prescribed.
- Never pay into an account given to you on an incoming call. Phone the number you looked up yourself.
- Collection fees are capped in law. Ask for the fee breakdown.
If you are over-indebted
Debt review is a statutory process under the National Credit Act. It protects you from legal action while it runs, but it also flags your credit record and you cannot take new credit until it is cleared. Get the fee schedule in writing first — debt counselling fees are prescribed, not negotiable at will — and never pay a counsellor in cash.
Escalation
- A complaint about a collector goes to the Council for Debt Collectors.
- A complaint about a debt counsellor, or about reckless lending, goes to the National Credit Regulator.
- A dispute with the bank or lender itself goes to the National Financial Ombud Scheme.