Debt counselling, debt collection and credit records are three different things, run by different parties under different rules. Most of the trouble people run into here comes from confusing them, or from dealing with someone who is not registered to do what they claim.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not a debt counsellor, a collector or a credit bureau. Everything here is a routing aid.
Debt review, and who may do it
- A debt counsellor must be registered with the National Credit Regulator. Check the registration number before signing anything. An unregistered ‘debt consultant’ cannot lawfully place you under review.
- Debt review restructures your repayments through a court order and protects you from legal action while you comply. It is not debt cancellation and it does not make debt disappear.
- While under review you cannot take new credit. That is the point of it, and it is recorded at the credit bureaus.
- Fees are regulated. A counsellor may charge prescribed fees, and a demand for a large upfront payment before any work is done is a warning sign.
- Getting out of debt review requires a clearance certificate once the debts are settled, or a court application. It is not simply cancelled by stopping payment.
Debt collection: what is and is not allowed
- Collectors may not threaten, harass, or contact you at unreasonable hours, and may not discuss your debt with your employer, family or neighbours.
- A garnishee order against your salary requires a court. An Emoluments Attachment Order must be granted by a court, and courts have been required to check that the order is just and affordable. No collector can deduct from your salary on its own say-so.
- Ask for the debt in writing before agreeing anything: the original creditor, the amount, and how it was calculated. You are entitled to know what you are being asked to pay.
- Be careful about acknowledging an old debt. Debt can prescribe after a period in South African law, and acknowledging it or making a payment can restart that clock. Collectors sometimes pursue prescribed debt precisely because a small payment revives it.
- Never pay a collector into a personal account. Pay into the registered business account and get a receipt.
Your credit record
- You are entitled to one free credit report a year from each registered credit bureau. Paying for a basic report is rarely necessary.
- Disputing a listing is free. Raise it with the bureau reflecting it; the bureau must investigate, and the credit provider must prove the listing is correct.
- Nobody can lawfully remove an accurate listing. Services promising to ‘clear your name’ or delete correct information are selling something that cannot be delivered.
- Check your record before applying for anything large, such as a home loan, because errors take time to correct.
Verified regulator and ombud routes
Verified on each body’s own site on 21 August 2026.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| National Credit Regulator, to check a lender is registered | 0860 627 627 |
| NCR switchboard | 011 554 2700 |
| NCR complaints email | [email protected] |
| National Financial Ombud (banking and credit complaints) | 0860 800 900 |
| National Financial Ombud email | [email protected] |
| National Consumer Tribunal | 010 590 5200 |
| National Consumer Tribunal registry | [email protected] |
The National Financial Ombud Scheme is the amalgamation of the former Ombudsman for Banking Services, the Credit Ombud, and the long-term and short-term insurance ombuds. If you were looking for one of those separately, this is now the body that handles it. It is free to consumers and expects the provider’s own complaints process to have been used first.
Related contact pages
- Financial services contact pages
- Complaints and escalation contact pages
- Banks contact pages
- How to verify banking details before you pay
Frequently asked questions
Must a debt counsellor be registered?
Yes, with the National Credit Regulator. Ask for the registration number and check it before signing.
Can my salary be garnished without a court?
No. An Emoluments Attachment Order requires a court order, and the court must be satisfied it is just and affordable.
Can someone remove a correct listing from my credit record?
No. Accurate listings cannot lawfully be removed, and any service promising it is selling something it cannot deliver. Disputing an incorrect listing is free.
How many free credit reports can I get?
One a year from each registered credit bureau.
What is prescribed debt?
Debt that has become unenforceable after a period under South African law. Acknowledging it or paying towards it can restart the clock, so take advice before doing either.
Who do I complain to about a collector or a debt counsellor?
The firm first, in writing. Then the National Credit Regulator for conduct under the Act, or the National Financial Ombud for a credit provider complaint.
Routes on this page were checked against official sources on 21 August 2026.