Debt counsellors in Cape Town

Search the register by town to see counsellors with a business address in Cape Town or elsewhere in the Western Cape, and ask each one how they handle meetings and paperwork. The NCR advises using a counsellor near where you live or work so you can visit the office if you need to. To find one:

• Search the NCR public register at ncr.org.za for registered debt counsellors.
• Look for counsellors who list Cape Town or the Western Cape as a service area.
• Ask for the counsellor's NCR registration number (usually starting with NCRDC) and verify it.

Counsellors trading as DebtBusters, Meerkat, Debt Rescue and National Debt Advisors appear on the NCR register, and so do many independent counsellors. The NCR registers counsellors as individuals, so check the individual's name and NCRDC number, not just the brand name. What matters is verified NCR registration, not whether the firm is big or local.

Debt review is a national process under the National Credit Act, so a counsellor in Cape Town follows exactly the same steps as one anywhere else in South Africa:

1. Apply on Form 16 (section 86).
2. Affordability assessment.
3. Proposal to creditors.
4. A court order (Magistrate's Court, section 87) or, if every creditor accepts the proposal, a consent order from the National Consumer Tribunal.
5. Pay your reduced instalments, either through a registered payment distribution agent (PDA) or directly to your creditors.
6. Receive your Form 19 clearance certificate when paid up.

Your counsellor refers your matter to the National Consumer Tribunal for a consent order if every creditor accepts the proposal, or to a Magistrate's Court if one or more creditors refuse. Ask your counsellor which forum will hear your matter. Choosing a Cape Town counsellor mainly helps with convenient meetings.

You can search the NCR register by town to see counsellors with a Cape Town or other Western Cape business address. The NCR has warned about misleading adverts and 'debt review removal' offers, so stick to the NCR register and get every fee in writing. Your matter will be confirmed by the National Consumer Tribunal or a Magistrate's Court, depending on whether your creditors accept the proposal.

Wherever you are, protect yourself the same way:

• Verify NCR registration on ncr.org.za before paying anything.
• Get every fee in writing. The NCR's debt counselling fee guideline lists a R50 application fee and a R300 administration fee (both paid upfront), a once-off restructuring fee of the distributable amount or R8,000, whichever is less (R9,000 if you are married in community of property), and a monthly after-care fee of 5% of the distributable amount, capped at R450, from month three. Attorney fees and a R500 National Consumer Tribunal submission fee can apply in some matters, and the guideline amounts exclude VAT.
• Avoid 'instant removal' promises - your own counsellor issues the clearance certificate when you finish.
• Complain to the NCR at [email protected] or on 0860 627 627 if a counsellor behaves improperly.

A Cape Town address does not make a counsellor trustworthy on its own - the NCR register does.