L
General
Loan Shark (Mashonisa)
Illegal money lender — unregistered, operates in shadows, charges insane interest (sometimes 50% per month). In SA we call them mashonisas. They're criminals. If they can't show NCR registration, they're not legit. Don't borrow from them — ever.
Usage Examples
"The mashonisa in Soweto charges 60% interest per month. Borrow R1,000, pay R600 in interest just for one month. People get trapped. If you miss a payment, expect intimidation — possibly violence."
"Andile needed R3,000 quick and found a lender in his building. No paperwork, no questions. But the 'lender' was a mashonisa charging 40% monthly. Four months later he owed R5,800 on a R3,000 loan. He reported it to SAPS eventually."
"Thandi asked the lender for their NCR registration. They couldn't produce it. That's when she knew it was a shark and walked away. Found a FASTA or Capitec loan instead at 24% per year — expensive, but not mashonisa crazy."