Financial Tips & Guides

guides

Every Way to Borrow Money in South Africa, Sorted by What You Put at Risk

Unsecured credit, logbook loans against your car, property-backed lending, crypto collateral, two-pot withdrawals and relationship credit — the full map of South African financing, ranked by consequence rather than product name.

Romans • 16 Aug 2026

8 min read

guides

SASSA Grants, Loans and Deductions: The 31 August Card Deadline Is Your Chance to Stop Them

Gold Cards stop working after 31 August 2026. Only one funeral deduction capped at 10% is legal on a grant — everything else is not. Why the free Black Card swap breaks unlawful deductions and card-holding lenders.

Romans • 14 Aug 2026

9 min read

guides

Logbook Loans and “Pawn Your Car and Still Drive It”: What You Are Actually Signing

Borrowing against your car in South Africa comes in two shapes. One is NCA-regulated and capped at 5% a month. In the other you sign over ownership and rent your own car back — the NCR calls it a scam.

Romans • 11 Aug 2026

9 min read

guides

Prime Is Being Retired: What Happens to the 12 Million Loans That Reference It

The SARB proposes scrapping prime and pricing retail loans off the repo rate instead. 12 million contracts, R3.2 trillion. Your rate does not change — but the margin conversion is worth checking yourself.

Romans • 05 Aug 2026

7 min read

guides

Your SARS Refund Is Not Money Yet: Refund Borrowing and the Scam Taking It

SARS paid R8bn in refunds in 72 hours this July. Two ways people are losing that money: borrowing against a refund that arrives late or reduced, and AI phishing that hijacks eFiling profiles to redirect it.

Romans • 03 Aug 2026

9 min read

guides

62% of Two-Pot Withdrawals Are Now Third-Timers: The Arithmetic of Raiding Your Retirement to Pay Debt

Only 5% of two-pot claims this tax year are first-timers. R60bn has come out, mostly for debt. Withdraw R30,000 and you receive about R16,000 — here is when that trade is worth it and when it is not.

Romans • 31 Jul 2026

9 min read

guides

Money Taken From Your Salary? Garnishee Orders and EAOs Explained

The Constitutional Court struck down how most EAOs were obtained in 2016 — but the orders keep running until someone challenges them. How to check whether yours is lawful, and get free help.

Romans • 29 Jul 2026

9 min read

guides

Mashonisa Loans in South Africa: What Is Legal, What Is Not, and Your Rights

An honest look at South Africa's informal loan economy: why it exists, what 30–50% a month actually costs, which parts are criminal, and what to do if a mashonisa holds your bank card or ID.

Romans • 28 Jul 2026

9 min read

guides

Credit Life Insurance: The Loan Fee Nobody Reads

It adds about R4,200 to a R50,000 loan, it is capped by law at R4.50 per R1,000, and Section 106(4) gives you the right to replace it with cover you may already own.

Romans • 28 Jul 2026

7 min read

guides

What Lenders Actually See in Your Bank Statements (And Why You Were Declined)

You earn R18,000 and got declined for a R950 repayment. Here are the seven things underwriters look for in your three months of statements — and how to fix them in a quarter.

Romans • 28 Jul 2026

7 min read

guides

Debt Consolidation Loans South Africa 2026: One Loan to Clear All Debts

How debt consolidation works in South Africa, which lenders to use, real cost calculations, and the one mistake that ruins most consolidations. Step-by-step guide for 2026.

Romans • 22 Jul 2026

8 min read