Umthetho Omusha wokuvimbela “˜omashonisa’ Kuqale Umthetho Wesikweletu Kuzwelonke ngomhla ka-1 Juni 2006. Kodwa-ke okunye okuhlinzekelwa yilo mthetho kuzoba umthetho ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.
Ukusukela ngomhla ka-1 Juni 2007, bonke abantu abanikezela ngezikweletu kubandakanya ababolekisi abancane kufanele babize imali yenzalo ejwayelekile kanye nemali eshiwo Umthetho. Angeke “˜omashonisa’ besakwazi ukukubiza imali ethandwa yibo ngokukweboleka imali engaphansi kuka-R10 000.
Kukwenza lokhu kube nzima futhi uku-blacklista umuntu oboleke imali. Umuntu onikezela ngesikweletu angeke akwazi ukusa umuntu ngqo enkantolo ngokungamkhokheli kahle. Kufanele amthumele kuqala kumeluleki wezikweletu. Umeluleki uzomeluleka umuntu oweboleke imali ukuthi ayihlele kanjani futhi imali yokukhokha isikweletu sakhe. Kanti uma umuntu obolekisa ngemali ekuboleke imali azi kahle ukuthi angeke ukwazi ukumkhokhela ngemithetho akayibekile, angahlawuliswa “˜ngokubolekisa budlabha’ bese ephoqelelwa ukuthi ahlele kabusha isivumelwano sakhe ukuze uzokwazi ukukhokha isikweletu sakho.
I-SACP ithi Umthetho awenabanga ngokwanele ngoba awukunikezi ukuxolelwa kwesikhathi esisodwa esiphelayo kulabo aba-blackilistwa abaqaphi bezikweletu i-credit bureaux.
Nuwe Wet om “˜amashonisa’ in toom te hou Die Wet op Nasionale Krediet het op 1 Junie 2006 in werking getree. Sommige van die Wet se bepalings sal egter eers later van krag gaan.
Vanaf 1 Junie 2007 sal alle kredietverskaffers, insluitend mikroleners, eenderse rentekoerse en fooie moet hef, soos deur die Wet bepaal. Die “amashonisa” sal jou nie meer kan vra wat hulle wil vir lenings van minder R10 000 nie.
Dit sal dit ook moeiliker maak om “˜n geldlener op “˜n swartlys te plaas. Die kredietverskaffer kan nie die lener reguit hof toe sleep as hy agter raak met sy betalings nie. Hy moet die lener eers na “˜n skuldberader verwys. Die berader sal die lener advies gee oor hoe om sy skuldbetalings te herstruktureer.
En as “˜n lener jou geld leen terwyl hulle weet dat jy nie die paaiemente kan terugbetaal wat hulle vasstel nie, kan hulle aangekla word van “roekelose uitlening”, en kan hulle gedwing word om die ooreenkoms so aan te pas dat jy jou skuld kan terugbetaal.
Die SAKP meen dat die Wet nie ver genoeg gaan nie, omdat dit nie “˜n eenmalige amnestie verleen aan diegene wat deur kredietburo’s geswartlys is nie.
Molao o motjha wa ho laola “˜bo-mashonisa’ Molao wa Mokitlane wa Naha e leng National Credit Act o kene tshebetsong ka la 1 Phupjane 2006. Le ha ho le jwalo tse ding tsa dipehelo tsa ona di tla ba molao ha morao.
Ho tloha ka la 1 Phupjane 2007, bohle ba fanang ka mokitlane ho kenyelletswa le bo-mashonisa ba lokela ho lefisa phaello e tshwanang mme le tefello e behwe ke Molao. Ha ho sa tla etsahala hore “˜bo-amashonisa’ ba lefise batho phaello eo ba e batlang bakeng sa dikadimo tse ka tlase ho R10 000.
Hape hona ho etsa hore ho be boima le ho senya lebitso [blacklist] la motho ya kadimileng tjhelete. Motho ya fanang ka mokitlane a ke ke a isa mokadimi lekgotleng la dinyewe ka ho toba haebe a hloleha ho lefa ka nako. O lokela ho romela mokadimi ho moeletsi wa dikoloto pele. Moeletsi o tla eletsa mokadimi ka moo a lokelang ho hlophisa botjha ditefello tsa sekoloto sa hae.
Mme ha mokadimisani a ho kadima tjhelete a ntse a tseba hantle hore o ke ke wa kgona ho lefa di-instolmente tseo a di behileng, yena a ka qoswa ka “ho kadimisana ka tsela e bohlaswa” e be o qobellwa ho hlophisa botjha tumellano e le hore o tle o kgone ho lefa dikoloto tsa hao.
SACP e re Molao ha o a lekana hantle hobane ha o nehe bao ba seng ba sentswe mabitso ke credit bureaux tshwarelo ya hang feela.
At the end of 2004 two Numsa members signed loan agreements with a microlender.
In terms of the agreement, they would each be given two separate loans of R8 000 for building materials.
In return they each had to pay R1470.72 every month for two years.
They soon found that they could not repay the loanshark.
By March 2005, the court had ruled that they pay back R35 963,15 to the microlender.
Their stories are not new. Every Numsa member has their own to tell.
In March the National Credit Act [NCA] became law. From June 1 certain sections of it came into effect, but most of it only comes into effect from June 1 2007.
The new Act tries to help borrowers like these Numsa members.
It regulates interest rates on all forms of credit including that from microlenders, as well as bank loans, short term loans, credit cards, furniture and car financing.
No longer will a microlender be allowed to charge whatever interest it likes on amounts below R10 000!
If the two Numsa members had taken their loan from June 1 2007 when the microlenders must also comply with the regulated interest rates, they would have had to pay a much lower interest on their loans.
A new regulation around “reckless credit” could have helped them too.
From June 1 next year, if you cannot repay your debts and are taken to court, it will be the responsibility of the lender to prove that he did not lend you money knowing that you could not repay it.
If the court finds the lender guilty of reckless lending, then the court could force the lender to restructure the agreement so that you can repay your debts.
And the Act will make it more difficult for the credit provider to blacklist you if you default on your payments.
New regulations effective June 1, 2007 will force the credit provider to raise an arrears problem with you. He will have to propose that you refer the credit agreement to a debt counsellor.
The debt counsellor will help you draw up a plan to correct the arrears before the matter is referred to court.
The Act also creates one national register for all credit agreements.
Any lender must enter your credit agreement on the national register and before lending you money must look on it to find if you are tied into other credit agreements.
However, the South African Communist Party [SACP] is disappointed that its call for a once off amnesty for those blacklisted by credit bureaux was not included in the Act.
The failure to include this it said would keep “the majority of the poor and the working class ..prisoners of the credit bureaux … and may lead most of our people not to benefit from the new law.”
However, it welcomed other aspects of the new law like the regulatory body which will monitor credit bureaux and make it easier for people to remove their names from being blacklisted.
The Act also establishes a National Consumer Tribunal [NCT] that becomes effective from September this year. If you believe that a credit provider is not acting correctly, you can take him to the NCT.
Will you benefit? Only you will be able to tell us.
What becomes effective when?
National Credit Regulator
1 June 2006
National Consumer Tribunal
1 September 2006
Limits on interests and fees that can be charged by microlenders, banks etc
1 June 2007
Regulations on reckless lending
1 June 2007
Debt counselling and debt restructuring
1 June 2007