Final Regional Meetings of the Year for DCASA
DCASA Regional Meetings
The Debt Counsellors Association of South Africa (DCASA) are holding a series of regional meetings across the country for members.
These will be the final meetings of the year.
In different regions the meetings are being held at different facilities and venues. Debtfree Magazine got to visit with the Western Cape regional branch and members.
The meeting was kindly hosted by specialist insurance provider ONE at their Cape Town offices (which are surprisingly similar to their Gauteng offices).
Topics & Speakers
It has been a few months since the previous regional meetings and in between there have been some pretty big events including the DCASA Annual Conference and the Debt Review Awards.
The main topic of the day would end up being the NCR Task Team 2.0 but before conversation got there, local Chairperson Nadia De Weerdt kicked off the meeting with some industry updates.
Members got to discuss two recent court case rulings, a summary of what has been happening at CIF (and who is on which NCR TT 2.0 committee), the upcoming DCASA AGM and FNBs recent changes to pro-rata proposals.
Members can also now enjoy a new benefit: QR Codes on their DCASA certificates (and for use in email signatures, website and even on PDA statements.
Another topic that got some coverage it the NCR’s search for a permanent CEO.
DC Partner PDA were on hand to discuss their services (and help cover costs – thanks). The Payment Distribution Agents are all registered with the NCR and regularly audited to ensure consumer funds are handled well. They specialise in making life easier for consumers who would otherwise have to make precise payments to various accounts each month. Since these figures change over time and since there can be disputes about what payments were made when and with what reference numbers etc it is helpful to have a third party assist with this side of things. At present, 250 000 consumers in debt review make use of a PDA to assist them.
Zak [our Editor] then spoke about the new rounds of peer reviews going out for the Debt Review Awards 2025. He also congratulated those attending who had been recognised at the Awards and mentioned that there will soon be a webinar about the coming amendments and changes to the 2025 process.
The link will be shared via Debtfree Magazine as well as via DCASA.
The NCT
The newly appointed Registrar of the National Consumer Tribunal was on hand to interact directly with Debt Counsellor members (and the credit providers who attended).
The NCT are hoping to play a pivotal roll in possible amendments to the Act and are well positioned to be a conduit to the DTIC. They are well positioned to offer meaningful insights and a trusted voice to the DTIC and are actively engaging with the industry to try and understand and improve industry processes.
Some DCASA members who attended have not made use of DCRS or the NCT before and other members got to share advice and tips about how to do so, as well as engage directly with Prenesen. Members spent some time asking questions and later chatting with Prenesen about NCT matters (and possible amendments that may allow the NCT greater flexibility in regard to consent orders or other debt review related cases).
ONE
Corrie of ONE, who kindly hosted the event at their offices, next spoke to the members about insurance. ONE are specialist insurance providers who offer consumers in debt review cover.
A way to measure an insurance provider is by the percentage of claims they pay out. In 2022-2023 ONE paid out 100% of the claims they received related to debt review consumers. Amazing. They are soon going to be able to release there stats for 2023 – 2024.
In particular, Corrie got to discuss what happens when claims come through and there is a surplus on the cover (where the cover on the account is in excess of what is owed to the credit provider). ONE are leaders in making sure that any payout amount that is in excess of the claim (the amount needed to settle with the credit provider) are paid over to the consumer (or their estate).
ONE also are able to provide affordable cover for those who might unfortunately lose income (temporarily or permanently).
In such cases, their unique products are able to cover additional monthly costs like maintenance orders and even aftercare to the consumers’ Debt Counsellor. This ensures that not just the credit providers get their funds but vital monthly costs are covered while consumers look for new employment or are recovering. This helps provide peace of mind and just takes an extra moment or twos planning in advance to ensure such expenses are covered.
Members also got information about the FoodBank project and how they can access the FoodBank on behalf of clients going through tough times.
The idea being that when Debt Counsellors submit their 17.3s to credit providers on behalf of troubled consumers they also reach out to the FoodBank and see if some financial relief in regard to food might help keep a small payment going to the credit providers at least (and thus help the consumer avoid falling out of debt review).
Members also got to see the the various food packs on display, to handle them and check all the receipts and nutritional info.
A Taste of The Task Team
Members then got to split into groups and try their hand at making suggestions for use at the CIF in regard to discussions about the NCR Task Team.
The chance to “think outside the box” was refreshing and suggestions were later collected in regard to each of the 4 main NCR Task Team Addendums and will be passed along to the DCASA representatives who are serving on each sub committee.
The process of slowly going through the addendums and making adjustments is similar to what is currently taking place at CIF level. While it does make sense to go through possible changes by following the existing framework it was also clear that a total rethink should be considered as it allows greater freedom and flexibility.
Then it was time for some lunch and discussions around how to find new clients, dealing with staff issues, credit providers and where things are going in 2025.
All agreed it has been a tough 2024 and the recent changes to the two pot system and consumer withdrawals has definitely been felt by many in attendance. With the December holidays coming (traditionally a quiet time in the industry) many were concerned about bringing in enough business in the weeks ahead.
