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Industry News

If you missed the 2023 Debt Counsellors Association of South Africa (DCASA) Annual General Meeting or are not a member of the association yet you may be wondering:

So, what happened?

We have a quick update with key highlights from the meeting for you.

THe President's Report

Each year the DCASA President gives feedback on the activities of the association and plans to deal with current industry challenges over the next 12 months.

This year some of the key take aways from the speech included how DCASA and the National Debt Counsellors Association (NDCA) have been working close on many matters of common concern.

Reinhard also pointed out that DCASA have also been working closely with the National Credit Regulator to keep them informed of industry issues (like client poaching and fake get out of debt review scams) and offering possible solutions.

This year many DCASA members were recognized in the Debt Review Awards including the hard working Vanessa Johst who along with other members helped put together a very successful annual conference.

DCASA have held meetings with many credit providers in an official capacity this past year including FNB, Standard Bank, Capitec (about those adverts and more), FinChoice and Imas (about the task team agreements).

The hosting of the “CIM” meeting late last year also seemed to spark off meetings of the Credit Industry Forum (CIF). The association is very glad these meetings are now underway and members are encouraged to submit feedback for the various sub-committees.

This year these was also increased internal use of webinars and online meetings for members who stay far from the regular meeting places. This ensures all have access to the same benefits and information.

Looking ahead there will be an ongoing effort to ensure all members exhibit good business ethics (so that the DCASA membership really stands for something). Members who do not follow these ethical principals may be invited to leave the association.

There will also be a focus on mentoring new members and upskilling them. This will further enhance the DCASA brand and benefit the industry at large. 

Voting for the NEC & Other Stuff

One of the main functions of the AGM is to allow for the election of willing members who would like to take the lead in various ways on the NEC.

The NEC for the next year will consist of:

Reinhard Pettenburger, Mauritz van den Heever, Eugene Cilliers, Drisha Pillay, and Simon Karanja.

If you are curious about the association accounts report…join the association and get access to that info. Suffice it to say the books are in good order and are regularly audited to make sure member’s money is being used wisely.

Interestingly, there are plans afoot to engage in increased marketing for the association in order to attract new clients for association members.

Thinking of Joining?

DCASA has been busy over the last 12 months and from the looks of things will remain busy in the year ahead.

If you think you might benefit from joining and are a NCR registered Debt Counsellor (or work for one) then you are able to apply to join. Simply email: dcasa@dcasa.co.za