Abstract:
One of the main features of the National Credit Act, which came into full operation on 1 June 2007, is its objective to afford debt relief to over-burdened consumers. Otto remarks that the NCA is an ambitious, perhaps even idealistic, piece of legislation with pronounced socio-economic aims. The purpose of the NCA as stated in section 3 thereof is inter alia to promote responsibility in the credit market by encouraging responsible borrowing, avoidance of over-indebtedness and fulfilment of financial obligations by consumers, and to discourage reckless credit granting by credit providers and contractual default by consumers. It aims to address and prevent over-indebtedness of consumers and provides mechanisms for resolving over-indebtedness based on the principle of satisfaction by the consumer of all responsible financial obligations.
