Tag Archives: Debt

Debt

DO DEBTS LAST FOREVER?

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Prescription was introduced as means of protecting South African consumers from dishonest credit providers, who are responsible for recklessly lending credit and have contributed to the detrimental debt crisis many South Africans face today.

What does prescription mean?

  • The Prescription Act 68 of 1969 (PA) says that a debt (payment of money) is extinguished/expired after the lapse (passing) of a specific time period.
  • South Africa has different laws which specify time periods, for example, the PA says contractual and delictual debts extinguish after 3 years from when prescription starts.
  • Prescription may be delayed or interrupted.

It is important to bear in mind that not all debt prescribes after a period of three years. Debt related to a cheque, for example, only prescribes after 6 years. The purpose of prescription in South Africa is to compel creditors and collections agents to collect money owed to them within a specified period and not delay collection so that it accumulates massive amounts of interest and costs.

What are the consequences of an extinguished debt?

  • The debtor is not liable to the creditor for a debt after the time period has lapsed.
  • The creditor may not institute legal action against the debtor for a debt.

When does prescription start?

As soon as the debt is due (a debt is due once the creditor can identify the debtor and the facts from which the debt arises).

If the debtor prevents the creditor from gaining knowledge of the debt (excluding debts arising from agreements) prescription runs from when the creditor has knowledge of the existence of the debt.

An important point to remember is that it’s perfectly legal for a debt collector or attorney to demand payment for a prescribed debt. It is up to a debtor to raise prescription as a defence.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)

References:

https://www.legalwise.co.za/help-yourself/quicklaw-guides/prescription

http://www.debtbusters.co.za/faq/what-is-prescription/

Liquidation

COMPANY LIQUIDATION STRATEGIES

A creditor who’s claim against a company has not been paid on due date is, as a matter of law, entitled to apply for the liquidation of the company.  If the court is satisfied that the company is unable to pay the debt, a liquidation order will normally be granted, with the often distressing consequence that jobs are lost, assets are sold at far below their value and a business which, if given a respite, would have regained its financial health, ceases to exist.

The new Companies Act, No 71 of 2008, has introduced the concept of business rescue, which is intended to assist financially distressed companies in restructuring their business in a manner that maximises the likelihood of the company continuing in existence on a solvent basis.  Business rescue certainly has its place in the South African economic environment, and its growth and wider application should be encouraged.  There are, however, a number of drawbacks.  The business rescue practitioner has to be paid, and his fee is frequently substantial.  Furthermore, the business rescue plan has to be approved by 75% of the creditors voting interests, and by 50% of the independent creditors (i.e. creditors who are not directors, shareholders or members of the same company group).  If the business rescue plan is not approved, liquidation of the company will be the almost inevitable result.

Item 9 of Schedule 5 to the 2008 Companies Act provides that the liquidation of companies continues to be governed by the applicable provisions of the previous Companies Act, No 61 of 1973 (“the 1973 Companies Act”).  Which brings me to Section 347(1) of the 1973 Companies Act, dealing with the powers of the court hearing a liquidation application.  It provides as follows:  “The court may grant or dismiss any application under s 346, or adjourn the hearing thereof, conditionally or unconditionally, or make any interim order or other order it may deem just …”.

The power which the court has to adjourn the application, or make “any other order it may deem just” is a power infrequently exercised and one which has received insufficient attention by the courts.  That power should, for example, be exercised in conjunction with the power granted a court in terms of Section 354(1) of the 1973 Companies Act, which states that the court may at any time after commencement of a winding up, on the application of a liquidator, creditor or member “and on proof to the satisfaction of the court that all proceedings in relation to the winding up ought to be stayed or set aside, make an order staying or setting aside the proceedings …”.

In Klass v Contract Interiors 2010 (5) SA 40 (W), the court held that the power vested in the court by Section 354 is an unfettered discretionary power.  The court may, in deciding whether a winding up is to stayed, have regard to the wishes of the majority of creditors, and to considerations of commercial morality.  This approach echoes the reasoning adopted in Calgary & Edmonton Land Co Ltd (1975) 1 All ER 1046 (CH).  It is also consistent with a line of cases which state that, in liquidation and sequestration applications, a court may postpone the granting of a liquidation or sequestration order to enable a debtor to pay the claim of the applicant creditor, where it appears that the debtor has realistic prospects of doing so (Rosenbach & Co (Pty) Ltd v Singh’s Bazaars (Pty) Ltd 1962 (4) SA 593 (D);  Payslip Investment Holdings CC v Y2K Tech Ltd 2001 (4) SA 781 (C) at 787-789).

A company faced with a liquidation application may therefore, if it is able to show that it will be able to pay the debt within a realistic time, succeed in averting the liquidation application.  A couple of self-evident and practical points need to be made, in this regard.  Firstly, a company running into cash flow problems must keep its creditors fully informed.  If it becomes clear that debts are not going to be paid on due date, the company should timeously ask the creditors for extensions of time, make realistic proposals as to the payment of any arrear amounts and, most importantly, ensure that it treats all its creditors equally, as regards payments of debts.  A creditor that finds out that its claim has been unpaid, while those of other creditors met, is likely to speedily resort to liquidation or other litigation proceedings.

By managing its creditors in this manner, a company will, if in due course one of the creditors loses patience and brings liquidation proceedings, be able to successfully resist liquidation by invoking Section 354 and the proviso to Section 347(1).

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice.

Credit law

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR DEBT

Alecia had big financial problems; she had too much debt and her expenses outweighed her income. She decided to open a new bank account into which her salary could be paid, which would ensure that she could manage her salary before her monthly debit orders went off.

Alecia thought it would be a good idea to pay her small debts off first and then begin with the larger debt. Unfortunately this resulted in her not making any payments at all on her home loan and credit card and the bank threatened to blacklist her and sent her a summons. The bank then made an application in court for an order that made it compulsory for her to pay the amount which the bank set out; this order is called an Emoluments Attachment Order (EAO) or garnishee order. An EAO is granted in terms of s. 65J of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 32 of 1944 and orders an employer (referred to as a garnishee) to make deductions from a debtor’s salary or wages and pay these over to the creditor or its attorneys. This amount was much greater than Alecia could afford and left her with no income for the rest of her monthly debt payments. She was thus put in a worse financial position than before.

If Alecia had known about debt counselling sooner she would not be stuck in the position she is now facing. It is important to educate people about debt counselling, especially in a country where debt is granted so easily and yet so hard to pay back. Debt counselling is a process of assisting consumers that are experiencing debt-related problems and are having difficulty making their current monthly payments, by providing budget advice, restructuring their payments, negotiating on their behalf with credit providers, monitoring their payments and providing aftercare services.

It is the duty of the Debt Counsellor [who is registered with the National Credit Regulator (NCR)] to assess whether the consumer is over-indebted by weighing the income and expenses and then taking into account statutory and non-statutory deductions as well as existing monthly debt payments. If the calculation results in a negative balance, the consumer is declared over-indebted. The debt counsellor provides a proposal that lowers the debt payments and increases the cascades (the number of months allowed for repayment of the debt, inclusive of interest), in order for the consumer to be able to manage his debt while paying it off at the same time. An order is then granted in court and sent to the credit providers, and the consumer can no longer incur any new debt. Once the debt is paid off, the consumer is given a clearance certificate and he/she has all that extra income to buy goods in cash.

Unfortunately, it was too late for Alecia as legal action was already taken against her. The same applies if a termination letter is sent in terms of s.129 of the National Credit Act. It is important for people to know that there is a way to manage their debt, but they need to acknowledge that they are in financial trouble before they are placed in a situation like Alecia. It may be too late for Alecia, but hopefully it won’t be too late for others.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice.