Q3 2026: July to September
Quarterly analysis of removal matters managed by The National Debt Review Center
Sibabalwe Samora Dakana
Managing Director & Principal Debt Counsellor
Published: 26 October 2026
Key findings from Q3 2026 removal data (July to September 2026)
Clearance certificates almost drew level with court applications in Q3 2026. Court applications were 48.2% of new removal instructions, clearance certificates 47.0% and rejection-based exits 4.8%. In Q2 the split was 55.4%, 31.7% and 12.9%. Clearance instructions rose 21.9% on Q2, court instructions fell 28.6% and rejection exits fell 69.2%.
Clearance files completed in the quarter rose 21.9% on Q2, and 92.3% of the clearance files completed in Q3 had the final F1 or F2 status recorded on the NCR Debt Help System by 30 September.
Creditors remain the slowest step in a court removal. Of the creditors NDRC asked for a balance in Q3, 65.8% had to be sent a Regulation 24(4) final notice because they had not answered with a balance, statement or paid-up letter. 61.4% of creditor emails received in the quarter were acknowledgements with no balance, and 53.2% of active court-removal files are at the creditor stage.
The economy worked against consumers. The SARB raised the repo rate to 7.25% on 23 September, unemployment rose to 33.6% and GDP contracted 0.2% in Q2. Fuel prices rose again in September and October after July's relief.
From Q3 2026 the pathway mix counts every removal instruction invoiced in the quarter, whether paid in full, paid in instalments or not yet paid (void and draft invoices excluded). Earlier reports counted paid invoices only, which undercounts court removals because most clients pay the court fee in instalments. Every period in the history table uses the new method. Court-application progress now comes from NDRC's own case system; the cumulative mydebtcounselling.com stage figures used in earlier reports are no longer updated.
Court Applications
Share of new removal instructions (Q2: 55.4%)
Clearance Certificates
Share of new removal instructions (Q2: 31.7%)
Rejection Exits
Share of new removal instructions (Q2: 12.9%)
Clearances Completed
Clearance files completed, against Q2
Needed a Reg 24(4) Notice
Creditors asked for a balance in Q3
Court Files at Creditor Stage
Active court-removal files, 26 October 2026
New removal instructions in Q3 2026, with Q2 for comparison
+21.9% on Q2
-28.6% on Q2
-69.2% on Q2
Share of new removal instructions by period, measured the same way for every row
| Period | Court application | Clearance certificate | Rejection exit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 48.2% | 47% | 4.8% |
| Q2 2026 | 55.4% | 31.7% | 12.9% |
| Q1 2026 | 43.2% | 37.8% | 18.9% |
| Q4 2025 | 48.2% | 31.3% | 20.5% |
| Q3 2025 | 55.9% | 23.7% | 20.3% |
| Q2 2025 | 42.2% | 34.4% | 23.4% |
| Q1 2025 | 48.4% | 23.4% | 28.1% |
| 2024 (full year) | 41.5% | 24.2% | 34.3% |
| 2023 (full year) | 60.6% | 13.1% | 26.3% |
| 2022 (Jul-Dec) | 50% | 28.6% | 21.4% |
Q3 2026 is the highest clearance share in any period since 2022. Rows may not add to 100% because of rounding.
Creditor emails on court-removal files received in Q3 2026
65.8% of the creditors asked for a balance in Q3 had to be sent a Regulation 24(4) final notice, because they had not answered with a certificate of balance, a statement or a paid-up letter. After the notice period the application proceeds on the client's own statement or the credit bureau record.
Active court-removal files by stage, 26 October 2026
Current NCR Debt Help System status of clients NDRC has taken on for removal since July 2022, among those with a status on file
| Status code | Meaning | Share |
|---|---|---|
| G / G1 | Court declared not over-indebted (removed) | 36.6% |
| F1 / F2 | Debts settled, clearance recorded | 20.1% |
| C / D3 | Still under debt review | 38.8% |
| A / B | Applied or rejected at assessment | 4.5% |
| Status code | Meaning | Share |
|---|---|---|
| F1 / F2 | Debts settled, clearance recorded | 82.4% |
| C / D3 / D4 | Still under debt review | 12.6% |
| A / B | Applied or rejected at assessment | 3.8% |
| G | Court declared not over-indebted | 1.3% |
| Status code | Meaning | Share |
|---|---|---|
| B | Assessment rejected (removed) | 90.3% |
| A | Applied, being assessed | 6.5% |
| F1 / F2 | Debts settled, clearance recorded | 3.2% |
Court applications include matters still in progress, which is why part of the group is still under debt review.
Measured in Q3 2026 on NDRC's own files
61.4% of creditor emails in Q3 were acknowledgements with no balance. Only 13.9% carried a balance, statement or letter that could be used as evidence.
65.8% of creditors asked for a balance in Q3 had to be sent a final notice before the application could proceed on the client's statement or the credit bureau record.
1.8% of creditor emails said the account had been sold or ceded. Each one restarts the notice process with the new holder.
14.5% of active court-removal files are waiting for the client's first payment before creditor notices go out.
External factors affecting consumers in debt review, July to September 2026
On 23 July the SARB Monetary Policy Committee held the repo rate at 7.00% (four members for a hold, two for a 25bp increase). On 23 September it raised the rate by 25bp to 7.25%, effective 25 September, in a unanimous decision. Prime moved to 10.75%.
Source: SARB MPC statements, 23 July and 23 September 2026; Moneyweb, 23 September 2026 (prime)
June inflation reached 5.0% (released 22 July), with transport at 12.7%. July eased to 4.3% on food inflation of 0.9% and lower fuel and municipal tariff increases. August was 4.4% (released 23 September). September, released after quarter end, was 4.5%.
Source: Stats SA CPI releases P0141, June and August 2026; SAnews and EWN for July and September
Petrol fell by about R2 a litre on 1 July and a further 52c on 5 August, while diesel rose by up to R1.38 in August. On 2 September petrol rose R1.34 and diesel up to R3.15 a litre. On 7 October, after quarter end, petrol rose a further R3.12 to R3.33 a litre.
Source: Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources fuel adjustment statements (July, August, October); BusinessTech and Engineering News (September)
Stats SA's Q2 2026 Quarterly Labour Force Survey put official unemployment at 33.6%, up 0.9pp from 32.7% in Q1. The number of unemployed rose by 345,000 to 8.5 million, and employment fell by 16,000.
Source: Stats SA QLFS Q2 2026, reported by BusinessTech, 11 August 2026
Stats SA reported on 8 September that the economy shrank 0.2% in the second quarter, led by trade (down 1.9%), manufacturing (down 1.8%) and mining (down 3.0%). The SARB cut its 2026 growth forecast from 1.4% to 1.2%.
Source: Stats SA GDP Q2 2026 via SAnews, 8 September 2026; SARB MPC statement, 23 September 2026
Municipal electricity tariffs rose by an average of 9.01% from 1 July, following the 8.76% increase for Eskom's direct customers from 1 April. Several metros announced higher increases.
Source: Eskom statement on NERSA's FY2027 decision, 16 March 2026; EWN, 25 June 2026
The SARB Quarterly Bulletin (29 September) put household debt at 61.3% of disposable income in Q2 2026, down from 62.1%, and the household debt-service cost ratio at 9.4%, down from 9.5%. These are national averages for all households, not for consumers in debt review.
Source: SARB Quarterly Bulletin, September 2026
NCR and Tribunal developments relevant to removal work in Q3 2026
Issued in June, the guideline confirms that the 60 business days in section 86(10) do not restart on a transfer, that a transfer must be processed within 7 business days, and that a transfer may be refused only for missing documents or fees owed.
Source: NCR Guideline 004/2026, June 2026
In July the NCR warned debt counsellors about a fraudulent email made to look like it came from the Debt Help System.
Source: NCR Circular 03 of 2026, July 2026
The NCR asked for comment on revised codes of conduct for debt counsellors and for credit providers, and on a new code for payment distribution agents. Comments closed on 12 August.
Source: NCR Circular 04 of 2026, August 2026
In August the NCR amended its guideline on submitting credit information so that buy-now-pay-later accounts are reported to the bureaus.
Source: NCR Guideline 006/2026 and Circular 05 of 2026, August 2026
On 15 September the National Consumer Tribunal, on a referral by the NCR, cancelled a debt counsellor's registration and imposed a R1 million fine.
Source: NCR media release, September 2026
The NCR's Consumer Credit Market Report for Q2 2026 recorded R165.25 billion of new credit granted (down 0.53% on Q1) and a credit application rejection rate of 67.73%.
Source: NCR Consumer Credit Market Report, Q2 2026
R8,550
Court application
(excl. VAT)
R450
Clearance certificate
(excl. VAT)
R350
Rejection exit
(excl. VAT)
Based on Q3 2026 removal data
Creditors should answer a balance request with a certificate of balance or statement, not an acknowledgement. Two in three Q3 requests still ended in a final notice.
Bureau and DHS updates after a court order or clearance should follow within set timelines, so consumers are not kept listed after the matter is closed.
The Tribunal's September cancellation of a debt counsellor's registration shows enforcement works. Consumers stuck with an absent debt counsellor need the same urgency.
1 July to 30 September 2026
Pathway history: July 2022 to September 2026
Active court files and NCR statuses: as at 26 October 2026
This report is based on anonymised data derived from debt review and debt review removal matters managed by The National Debt Review Center across South Africa. The data reflects operational outcomes within the NDRC client base and is not presented as a comprehensive reflection of all debt review matters nationally.
Percentages, averages, and timeframes reflect observed patterns within the reporting period and may vary depending on creditor behaviour, court scheduling, and consumer compliance. Where approximations are used, they are clearly indicated and applied conservatively.
Successful debt review removal outcomes are dependent on the legal status of the matter, consumer affordability, and procedural compliance. Outcomes reported refer only to matters accepted for removal following internal assessment and do not imply guaranteed results in all cases.
The National Debt Review Center is a registered debt counselling practice operating in terms of the National Credit Act. All observations are presented for educational and policy discussion purposes and do not constitute legal advice.
Published by The National Debt Review Center
NCR Registered Debt Counsellor: Sibabalwe Samora Dakana (NCRDC3106)