Ever felt your heart race at the sight of a credit repayment reminder or a low credit score alert? You’re not alone. Many South Africans find themselves deeply stressed by money, weighed down by the emotional toll of a mounting debt burden.
But it doesn’t need to be that way. By taking back control of your finances and building deep credit confidence, you can start on a journey to financial resilience.
Sanlam Credit Solutions defines credit confidence as a person’s ability to “feel secure about their ability to use credit responsibly”. The company has helped more than one million South Africans build this confidence through free online credit score checks, practical, user-friendly tools and supportive debt counselling.
Afua Darko, Sanlam Credit Solutions business head, says: “Our mission is to help transform credit into a tool for growth rather than a source of stress. Our platform is about empowering South Africans to understand their financial picture, make confident choices and feel supported every step of the way.”
When financial stress becomes mental stress
Financial stress often begins with the unexpected – a car breakdown, a medical bill or school expenses. Without savings to cushion the blow, many people turn to panic credit, borrowing from small lenders at high interest rates.
Soon, one loan becomes another – R10,000 today, R15,000 next month – and before long, you can’t keep up. This debt spiral traps people in survival mode, focused only on today’s crisis, not tomorrow’s consequences. This cycle doesn’t just drain bank accounts, it really affects our state of mind.
Taking small steps towards control
The way out doesn’t mean tackling everything at once. Darko suggests starting small: “Use the snowball method and pay off the smallest debt first or set up debit orders to cover minimum payments and draw up a realistic monthly budget. Even small wins can restore a sense of control.”
She also stresses the importance of talking about money worries. “Money stress thrives on silence. By opening up to a partner, friend or family member, you not only share the emotional weight but often discover practical solutions you hadn’t thought of. Support makes the difference.”
Breaking the cycle with support
This is where Sanlam Credit Solutions steps in. The digital platform has become a trusted partner for over 1.2 million Africans, offering a blend of budgeting tools, credit score check services and insightful articles.
With free sign-up, users receive a monthly credit report and access to tools that help them check their credit score online for free.
Key services include:
- Debt counselling support: More than 53,000 applications were initiated via the platform last year, with over 5,000 of clients supported and, where needed, referred to legally recognised debt restructuring programmes.
- Credit coaching in 10 languages: A team of 15 dedicated coaches provides free, personalised guidance via chat, phone and email, engaging in over 100,000 proactive conversations annually.
- AI-powered tools: Sanlam Credit Solutions offers a chatbot for basic queries and will soon integrate with the Sanlam AI Coach to provide tailored recommendations – from how to check your credit score to improving it and structuring debt repayments.
- Budgeting and planning tools: These combine credit report data, income, and expenses to give users a clear picture of their finances and practical next steps.
Darko says: “For people struggling with a debt burden, know that the way to improve your situation is not about having a perfect credit score or being debt-free. It’s about getting back in the driver seat of your finances and diligently constructing a financially robust future, with the right partner by your side.”
Sign up for Sanlam Credit Solutions for free and get your monthly credit report.
This article was sponsored by Sanlam.
