Debtfree Issue 202212 DebtBusters

SPECIAL
EDITION
YOU
&
FUTURE
YOU
Issue 12 of 2022

EXCELLENCE IS DOING
ORDINARY THINGS
EXTRAORDINARILY
WELL
– John W. Gardner

WHAT MAKES US
EXCELLENT?
/ Unimpaired and automated PDA systems
/ Integration with top-ranked Debt Counsellor systems
/ Best customer support in the country – queries are resolved within 24 hours
/ Strong compliance and best-industry-practice implementation is at our centre
Call Saishen Krishnan
Head of Hyphen PDA | 071 884 7300
Or call our friendly support centre on 011 303 0060 - Option 2
or visit our website www.hyphenpda.co.za

FROM THE EDITOR
Wow…what a year. I guess we should not be
surprised by how crazy things can get.
This year we did see some pretty BIG things happen. We all started
the year thinking 2022 was Covid Season 3 also known as Covid
lite. And in many ways it was (except if you were in China). By
mostly giving up on tracking stats around the world and by people
not all reporting their illness the stats have dropped significantly
(combined with vaccines etc of course). That’s not to say that
that sadly many people have not been affected this year. If the
pandemic hit you, we extend our sympathies.
Worldwide things have been in a state of crisis all year long. There
is now a new term being used: ‘permacrisis’. This is a state of
ongoing instability that causes chaos and stress. It is relentless,
crisis after crisis.
Boy, have we seen it this year. The UK got a big shake up with a
new royal taking over (we know all about that sort of thing here in
SA) and of course the big one has been the War in Ukraine. Russia’s
blitzkrieg failed and they are now stuck in a Vietnam style jam with
the world making life difficult for them (most ports won’t even let

Russian ships dock these days. Most). In America the Ex-president,
who is still trying to avoid jail from when he lost the elections,
announced he will be running again. People went mad. But all of
that was slightly overshadowed by 1 rich guy buying a social media
platform and changing things to how he thinks they should run. He
sure ticked a lot of people off.
The planet shared its displeasure at all our climate antics by
producing some massive storms, floods, fires and even volcanic
eruptions. All just to remind us that actions have consequences
(even if it takes time). People across the globe are trying to cope
with these events and it is quite scary to see the scale these natural
disasters are now at. Even Greta Thunberg seems to have given up
on shouting at old people and is now taking people to court.
Locally, the Rand has taken a rollercoaster ride vs the Dollar and
the price of oil (influenced by the war in Ukraine & Sanctions) has
made things tricky. And that’s before we even get to chat about
Eskom’s level 299 loadshedding and all the local political scandals
and manoeuvring going on.
Even if you are more interested in cryptocurrency than the
Rand, you will know that global markets are reeling after the FTX
collapse. People put “real” money into online money and…poof,
it disappeared. Now a lot of people are poorer than before and
lot more angry (the banks are mostly happy about it though). The

FROM THE EDITOR
lynch mob is forming looking for someone other than themselves
to blame.
So, between all that chaos and ongoing craziness it has probably
been hard to think about what lies ahead. Hard for you to plan for
the future when everything feels so fragile. Well, it is even more
complicated than that. In this issue we delve into the brain science
behind you vs future you and why it is hard to care about that
person. Check it out.
Parents should also check out our article about school fees since
everything is going up these days except your pay check. You may
find some info that can help ease your pressure. We also talk about
ways to deal with this ramped up loadshedding which always
seems to hit at dinner time and how to deal with all this bad news
going on around us. How can we avoid a “permacrisis” overload? It
might be simpler than you think.
So, yes. It has been a crazy year, but you made it. And yes, next
year will be just as crazy in all likelihood. Still, take a moment to
acknowledge how far you have come, how you kept paying even
as prices went up. By adapting and adjusting you have got this far.
Well done! And we know that if you keep it up, no matter what the
world throws at you, you will soon be debt free.

DEBT REVIEW
PDAs never change
their bank details.
Do not let anyone try to convince
you otherwise. If you get a call
asking you to query your monthly
payment debit order and change
bank details. Call your Debt
Counsellor immediately to talk to
them about it.

FROM THE
DESK
BUST YOUR DEBT
THROUGH DEBT
SETTLEMENT
Receiving a lump sum
of money is exciting –
something many South
Africans have on the horizon
this time of year, with 13th
cheques or annual bonuses
being paid out.

It can be tempting to spend it on luxury and fun. But, if you are
already in debt counselling, you have the option to speed up the
process and get access to more savings by settling some of your
credit agreements sooner.
Your debt counsellor should have access to experts that can
negotiate with your creditors to get a settlement discount on current
outstanding debt. Through these experts you’ll also receive the best
recommendation on which debt to settle first.
Because debt counsellors have great relationships with banks and
creditors, you get the benefit of the best deals and discounts. It’s
their responsibility to facilitate a fair debt settlement procedure
and negotiate the best possible discount with your creditor(s). The
average client saves up to 25%!
You also get full view of the process and how your settlement amount
is allocated. You’ll receive a detailed breakdown of all settlements,
discounts, and overall savings achieved.
Using this debt management solution can help you to get debt review
clearance much sooner than the original plan you’ve agreed to. Many
clients have managed to finish their debt counselling journey within
less than 3 years. Another benefit of proper debt management done
with your debt counsellor worth considering.

No more debt-stress.
Let’s get it sorted.
We’ll get your interest rates right down. You’ll
make one consolidated payment a month. You’ll
have more cash to live on. Your assets will be
legally protected. Sorted.
0861 365 910
www.debtbusters.co.za
info@debtbusters.co.za
NCRDC2484

CONTENTS
YOU & FUTURE YOU
SOME REALLY
COOL MEALS
FOOD FOR
THOUGHT
SCHOOL FEE
EXEMPTION
DISCLAIMER
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on this site and/or magazine or any part of this publication
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authors and contributors reserve their rights with regards to
copyright of their work.

YOU

& FUTURE
YOU

YOU & FUTURE YOU
THE PATIENCE
TEST
Do you want R500 right now or
R1000 in a month’s time?
It might seem weird because, in theory, we
should all be able to wait for 30 days to get
twice as much money… but… many of us
would prefer the cash right now.
We prefer instant gratification.
Why?

YOU & FUTURE YOU
YOUR FUTURE SELF VS
PRESENT BIAS
You may think of yourself now and
in the future as the same person…
but below the surface your brain
might not totally agree.
Researchers tell us, that we have what is
commonly called a “present bias”.
That means that we think now is more
important than later, and yes, that we prefer
our current self to our future self.
Why is that?
In many ways, our brain thinks about our
future self as a totally different person and
guess what… it doesn’t care about that person
as much. It defaults to looking after the
person right here and now.

YOU & FUTURE YOU
NOW VS
LATER
This is often the reason why we will
choose to take money now, rather
than waiting. And why we are happy
to use credit to get stuff we can use
now, and let your future yourself
worry about paying it off.
Your future self probably wants to have killer
abs… but to get them, your present self has to
sweat, Urgh… who wants to do that!
Your future self probably wants to retire and
have enough funds to afford food… but to do
that, your present self has to save the money
you could be having fun with, what a pain!

YOU & FUTURE YOU
LEARN TO CARE ABOUT
FUTURE YOU
While reading this, you may already
feel disinterested in worrying about
future you. After all, present you
could be doing many other things,
rather than thinking about the
future. See, it is a problem, and it
impacts your current choices.
This is why we must train our brains to think
more about our future selves, and to care.
We need to develop a little empathy for our
future selves.

YOU & FUTURE YOU
BE NICE TO
YOURSELF
One way to connect with future you,
is to think about past you.
Consider how your past decisions have
influenced your current reality.
Did you make smart choices that improved
your life? Or did you make bad choices that still
hurt? If you could go back, would you change
the decisions you made? It is good to train our
brains to think about cause and effect.
Next, try picture yourself in years to come.
When you next look in the mirror, try to
picture what your future-self will physically
look like. What will your hair look like, your
skin, your physique?
The more often you can think about future
you (maybe even just ‘tomorrow you’) the
more you can train your brain to start to
prioritise them.

YOU & FUTURE YOU
GIVE YOURSELF
A BREAK
One thing that you can do for future
you, is to get rid of your debt.
Get rid of all that stress and pressure to pay
your creditors. Paying your debts off now,
(even if that is just not missing a payment this
month) will help you in the future.
You can also avoid adding more debt to an
already large pile of debt. Don’t do it!
Try give yourself less debt, not more.
That way, future you will look back and say:
“thank you”.

SOME
REALLY
COOL
MEALS

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
HELLO DARKNESS
MY OLD
FRIEND
Why does it feel like it is always
load-shedding at the exact time you
would usually cook for your family?
It is not like you can use Uber eats or Bolt
every day to bring you dinner (you will quickly
go bankrupt). And you can’t be making peanut
butter sandwiches every night or the kids are
going to start complaining (eventually).

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
HOT OR
NOT
With loadshedding here to stay for
the foreseeable future and at higher
levels than ever it is time to think
about ways to minimize it’s impact
on your dinner time.
For some this means getting a braai going for
others it may mean a chance to enjoy some
fresh salads. Either way we need some tasty
solutions.
We have put together a few no-cook dinner
ideas to take the stress out of load-shedding.
We have also included a few recipe ideas, if
you are able to cook some of the ingredient
while there is power, as well as some side
dishes to add to your braai meat, if you are so
inclined.

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
Thai Chickpea Salad
Chickpeas
Lettuce
Carrots
Cabbage
Bell peppers
Coriander
Peanuts
For the full recipe and peanut drizzle dressing or
Olive oil & lemon dressing visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2020/06/thaichickpea-salad-with-peanut-dressing.html
NO-COOK

Black Bean Taco Salad
Romaine lettuce
Bell pepper
Black beans
Corn
Diced/chopped tomatoes
Onion
Grated cheddar cheese
Crushed tortilla chips
For the full recipe visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2020/08/black-beantaco-salad.html

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
Greek Chickpea Salad
Chickpeas
Bell peppers
Chopped tomato
Chopped cucumber
Avocado
For the easy Mediterranean marinade and full recipe
visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2012/05/greekchickpea-salad.html
NO-COOK

Vegetarian Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl
Onion
Garlic
Cauliflower rice
Black beans
Frozen corn
Cumin
Coriander
Grated cheese
Sour cream
Lime
For the full recipe visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2021/12/vegetariancauliflower-rice-burrito-bowl-recipe.html

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
Cranberry Apple Kale Salad With Quinoa
Quinoa
Kale
Carrots
Cranberries/raisins
Honeycrisp apple
For the dressing and full recipe please visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2022/09/kale-applecranberry-salad-with-quinoa.html
PARTIAL COOK

Cheesy Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Black beans
Corn
Chopped tomatoes
Grated cheese
Minced red onion
Coriander
For potato cooking instructions and the full recipe,
visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2022/01/cheesyblack-bean-stuffed-sweet-potatoes.html

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
Greek Tortellini (or any pasta) Salad
Pasta of your choice
Diced bell pepper
Diced tomato
Cucumber
Red onion
Feta cheese
Avocado
Parsley
For the Greek lemon dressing & full receipt, visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2020/07/greektortellini-pasta-salad.html
PARTIAL COOK

Curried Quinoa With Roasted Butternut &
Cranberries
Cubed roasted butternut
Cauliflower
Quinoa
Cranberries/Raisins (optional)
Curry powder
Garlic powder
Lemon zest (optional)
For instructions on how to cook Quinoa and the
rest of the ingredients, please visit:
https://peasandcrayons.com/2011/10/cranberrycurry-quinoa-with-roasted-veggies.html

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
NOU GAAN ONS
BRAAI
It might require some blitz, wood
and matches and take a little longer
to prepare but making a braai is a
South African classic.
Throw your favourite meat on the braai
and add a few extras (most of which do not
require electricity anyway).
Add:
Potato salad
Coleslaw
Make use of some tin foil to make:
Roasted veg,
Mielies.
And treat yourself to a little fire toasted cheese
sandwich along the way.

SOME REALLY COOL MEALS
TRY SOME
DESSERTS
Want something a bit more
sophisticated than half a slab of
chocolate for desert (ok, we know
its hard to eat only half the slab,
who are we kidding?).
Why not try some of these ideas:
Fruit & Yogurt parfaits
Acai bowls
Chopped fruit & box custard
Eaton-Mess
Google, Pinterest & Insta are your friends. Try
search for a few ideas to make your life easier
and spice things up. With a little advanced
thought and preparation, you can easily make
use of these loadshedding days to bring out
your inner master chef.

DEBT REVIEW
A Debt Counsellor makes
an application to court and
includes several different
respondents in the court
documents including you,
the consumer, and each of
your credit providers.

CONSUMER FRIEND
USES
SOFTWARE TO ENSURE
POPIA COMPLIANCE!
- Secure system-to-system data transfer (no human contact)
- Elimination of data exposure from the use of email
- Data specification is fit for purpose
POPIA COMPLIANCE
IS CRUCIAL!

FOOD FOR
THOUGHT

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
BRAIN
FOOD
They say: "You are what you eat..."
The idea being, that what you put into your
body influences your wellbeing. What about
what you are putting into your mind?
Advertisers will pay large amounts of money
just to put their stuff in front of you, for even a
few seconds.
And if they are prepared to spend a lot of
money to do that, then it makes you realise
how powerful even a few seconds can be.
Advertisers want to just plant that seed,
knowing it will be worth it down the line.
So, do you ever think about what you are
mentally consuming?
What are you feeding your brain?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
GARBAGE IN
GARBAGE OUT
Social media feeds us dreams
of fancy lifestyles that we can’t
realistically afford.
Shopping catalogues and websites show us
lots of nice things that we did not even know
we wanted (yet).
Negative information can make us start to
think negatively.
There is a lot of mental "Junk Food" out there.
So, think about what you are feeding your
brain, and consider if you can be a bit more
purposeful or selective in feeding your brain
decent content.

SCHOOL FEE
EXEMPTION
DO YOU QUALIFY?

SCHOOL FEE EXEMPTION
HOW DOES IT
WORK
If you are living on less it can be hard
to cover one of the most important
costs you have: School fees.
You want to ensure your kids can have
consistency and be with people they are
familiar with rather than have to move them.
But what if the fees are just too high?
Let’s talk about school fee exemptions and
how they work.
Education in SA is not free and for many it is
not cheap but every child has a right (as per
the Constitution) to schooling.
Parents have a right to apply to any public
school to see if they can receive a partial
or even total reduction in school fees (and
the school cannot then kick your kid out or
withhold exam results or anything).

SCHOOL FEE EXEMPTION
NO
FEES
Some schools, located in specific
communities, are designated by the
Minister of Education as free (no
Fees).
The following also automatically qualify for
free education at public schools in SA:
• An orphan in an orphanage;
• A learner who has a foster parent;
• A learner placed in a youth care centre or
a place of safety;
• A learner who has been placed in the
care of a family member;
• A child who heads a household or is part
of a child-headed household;
• Parents who receive a social grant on
behalf of the same learner (child support
grant).

SCHOOL FEE EXEMPTION
TYPES OF
EXEMPTION
Partial Exemption
If the school fees are between 3.5% and 10%
of your combined income then you qualify for
a partial exemption. It works on a curve and
the school will let you know how much the
reduction will be.
Note: If you have more than one child at a
school then if the fees are between 2 and
3% of your income you should discuss what
exemption you will qualify for.
Full Exemption
If the school fees are 10% or more of your
total income then you will qualify for a total
fee exemption. You will not have to pay any
fees.

SCHOOL FEE EXEMPTION
DO YOU
QUALIFY?
Divorced?
In the past schools might look at the combined income of both
parents even though they were divorced. Now the law has changed
(after a SCA ruling) and the parent paying the school fees income
is the one that is considered (and yes that income might include a
maintenance payment). The school can however approach the other
parent in regard to outstanding fees or paying a portion.
How To Apply
You can contact the school direct and ask what forms are needed. It
is best to do this at the start of the year. They will ask for some proof
of income etc to substantiate your application but it will be worth it to
see if you can qualify.
For More Info:
For more information you can visit the Department of Basic
Educations website:
https://www.education.gov.za/informationfor/parentsandguardians/schoolfees.aspx

BREAKING
NEWS

DECEMBER 27TH 2022
Because the Christmas holiday (which is a public holiday by
default in South Africa) falls on a Sunday this year, SA labour
law states that the public holiday should be shifted to the
following day.
Here is the snag: the following day (Monday) is already a
public holiday (known as the Day of Goodwill). So, everyone
was curious as to what would happen. Would the following
day be made into a public holiday or not?
Labour unions in particular were pushing for some more
time off for workers (or double time for those who have to
work).
The Presidency has announced that the 27th will be a
public holiday this year.

THESE PROVINCES HAVE
OVER 50% UNEMPLOYMENT
Stats SA recently released information about unemployment
in the various parts of SA. Apparently, the official overall
number of unemployed people has come down. Which is
great news.
15 million South Africans have work while officially 7.7 million
are unemployed.
This doesn’t mean that it has been a dramatic shift compared
to last year of course and the official way at looking at the
numbers is not considered the best measure. In reality,
the extended parameters/definition paints a more realistic
picture.
It might shock you to learn that in 2 of SAs provinces more
people are unemployed than have work with a third province
almost there.
North West has 53.3% unemployed;
Eastern Cape has 50.6% unemployed;
Limpopo now sits at 49.9% unemployed according to
the expanded definition. So basically half.
The Western Cape has the lowest unemployment figures
in SA, sitting at 24.5% officially and 29.5% by the expanded
definition.

STEP-BY-STEP
DREX GUIDE
DREX simplifies the exchange of data and makes managing the
debt review process less admin intensive.
The below links take you to step-by-step guides on how to use the
DC Portal on DREX.
How to Register on the DC Portal
Introduction to the DC Portal
Accessing a Consumer's Profile

NEW ANTI-TERRORISM
LAWS IMPACT ALL
CREDIT PROVIDERS
The National Assembly has signed off on the General
Laws Amendment Bill. The bill is known as the Anti-Money
Laundering and Combating Terrorism Financing Bill and is
aimed to keep SA in line with international requirements
(which if you do not follow, you end up grey listed apparently).
The Bill will amend 5 current Acts including the Companies
Act, Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA), Financial Sector
Regulation Act (FSRA), Trust Property Control Act and some
parts of the Non-Profit Organisations Act.
The big change, is that these Acts will now include an updated
definition of what it means to be a ‘beneficial owner’.

The Bill next goes to the National Council of Provinces
(NCOP) for consideration (in something of a rush apparently)
then will be given to the President to sign into law – hopefully
before the end of this year (2022).
What does it mean?
It means that all credit providers (including some collections
agents who are registered as CPs) now become ‘accountable
institutions’ (as per FICA) and have to register with the FIC.
This would include anyone who lends money for a fee or
charges interest (as explained in the NCA), regardless of
their size. Yet another nail in the coffin of illegal loan sharks,
and another reason they can be fined and shut down.
It also means that once under FICA, all such credit providers
will have to have a formal Risk Management Program,
and can only onboard clients after they have done proper
screening to know their client very well.

DEBT REVIEW
Each month, you should receive
a statement from your PDA. This
statement will show how your
installment was split among your
various credit providers.
If you change your email and don’t
tell your DC and PDA you wont get
your monthly statements.