Fewer South Africans facing debt courts: what the latest stats reveal

NEW Statistics South Africa data shows fewer South Africans faced debt-related court summonses in November, with a 7.4% year-on-year decrease.

However, the average civil judgment amount remains significant at nearly R29,000, revealing a complex financial landscape despite the reduction in cases.

This comes as the number of civil summonses issued for debt dropped to 29,587 in November, a 7.4% decrease compared with November 2024.

Over the three months ending in November, summonses were also down by 7.1% year-on-year.

Judgements recorded by courts – where a judge orders repayment of debt – also fell.

There were 9,394 civil judgements in November, 12.6% less than a year earlier, and down 7.6% over the three-month period.

At 1,872 cases, there were more judgements handed down in the Western Cape than any other province – followed by Gauteng at 1,825.

This is despite Gauteng accounting for a third of all summons’ issued during the month, compared to the Western Cape’s almost 6,000 summons.

Despite the drop in cases and judgements, the total value of judgements remained high at about R270.5 million in November.

This was 15.1% lower than in November 2024 but only 0.8% lower over the longer three-month comparison.

The data also shows how different debt types contribute to the picture. Civil actions linked to money lent, services and ‘other’ debts were among the biggest downward contributors to the fall in summonses and judgements.

While summonses for most types of debt fell, the number of court cases for unpaid rent rose slightly, partly offsetting the overall decline.

In terms of the value of judgements, services and money lent together accounted for nearly half of what courts ordered repaid in November, with 20% or more coming from “other” debts and promissory notes.

While fewer debt cases are reaching the courts, the amounts involved in cases that do proceed remain significant, according to the Statistics South Africa data.

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