System outage keeps debt-free consumers stuck under review

CLIENTS who have just completed their debt review process and are keen to clear their name officially will have to wait a bit longer because of IT-related problems, according to the National Credit Regulator (NCR).

The debt help system (DHS), which allows debt counsellors to update consumers’ debt review statuses centrally across all credit bureaus, has been experiencing operational issues since the start of the month. 

The DHS was brought offline by the NCR on 3 February 2026 as a precautionary measure following reports of potential misconfiguration issues. The organisation said it remains uncertain when the system will be restored, with a focused technical assessment currently underway.

Responding to questions from the Independent on Saturday this week, Zonke Majola, the NCR’s Education and Communication Officer, said the system was “brought offline” as a precautionary measure following reports of potential misconfiguration issues.

She confirmed that a focused assessment was underway.

“The investigation is still in progress, and the NCR has not yet received the technical inputs required to confirm the root cause of the misconfiguration issues. As a result, no definitive findings have been made. Consequently, a restoration date is not yet available. The DHS will be restored as soon as the investigation has advanced sufficiently to enable a secure and reliable reinstatement,” Majola said.

The regulator said it was still waiting for the technical inputs required to confirm the root cause of the misconfiguration issues and therefore no definitive findings had yet been made.

While many across the country may be eager to finally wipe their counselling status, the NCR said it was not a done deal until certain criteria had been met.

“It is important to note that clearing a consumer’s debt counselling status is not automatic, as certain conditions must first be met. All outstanding unsecured debt obligations — such as credit cards, personal loans, overdraft and store accounts — must be fully paid. "

"A mortgage or home loan may still be active, provided the account is up to date. Once all unsecured debts have been settled, the debt counsellor is then required to submit this Clearance Certificate to all credit bureaus so they can update their records. Upon receipt, credit bureaus must remove the debt counselling flag from the consumer’s credit profile within three to five business days. The debt counsellor must also update the consumer’s status on the Debt Help System. The debt counsellor will issue a Clearance Certificate (Form 19),” Majola said.

In a circular issued by the NCR this month, the regulator said the DHS issue “appears operationally separate from, and unrelated to, the cyber incident disclosed in November 2025,” adding that this remains subject to ongoing verification and that further updates would be communicated once the investigation progresses. It also confirmed that all system functions are currently unavailable.

A senior debt counsellor who asked to remain anonymous said the “outage” was of huge concern for the industry, affecting both practitioners and their clients.

“Once the debt review flag is removed, consumers’ credit histories are clear. They are not punished for past debt review, and they can re-enter the credit market fully.”

However, with the NCR system down, even if a clearance certificate has been issued, a consumer’s credit report may still show them as being under debt review, preventing them from accessing credit legally.

“Under normal circumstances, we can push all updates to multiple credit bureaus through the system. Right now, every change requires individual emails to each bureau, which is time-consuming and inefficient.”

A consumer who contacted the Independent on Saturday, and who also asked to remain anonymous, said she was thrilled to have completed debt review but could not qualify for a small business loan because her name had not yet been cleared from the system.