"I missed a few Edgars payments in 2023, I think I'm blacklisted, I earn R11,000 a month — can I still get a loan?" People ask this in exactly those words. The word "blacklisted" hides three very different situations, and only one of them is a definite no.
Three things people call "blacklisted"
- A court judgement, an administration order, or a sequestration notice. These are hard stops. Ndzinga's decision engine declines automatically before affordability is even calculated.
- Adverse listings — accounts in arrears, handed over, or written off. These are weighed, not automatically fatal. Whether they block depends on our current credit policy setting and on the rest of your record.
- A low score, or no score at all. A record too thin to score is declined. A low score is declined below our minimum, which is a configured threshold, not a public number, because it moves with the bureau's calibration.
What is weighed after the record
If nothing on the record is a hard stop, the decision comes down to affordability: your verified income minus your living expenses minus your existing repayments. Ndzinga treats 70% of what is left as the most you can commit to a new instalment. For someone earning R11,000 with R7,000 of expenses and R1,500 of existing repayments, that is R2,500 left and a ceiling of R1,750 a month — which sizes the loan, not the arrears from two years ago.
Before you apply
- Get your free annual credit report from each bureau (you are entitled to one under NCA s.72) and read it for judgements and notices.
- If a paid-up account still shows as in arrears, dispute it with the bureau — they must investigate within 20 business days.
- Have three months of bank statements and a recent payslip ready. Verified income is what the assessment runs on.
See what your record and income would support
The pre-check runs the same affordability arithmetic we use internally. It is indicative until a formal assessment is done.
Legal references
- National Credit Act 34 of 2005, section 81: Prevention of reckless credit — an affordability assessment is required before credit is granted.
- National Credit Act 34 of 2005, section 72: Your right to access and challenge information held by a credit bureau.
Thinking about credit?
Start with the facts. Check your eligibility and estimate repayments before you apply — no obligation.
This article is general financial education, not personal financial or legal advice. Credit approval remains subject to affordability assessment, verification, and the applicable Ndzinga Capital credit policy.