Personal loan guides for South Africa

Straight answers on personal loans in South Africa: bad credit, no payslip, debt consolidation, payout times and the documents you need to apply.

• Can you get a loan if you are blacklisted in South Africa? — There is no official blacklist. What lenders actually look at, and where you still stand a chance.
• Personal loans with bad credit in South Africa — What lenders weigh besides your bureau score, and how to apply without making the record worse.
• Debt consolidation loans in South Africa — One instalment instead of five. When the maths works, when it does not, and how it differs from debt review.
• How long does a personal loan take to pay out in South Africa? — Assessment, agreement, interbank clearing — where the hours actually go, and what delays a payout.
• Can you get a personal loan without a payslip? — Self-employed, commission or cash-paid? How to prove income when a payslip does not exist.
• What documents do you need for a personal loan? — What to have ready before you start, and what the lender may ask for afterwards.
• How do you check if you are blacklisted in South Africa? — Where to get your free credit report, what the listings mean and how to dispute an error.
• How do you improve your credit score in South Africa? — What actually moves a South African credit score, and how long it takes to show.
• Can you get a personal loan if you are self-employed? — Proving income without a payslip, and what trips self-employed applications up.
• Can you get a loan if your income is a SASSA grant? — Where grant income stands with registered lenders, and the scams that target it.
• How do emergency loans work in South Africa? — Realistic timelines, what urgency costs you, and what to check before you borrow.