Middle class and high income consumers are struggling to pay off their debts

Loading player...
GUEST - Jaco van Jaarsveldt, Head of Commercial Strategy and Innovation
at Experian Africa

Mid-to-high income South African households are finding it increasingly difficult to repay debt and continue
to make use of their credit cards. This is according to the Experian Consumer Default Index (CDIx) for Q4 of 2023.

The CDIx measures the rolling default behaviour of South African consumers with home loans, vehicle loans,
personal loans, credit cards and retail loan accounts. Data shows that all product-specific CDIx metrics changed for the worse year-on-year, from 3.97 to 4.68 - a change of 18%.
13 Mar 2024 4PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

National Minimum Wage increase – 01 March 2026

From 1 March 2026, South Africa’s National Minimum Wage will increase by 5%, rising from R28.79 to R30.23 per ordinary hour worked. The adjustment applies across sectors, including farm and domestic workers, pushing the minimum weekly wage for a 45-hour week to R1 360.35 and the monthly minimum to just…
23 Feb 3PM 11 min

Milk industry at significant risk

South Africa’s dairy industry is facing mounting pressure as foot and mouth disease (FMD) containment measures begin to spill over into export restrictions on dairy products that industry players insist are scientifically safe. Food producer Clover SA has warned that inconsistent and non-standardised FMD eradication measures applied across provinces are…
23 Feb 2PM 15 min

Beyond Burnout: How high achievers mistake endurance for growth

Burnout is often described as the result of taking on too much, too much work, too much responsibility, too many competing priorities. But according to Ronald from HL Consulting, that explanation misses something deeper. He joins the show to unpack why high performers are especially vulnerable to this pattern, and…
23 Feb 2PM 20 min

Budget 2026 & VAT

As South Africa prepares for Budget 2026, attention is shifting not to dramatic tax rate changes, but to the quiet mechanisms through which revenue is protected and expanded. While political resistance makes large VAT rate increases unlikely, SARS appears to be sharpening enforcement, modernising compliance systems, and strengthening audit scrutiny…
23 Feb 2PM 11 min

Budget Speech 2026: Ten Policy Issues to Watch

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana is scheduled to present the 2026 National Budget on 25 February. Market participants will be watching closely for updates on debt stabilisation, revenue and expenditure projections, and progress on ongoing structural reform initiatives. Ricardo Smith, Chief Investment Officer, Absa Investments unpacks ten policy areas that warrant…
23 Feb 2PM 14 min