Account of activities for the period January 2006 ... · page 2 • Credit Information Ombud...
Transcript of Account of activities for the period January 2006 ... · page 2 • Credit Information Ombud...
page 2 • Credit Information Ombud Account of Activities 2006 • page 3
CONTENTS
Message of the Chairperson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Report of the Ombud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
National Credit Act. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Financial Services Ombud Scheme Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Financial Ombud Scheme Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Ombudsman Association of South Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Consumer Awareness and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Lungisa Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Stakeholders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
OUR MISSION
Th e Credit Information Ombud will:
• Eff ectively resolve disputes between members of the credit information
industry (credit grantors and credit bureaux) and credit receivers (con-
sumers & businesses).
• Act as an educator of the public in matters pertaining to the credit infor-
mation industry.
• Act honestly, independently and fairly; balancing the rights of both con-
sumers and credit grantors.
All matters will be treated in confi dence.
OUR VALUES
Th e values of the Credit Information Ombud are not negotiable and cannot
be diminished in any way.
• Fair: We will act in the best interests of all parties, taking both sides into
consideration and considering the merits of each case carefully.
• Independent: We will not take sides and will remain impartial at all
times. No individual or organisation will be in a position to unduly
infl uence us.
• Honest: We will openly deal with any issue put before us, asking the
relevant questions and communicating clearly and transparently.
• Confi dential: Everything that we do will be kept in the strictest confi -
dence and will not be disclosed to another party without permission.Th e Baobab,
Kremetart or Adansonia
Digitata, is one of the best known and
longest living trees of Africa.
Some trees are estimated to be about
3 000 years old. Th e trees are fi re and
termite resistant and much liked by
elephants that eat the spongy tissues of the
bole and can damage or destroy trees. Th e
seeds are eaten by baboons and monkeys
and used by humans. Th e bare branches
resembling roots gave rise to an African
folk tale about the tree being planted
upside down by God. Th e largest tree
in the country is a Baobab, at Sagole in
the Limpopo Province, of 22 m high, a
massive trunk diameter of 10,4 m and
a crown diameter of 38,2 m.
Traditionally the tree has
provided food, shelter, clothing
and medicine as well as material
for hunting and fi shing.
MESSAGE OF THE CHAIRPERSON
Th e past year has been one of consolidation and extending
footprint. Full accreditation and recognition was granted
to the Offi ce of the Credit Information Ombud by the Fi-
nancial Services Ombuds Schemes Council.
Th e offi ce played a vital role in shaping the fi nal draft of the
Regulations in terms of the National Credit Act relating to
the removal of consumer credit information. Th e Regula-
tions, having been passed and in force, means that the of-
fi ce will act as a watchdog in ensuring that the legislation is
complied with.
Th e council and the various stakeholders continue to give their full support to the of-
fi ce. Being able to tap into council members’ knowledge, insight and wisdom is invaluable.
For this, a hearty thanks to all council members, as the organisation can only grow from
strength to strength with their support.
A special word of thanks to the Ombud and his staff for the sterling work they perform.
Th eir dedication, commitment and loyalty are much appreciated.
It is with sadness that I report that during the month of May 2007 and before going to
print, a valuable council member, Kathleen Madlala (fondly known to us as Pinky) passed
away. Pinky was from the Legal Resources Centre, representing the community constitu-
ency on the council. She was also a member of the National Consumer Tribunal. Her insight
and contribution will surely be missed. Hamba Kahle comrade. May you rest in peace.
Nicky Lala-Mohan
Chairperson
REPORT OF THE OMBUD
Th e Credit Information Ombud’s offi ce is entering its fourth
year of serving and improving the lives of the people in
South Africa by restoring their creditworthiness. Th e past
three years have been a wonderful and rewarding journey
which we share with you through this report of activities
for 2006. Our vision for the future is to keep growing, nur-
turing and providing shade and shelter for those who need
our services. We want to be the trusted haven for consum-
ers and businesses with credit information complaints; this
is also in line with the theme for our annual report.
National Credit Act
Th e past year the credit industry saw the introduction of the National Credit Act, 2005
(NCA) in June, with the credit bureaux regulations that followed in September 2006. Th e
NCA requirements included credit bureaux registration with the National Credit Regulator,
taking responsibility for data accuracy and specifying the sources of credit information, the
purposes and parties who may receive credit information. Th e NCA further requires that
subscribers of credit bureaux must notify consumers before adversely listing a consumer
on the credit bureau. Consumers will have free access to their credit reports and the act
provides specifi cs when consumers dispute the information on their credit profi le. Th e NCA
further dictates the retention period of credit information on credit bureaux and introduced
a once-off data cleansing process which will become eff ective in June 2007, when the fi nal
section of the NCA will be implemented.
Th e NCA had a signifi cant impact on the credit information industry as, for the fi rst
time, credit information will be regulated by statute. Although I believe that the credit in-
formation industry has managed the industry responsibly in the past, the NCA will create
added pressures on credit bureaux and the users of credit information (credit providers,
debt recovery agents, etc.) to ensure that credit information is managed as a dedicated prior-
ity. Th is will result in better quality data on the credit bureaux, which will ultimately benefi t
credit providers by making correct risk management decisions and consumers in receiving
the credit they deserve.
Th e Credit Information Ombud’s offi ce was recognized by the National Credit Regulator
as an Ombud with jurisdiction to resolve disputes arising from credit information.
Financial Services Ombud Scheme Act
Th e Financial Services Ombud Scheme Act 2004 (FSOS) was promulgated in April 2004,
and the regulations of the Act were published in August 2006. Th e act required the Credit
Information Ombud’s (CIO) offi ce to register with the FSOS council.
Th e offi ce submitted a comprehensive application to the FSOS council, which was fol-
lowed by a presentation by the Chairperson of the CIO Council and the Ombud.
page 4 • Credit Information Ombud Account of Activities 2006 • page 5
Manie van Schalkwyk
Credit Information Ombud
Nicky Lala-Mohan
Chairperson
Th e Quiver,
Aloe Dichotoma,
is probably the best known aloe
found in South Africa and Namibia. Th is
distinctive tree aloe has smooth branches,
which are covered with a thin layer of
whitish powder that helps to refl ect away the
hot sun’s rays. Th e bark on the trunk forms
beautiful golden brown scales, but beware,
the edges of these scales are razor sharp. Th e
young fl ower buds can be eaten and have a
similar appearance and taste to asparagus.
Sugar birds are drawn to these fl owers in
winter where they feed on the nectar
produced by the fl owers. Aloe Dichotoma
is an extremely tough tree that may reach
an age of over 80 years and a height of
approximately 7 metres. A common
phenomenon in the branches of these
trees is the huge communal nest of
weavers that live and breed by the
thousands. Here their young and
unborn are safe from predators
such as snakes and jackals.
page 6 • Credit Information Ombud Account of Activities 2006 • page 7
Consumer Awareness and Education
Th e offi ce of the CIO is committed to consumer awareness and education in terms of credit
information and again this year we had wonderful success by mainly using the media to
carry our message to the public.
Th e Ombud was involved in several TV interviews, many radio interviews and used the
press to communicate educational articles in newspapers and magazines.
Th e offi ce produces press releases which include educational articles and distributes
these to the media. We then rely on the media to fi nd these press releases newsworthy and
publish or broadcast the information. We measure our activity in the media by “Equivalent
Advertising Value - EAV”, a term used in the industry to calculate the equivalent value of
an article if the CIO had to pay for advertising. Th e Credit Information Ombud’s EAV in-
creased by more than 13% from 2005 to 2006 and amounted to more than R2,8 million. Th is
adds up to a total of more than R11 million in EAV since inception of the offi ce.
Our media involvement also plays a vital role in terms of creating awareness of the of-
fi ce among consumers. Th e CIO commissioned an independent research house to conduct
research in terms of the level of awareness among consumers of the CIO compared to other
Financial Ombud Schemes. Th ese schemes included the Ombudsman for Banking Services,
the Long Term Insurance Ombud, the Short Term Insurance Ombud, the Pension Funds
Adjudicator and the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Ombud.
Th e Credit Information Ombud achieved the second highest awareness level among
consumers, despite the fact that the offi ce had been operating for the least number of years
compared to the other Ombud Schemes.
Th e CIO plays an active role with various Consumer Aff airs Departments, which in turn
include NGOs and other relevant Community leaders and Consumer Bodies in terms of
consumer education.
Th e following areas were covered in the application: Composition of the CIO Council, the
appointment of the Ombud, the constitution and terms of reference, staff qualifi cations and
composition, fi nancing of the offi ce and the budget, the process for complainants, consumer
education and outreach as well as statistics of the offi ce since inception. Th e CIO’s applica-
tion was successful and we received a certifi cate of recognition from the FSOS council.
Financial Ombud Scheme Initiative
Th e Credit Information Ombud, together with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and
the Long Term Insurance Ombud started an initiative to make it easier for consumers to
reach the relevant Ombud’s offi ce.
Th ere is confusion among consumers as to which specifi c Ombud offi ce to contact when
wanting to complain. To minimize the confusion, a common telephone number was intro-
duced for all three offi ces. Th e telephone number will be personally manned by operators
and will act as a switchboard to re-route complaints to the correct offi ce.
Th is initiative was successfully introduced in Australia, where all the Financial Ombuds-
men take part in the initiative and the full impact in South Africa will only be realised when
all Financial Ombudsmen, statutory or voluntary, will share in this initiative. I urge all the
Financial Ombudsmen to realise the benefi ts of this initiative for consumers, and that is to
make it easier to contact the correct Ombud’s offi ce when lodging a complaint. Th is initiative
will be launched in 2007 with an easy-to-remember telephone number:
0860 OMBUDS / 0860 662837.
Ombudsman Association of South Africa
Th e CIO has worked actively with other Ombud Schemes to establish the Ombudsman As-
sociation of South Africa. Th e objective of this Association will include: to act as a formal
body representing and promoting the interest of Ombudsmen and to introduce minimum
standards of practice for Ombudsmen.
Th is will ensure that an Ombud Scheme which is a member of the Ombudsman As-
sociation of South Africa will adopt the essential elements of an Ombud Scheme, namely
Independence, Eff ectiveness, Procedural Fairness, Impartiality in conducting inquiries and
investigations as well as Confi dentiality. Th e establishment of this association will be in line
with international practice and will follow the examples of the International Ombudsman
Association, Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association and the British and
Irish Ombudsman Association.
Th e Association will be launching early 2007 and interested parties are: Th e Press Om-
budsman, Dental Ombudsman, Motor Ombudsman, Long Term Insurance Ombudsman,
Short Term Insurance Ombudsman, Ombudsman for Banking Services and Credit Infor-
mation Ombud.
page 8 • Credit Information Ombud
Lungisa Awards
Th e word Lungisa means “fi x it” or “correct it” in IsiXhosa, IsiZulu and SiSwati. Th e Credit
Information Ombud has launched the Lungisa Credit Information Awards to encourage
business to seriously engage in dispute resolution in terms of credit information, as well as
encourage business to make consumers aware of the existence of the CIO.
Against the backdrop of the National Credit Act it is becoming more relevant for busi-
ness to implement eff ective dispute resolution processes and procedures to manage disputes
in terms of credit information. Th is will not only ensure that businesses comply with legisla-
tive requirements, but will reinforce their relationships with their customers. Consumer
bodies, businesses, credit bureaux and the National Credit Regulator have welcomed this
initiative and pledged their full support.
Th e Lungisa Awards comprise three awards:
• Best Credit Information User (Credit providers, Debt recovery agents, etc.)
• Best Credit Bureau
• Best Consumer Journalist supporting the CIO
Th e CIO Council has agreed on the criteria for each category, which mainly focus on infra-
structure and process in terms of in-house dispute resolution. An independent party has
been appointed that will act as a judge and will appoint the winners in each category.
Home
Th e CIO has moved into its own offi ces aft er sharing offi ces with the Ombudsman for Bank-
ing Services for two years and we would like to thank them for their hospitality in hosting
us for this period.
Th e offi ce move came at some capital expense, but now the offi ce functions totally inde-
pendently in Randburg and provides us with the necessary infrastructure to grow into the
future and build capacity.
We increased our staff complement to eight full-time staff members. In the process we
decided to bring the Public Relations function as well as the Call Centre in-house. Having
these functions in-house does not only assist in building capacity for the offi ce, but creates
an opportunity to transfer skills to existing employees.
I would like to thank the Council of the CIO and the employees for their dedication,
hard work and positive attitude during the past year to ensure that the CIO serves our com-
plainants eff ectively and to impart our knowledge to consumers to assist them in managing
their credit profi les more eff ectively.
Manie van Schalkwyk
OMBUD
Account of Activities 2006 • page 9
STAKEHOLDERS
Th e offi ce of the Credit Information Ombud is an independent and impartial body that
reports to the CIO Council and not to the Credit industry. Th e Council consists of four
constituencies: Consumer Bodies, Credit Granting industry, Credit Bureau industry and
Business Representatives on the Council:
Consumer Journalist
Isabel Jones
Transparency South Africa
Hassen Lorgat
Consumer Credit Association (CCA)
Albert Elliot
Micro Finance South Africa (MFSA)
Dave de Beer
Th e Banking Association
Nicky Lala-Mohan
Transunion
Elize Adams
Experian
Herb Schröder
Credit Bureau Association (CBA)
Ashina Singh
National African Chamber
of Commerce (NAFCOC)
Buhle Mthethwa
South African Chamber of
Commerce (SACOB)
Bill Lacey
Afrikaanse Handelsinstituut (AHI)
Tjaart van der Walt
Credit Granting Industry
Credit Bureau Industry
Business
Consumer Bodies
Legal Resource Centre (LRC)
Kathleen Madlala (In fond memory.)
General enquiries logged at the CIO (Fig. C)
2005 2006 (TOTAL: 4 761)
Cases opened by CIO (Fig. D)
2005 2006 (TOTAL: 1 320)
STATISTICS
Disputes recorded by Credit Bureaux (Fig. A)
2005 2006 (TOTAL: 41 974)
Telephone calls received by CIO call centre (Fig. B)
2005 2006 (TOTAL: 14 102)
Fig.A: As the fi rst step in the CIO
process, credit receivers need to
contact a credit bureau and make
them aware of the dispute. A total of
41 974 disputes were recorded by the
credit bureaux for the period January
2006 to December 2006.
Th is is an average of 3 498 dis-
putes per month.
Th is fi gure has increased by 68%
since 2005. Th is was not because of
more problems but due to increased
public awareness of the CIO offi ce
and the awareness created by the
National Credit Act’s Credit Bureau
Regulations, which were implement-
ed in September 2006.
Th e credit bureaux resolved
96,8% of the complaints and the
balance was escalated to this offi ce.
Fig. B: Th e CIO contact centre assists
credit receivers in taking down their
complaints telephonically and to
explain the CIO dispute resolution
process to the public if they do not
have a valid reference number from
credit bureaux or to address general
inquiries that consumers may have
in terms of the credit information
industry.
A total number of 14 102
telephone calls were recorded by
the CIO Call Centre for the period
January 2006 to December 2006.
Th is is an average of 1 175 tele-
phone calls per month.
Th is fi gure increased from 11 768
in 2005, thus an increase of 20%.
Th ere is a defi nite increase in
telephone calls received by the Call
Centre aft er September 2006 as a
result of increased awareness of
consumers by the implementation of
the National Credit Act’s Regulations
for credit bureaux.
page 10 • Credit Information Ombud Account of Activities 2006 • page 11
7 000
6 000
5 000
4 000
3 000
2 000
1 000
0Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2 23
9 2 55
6
2 56
6
2 62
2
2 86
2
2 88
7
2 92
1
2 07
9
4 15
9
4 93
0
6 25
1
1 10
1
2 34
8
1 61
5 1 98
8
2 15
5
1 85
4 2 11
4
2 39
0
2 48
9
2 27
2
2 63
8
1 96
3
5 90
2
2 500
2 000
1 500
1 000
500
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1 01
5
982
1 10
0
860
1 34
6
1 15
3
1 18
0
859
2 02
9
1 40
9
1 38
4
657
626
785
826 90
6 1 04
7
1 17
3
1 23
6
1 26
3
1 36
0
1 21
3
676 78
5
Fig. C: Th e CIO receives general
enquiries from the public in the form
of letters, faxes and e-mails. Th ese
general enquiries vary in the type of
information that consumers need
clarifi cation on, and the volume of
general enquiries relate directly with
media exposure of the CIO.
A total number of 4 761 general
enquiries were recorded for the period
January 2006 to December 2006.
Th is is an average of 397 general
enquiries per month. Th is fi gure in-
creased from 2 783 in 2005, thus an
increase of 71%.
Fig. D: A total number of 1 320 cases
were opened by the CIO offi ce for the
period January 2006 to December
2006. Th is is an average of 110 cases
per month. Th is fi gure decreased from
1 473 in 2005, thus a decrease of 10%.
With increases of 13% in media
activity, 68% in the number of disputes
lodged with credit bureaux, 20% in the
number of calls to the Call Centre and
71% in the number of general enqui-
ries, it would be reasonable to expect
the number of complaints to increase.
Th is was not the case and we can con-
tribute the decrease in the number of
complaints opened by the CIO directly
to an increase in effi ciency by the
credit bureaux to resolve the disputes
in the fi rst step of the process.
In 2005 the credit bureaux resolved
94,5% of all complaints lodged and
this increased in 2006 to 96,8%.
600
500
400
300
200
100
0Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
280
440
418
420
441
426
429
529
315
352
186
216
141
95
189
223
367
112
82
378
374
420
396
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
117
102
133
103
99 100
99
128
137
134
118
93
76
99
103
127
127
137
149
168
149
132
113
63
315
Percentage resolved cases closed by Jurisdiction (Fig. E)
2006 (Figures in bold represent 2006 – Figures in brackets represent 2005)
Categories of Jurisdiction
A Inaccurate or incorrect default credit information is listed on the credit receiver’s
credit profi le – 6%.
B Insuffi cient or incomplete credit information is listed on the credit receiver’s credit
profi le – 1%.
C Th e negative credit information listed on a credit receiver’s credit profi le is displayed
on a credit bureau for a longer period that is dictated by the Credit Information Code
of Conduct – 3%.
D Th e subscriber to the credit bureaux supplied inaccurate information to the Credit
Bureau – 20%.
E Th e subscriber to the credit bureaux did not inform the consumer that they would be
listing him/her adversely on the credit bureaux – 0%.
F Th e consumer defaulted on the debt through no fault of his/her own, and has subse-
quently rehabilitated him/herself; this is typically where a consumer has defaulted as a
result of retrenchment or any circumstances that the person could not control – 0%.
G Th e debt has prescribed – 5%.
H Th e credit receiver has been listed more than once in terms of the same debt – 1%.
I Th ese cases fall outside the jurisdiction of the CIO offi ce – 6%.
J In these cases the CIO offi ce has not ruled in favour of a complainant – 41%.
K Th e complainant has withdrawn the case. Th is usually happens if complainants fail to
respond to requests for information or a respondent’s version of the case. Complain-
ants receive numerous requests from the CIO offi ce to respond before we assume that
a complainant does not want to proceed with the case – 14%.
L A credit receiver has been listed on a credit bureau due to a fraudulent transaction – 2%.
M A credit receiver has been listed on a credit bureau due to a service related dispute
with a credit grantor and the dispute has been resolved between the parties – 1%.
Fig. E: What is clear from the sta-
tistics is that there was a decline in
outdated information (C), duplicate
listings (H) and where consumers
have withdrawn their complaints.
Alarming is the increase
(16% - 20%) in credit grantors pro-
viding incorrect information to the
credit bureaux (D). Th is could have
signifi cant consequences for credit
grantors, taking into account the re-
quirement of the National Credit Act
for credit grantors to supply accurate
information to credit bureaux.
Th e CIO has ruled in favour of
consumers in 39% of the cases and
ruled in favour of the credit industry
in 41% of the cases. Th e balance
of the cases either fell outside the
jurisdiction of the CIO offi ce or the
complainants have withdrawn their
cases. Taking all valid cases into
account, the CIO ruled in favour
of industry in 51% and in favour of
consumers in 49% of the cases.
page 12 • Credit Information Ombud
Manner of Finalisation by the CIO (Fig. F)
2006 (Figures in bold represent 2006 – Figures in brackets represent 2005)
A – Interventions B – Facilitations C – Mediation
D – Recommendations E – Rulings
Th e majority of cases (70%) are resolved through intervention from the CIO offi ce. An in-
tervention constitutes where the CIO is able to remove information from the credit bureaux
without extended deliberation with the supplier of the information or with the credit bu-
reaux.
Facilitation between the parties constitutes a summary of the complainant’s case and
the response of the credit grantor/subscriber to the credit bureaux. A credit reviewer will
provide a detailed complaint and will in turn be able to respond to the response of the credit
grantor/subscriber to the credit bureaux. Th e CIO will evaluate the facts and decide on the
validity of the negative listing on the credit bureaux. 29% of the cases were resolved through
facilitation.
Mediations are formal meetings between the complainant and representatives of the
credit grantor/subscriber of the credit bureaux, with the Ombud as the mediator. Th e Om-
bud guides the debate between the parties until an agreed outcome is reached. Th e CIO
resolved 1% of cases through mediation.
Recommendations are normally detailed reports to a credit grantor/subscriber to the
credit bureaux explaining the reasons why the information on a credit receiver’s profi le
should be removed. If a credit grantor/subscriber to credit bureaux is able to provide addi-
tional evidence to substantiate the reasons for listing the information, all new evidence will
be considered and incorporated in a ruling. No cases were resolved through recommenda-
tions.
Th e CIO resolved no cases through rulings.
All decisions of the CIO are binding on the credit bureaux and the subscribers of credit
bureaux. If subscribers of credit bureaux fail to remove information from the credit bureaux,
the CIO could instruct the credit bureaux to remove the information.
Account of Activities 2006 • page 13
A6%(4%)
I6%(7%)
J41%(38%)
K14%(17%)
B1%(1%)
C3%(7%)
D20%(16%)
E 0% (0%)F 0% (0%)
G5%(4%)
H1%(5%)
L2%(0%)
M1%(0%)
B29%(18%)
C1%(5%)
D0%(2%)
E0%(2%) A
70%(73%)
Period from opening to closure of cases (Fig. G)
2005 2006
0 - 60 61 - 120 121 - 180 181 - 270
page 14 • Credit Information Ombud
Th e Credit Information Ombud of South Africa is in its fourth year of protecting South
Africa’s public and its credit suppliers.
Like a tree, the ombud continues to grow above ground, where the growth is visible
through the work they do, and below ground, where the roots continue to spread, giving
the ombud stability and grounding in the credit community. Th e Credit Information Om-
bud was established in 2004 with the express purpose of helping credit receivers (consum-
ers and businesses) resolve disputes relating to information that is held by credit bureaux.
Th e ombud will continue to play a signifi cant role in educating the public about credit and
will continue to provide a trusted haven for consumers and businesses with credit com-
plaints.
Account of Activities 2006 • page 15
Umbrella Th orn,
Acacia Tortilis, has the classic, umbrella-
shaped canopy associated with thorn trees.
It reaches heights of between 5 m - 20 m,
with a spread of 8 m - 13 m. Many bird
species take advantage of this protection
and build their nests in the canopy.
Browsing animals eat the leaves together
with the thorns, the latter more easily
when young and soft . Th e Umbrella thorn
produces a large number of pods that
are eaten by wild and domestic animals,
and sometimes by man. Th e timber is
used for fence posts, fi rewood, furniture
and wagon wheels. Th e bark is used for
string in Tanzania, East Africa. Th e gum
is used as a poor man’s gum arabic (used
as an emulsifi er in glue, as the binder for
watercolour paints, and in incense), and is
said to be edible. Th e thorny branches are
used to erect temporary cages and pens.
Th e bark is a good source of tannin. Afri-
cans once strung the pods into necklaces
and African nomads oft en use the fl exible
roots for frameworks of their temporary
shelters.
Fig. G: Th e productivity of the CIO
increased from 2005 to 2006 by
37%. In 2006, 70% of all cases were
concluded within 60 days, compared
to 51% in 2005. No cases exceeded
180 days.
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
70%
28%
2%
51%
30%
11%
8%
0%
Credit Information Ombud
Tel: +27 011 781 6431
Fax: +27 011 388 2445
Call Centre: 0861 662 837
E-mail: [email protected]
Postnet Suite # 444
Private Bag X1
Jukskei Park
2153
1st Floor, Silver Fern Building
Fernridge Offi ce Park
5 Hunter Street
c/o Hendrik Verwoerd Drive
Ferndale
Randburg
www.creditombud.org.za