What Debt Rescue does

Debt Rescue (legal entity: Debt Rescue Pty Ltd, Registration No. 2016/420646/07) is a South African debt counselling company headquartered in Kempton Park, Gauteng, that helps over-indebted consumers restructure their debt obligations under the National Credit Act. The firm was founded circa 2008 in the wake of the NCA's introduction of debt counselling, and is registered with the National Credit Regulator under NCRDC869. Its single core service is Debt Review: a five-step process comprising a free debt assessment, formal placement under debt review, creditor notification, construction of a single affordable consolidated monthly payment plan, and finalisation via a court order submitted by specialised attorneys — after which successful clients receive a Form 19 Debt Review Clearance Certificate.

The operating stack is light and consumer-facing. Prospective clients can self-serve via an Online Debt Calculator, submit an obligation-free Online Application/Quote, or engage via phone (086 112 3644) or WhatsApp (+27 10 288 1892). Existing clients access a third-party-provided Customer Online Portal to track repayments and communicate with their assigned relationship manager. The company claims 18+ years of operation, tens of thousands of clients served, review scores of 4.9/5 on Google (1,703 reviews), 10/10 on HelloPeter (2,359 reviews), and 4.8/5 on TrustPilot (249 reviews), plus 10,000+ media mentions. Compliance posture includes POPIA and PAIA privacy compliance with a designated Information Officer.

Debt Rescue operates a sales-led, professional-services business model. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the initial assessment is free, and recurring fees accrue over the multi-year repayment plan duration. Lead generation runs through digital marketing (website, Google Ads remarketing, social media on Facebook/LinkedIn/X/YouTube), content marketing via an active blog, a referral program, and high-volume PR-driven earned media. The go-to-market is exclusively direct-to-consumer within South Africa, with no enterprise SaaS, platform, API, or marketplace revenue stream identified. Customers are individual over-indebted consumers (B2C horizontal segment); the entities listed as partners (Standard Bank, FNB, Nedbank, Absa, Capitec, Investec, Woolworths, Telkom, MTN, Cell C, major retailers) are credit-provider counterparties in the restructuring process, not revenue customers. CEO Neil Roets leads a privately held, founder/management-owned company with no disclosed institutional investors apart from a 2017 KLEOSS Capital funding event.

Name

Debt Rescue

Legal name

Debt Rescue Pty Ltd

Website

https://debtrescue.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Debt Rescue is a South African, NCR-registered debt counselling company that helps over-indebted consumers restructure their debts under the National Credit Act. It provides debt review services, creditor negotiation, and a customer portal to individuals across South Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Debt Counselling Services

NAICS

Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223), Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222)

SIC

Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)

akta.pro primary industry

Collections & Creditor Negotiation Support (Debtor-Side) (FSAEAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Multi-Loan / Multi-Creditor Consolidation Loans (FSAKAIAD)

Keywords

• Debt counselling services
• Debt review services
• Consumer debt management
• Credit counselling
• Debt restructuring

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Debt Counselling / Debt Review Services: Debt Rescue provides debt counselling services to over-indebted consumers. The company helps clients restructure their debts through the legally regulated debt review process under the National Credit Act. Services include debt assessment, creation of repayment plans, creditor negotiations, and ongoing support through dedicated relationship managers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Debt Rescue provides regulated Debt Review (Debt Counselling) services to over-indebted South African consumers under the National Credit Act. The service restructures multiple debts into a single, affordable monthly repayment, provides legal protection from creditors (including protection of home and vehicle), and culminates in a court-ordered repayment plan formalised by specialised attorneys, leading eventually to a Debt Review Clearance Certificate.

Product overview

Debt Rescue operates as a single-product debt counselling company offering one primary service — Debt Review (Debt Counselling) — under the regulatory framework of the National Credit Act in South Africa. The core service is supported by a suite of digital tools including a Debt Calculator (for self-assessment), an Online Application/Obligation-Free Quote form, and a customer-facing Online Portal for clients already under debt review. The company also provides informational content on debt consolidation loans as an alternative product offering. All offerings are delivered by a South Africa-based, NCR-registered debt counsellor with over 18 years of industry experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Debt Review (Debt Counselling) A legally regulated debt relief process under the National Credit Act (NCA) in South Africa, overseen by the National Credit Regulator (NCR). It helps over-indebted consumers restructure multiple debts into a single affordable monthly payment, provides legal protection from creditors, protects essential assets (home and vehicle), and guides clients toward becoming debt-free, culminating in a court-ordered repayment plan and ultimately a Debt Review Clearance Certificate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Debt Review Clearance Certificate (Form 19) issued upon successful completion, removing debt review status from credit profile within 21 business days
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WoolworthscoreOthersMajor South African retailer with financial services arm. Partnered as credit provider in the debt review ecosystem, accepting debt restructuring arrangements for their store accounts and financial products.
• Standard BankcoreOthersOne of South Africa's largest banks. Partnered as credit provider in the debt review ecosystem, accepting debt restructuring for their various credit products.
• First National Bank (FNB)coreOthersMajor South African bank. Partnered as credit provider in the debt review ecosystem for debt restructuring arrangements.
• NedbankcoreOthersSouth African bank. Partnered as credit provider in the debt review ecosystem for debt restructuring arrangements.
• AbsacoreOthersSouth African bank. Partnered as credit provider in the debt review ecosystem for debt restructuring arrangements.
• TelkomminorOthersSouth African telecommunications company with financial services. Partnered as credit provider for their account products in debt review arrangements.
• MTNminorOthersSouth African telecommunications company. Partnered as credit provider for their account products in debt review arrangements.
• Cell CminorOthersSouth African telecommunications company. Partnered as credit provider for their account products in debt review arrangements.
• EdgarsminorOthersMajor South African retail chain. Partnered as credit provider for their store accounts in debt review arrangements.
• Mr PriceminorOthersSouth African retail chain. Partnered as credit provider for their store accounts in debt review arrangements.
• The Foschini Group (TFG)minorOthersSouth African retail conglomerate. Partnered as credit provider for their various store brand accounts in debt review arrangements.
• AckermansminorOthersSouth African retail chain. Partnered as credit provider for their store accounts in debt review arrangements.
• Capitec BankcoreOthersSouth African retail bank. Partnered as credit provider in the debt review ecosystem for debt restructuring arrangements.
• InvestecminorOthersSouth African specialist bank and asset manager. Partnered as credit provider in the debt review ecosystem.
• National Credit Regulator (NCR)coreOthersRegulatory body overseeing debt counselling in South Africa. Debt Rescue is a registered debt counsellor (NCR reg. no. NCRDC869) operating under the regulatory framework of the NCR.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• African Bank: South African retail bank that also operates in debt consolidation and unsecured personal lending; broader institution but overlaps with Debt Rescue where it provides debt-restructuring-style solutions.
• Direct Axis: Established South African consumer lender offering personal and consolidation loans; operates in the same broad retail-credit-adjacent space as Debt Rescue and competes for the same over-leveraged customer.
• Bayport Financial Services: Large South African personal-loans and consumer-credit provider offering debt consolidation products that overlap with the consumer-distress segment Debt Rescue serves.
• Old Mutual Finance: South African personal loans, debt consolidation, and related consumer credit provider; broader incumbent that overlaps with the financial-distress segment via consolidation products.

Direct peers

• DebtBusters: One of the largest and most established NCR-registered debt counselling firms in South Africa; competes head-to-head with Debt Rescue on regulated debt review, digital lead capture, and credit-provider acceptance breadth.
• FinBonds: South African financial services group that includes debt counselling among its offerings, providing debt review services directly comparable to Debt Rescue.
• Summit Credit Solutions: NCR-registered debt counselling practice offering debt review, restructured repayment plans, and creditor negotiation — directly competing for the same over-indebted SA consumer segment.
• National Debt Advisors: Established South African debt counselling firm operating under the National Credit Act, offering the same debt review and creditor negotiation services to over-indebted consumers.
• Lighthouse Financial Solutions: South African debt counselling and debt review services provider; comparable in scope, regulatory standing, and target customer profile to Debt Rescue.
• My Budget: South African budgeting and debt management service that helps over-indebted consumers consolidate and repay debt, offering a comparable (budget-counselling-led) alternative to Debt Rescue's regulated debt review.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Debt_Rescue
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZ-yGeFQYyoeokdf-PW6HZQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/DebtRescueSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/debt-rescue-sa

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Debt Rescue