Did You Know You Can Legally Remove Old Accounts From Your Name?
Under South Africa's Prescription Act of 1969, most unsecured debts older than three years — credit cards, store accounts, personal loans, old cellphone contracts — can be extinguished if the creditor failed to take proper legal steps in time. Most people never find out.
- Check which of your old accounts qualify to be wiped
- Old listings removed from your credit profile
- No repayments, no monthly fees, no debt review
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
The Honest Truth
Old Debt Doesn't Live Forever — But Most People Are Never Told When It's Already Dead.
Section 11(d) of the Prescription Act, 68 of 1969, is one of the most powerful — and least understood — pieces of consumer law in South Africa. It says that most unsecured debts prescribe (legally die) after three years if the creditor has not taken correct legal steps to keep them alive. Yet thousands of prescribed debts are still being collected on every day.
- An old store account from years ago is still sitting on your bureau, killing every credit application you make.
- A personal loan you stopped paying long ago suddenly reappears — a new collector says you owe double what you originally borrowed.
- Cellphone contracts and gym memberships from a previous chapter of your life are still listed against your name.
- You have been told for years that the only way out is to 'pay it off' — when the law has actually already extinguished the debt.
The good news: if a debt has prescribed, it is gone — and any related credit-bureau listing can be challenged and removed. The free assessment shows you which of your accounts qualify.
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
About Clear Mi Debt
A Specialist Practice Built On One Idea: Prove The Debt Or Remove It.
Clear Mi Debt was founded around a simple observation: most South Africans being chased for "old" accounts no longer legally owe them. The Prescription Act, the National Credit Act and the Credit Bureau Code already give consumers powerful protections — they're just rarely used.
Every Clear Mi Debt file starts with a detailed credit-profile audit. Every listed account is checked against the three-year prescription period, against acknowledgement-of-debt records, and against the documentation a creditor or collector must lawfully produce on demand.
When an account fails any of these tests, a formal challenge is lodged with the bureau and the alleged creditor. If they cannot prove the debt is still enforceable, the listing comes off — and the collection calls stop with it.
How It Works
Five Steps From Old Listings To A Cleared Profile.
Free 60-Second Assessment
Tell us roughly how old your accounts are and what kind of debts they were. You'll get an instant indication of whether any of them are likely to have prescribed.
Full Credit Profile Audit
We pull your credit report and check every listed account against the three-year prescription rule, acknowledgement records and required collector documentation.
Formal Challenge Lodged
For every account that fails the legal tests, a written challenge is sent to the credit bureau and the alleged creditor demanding proof of an enforceable debt.
Listings Removed From Bureau
If the creditor cannot lawfully prove the debt is still alive, the bureau is obliged to remove the listing — usually within 20 business days.
Cleaner Profile, Free Future
You walk away with a lighter credit profile, no further collection contact on the removed accounts, and a clear written record of what was done and why.
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
Verified Reviews
Real South Africans Whose Old Accounts Were Legally Removed.
"I had three store accounts and a personal loan from 2017 still sitting on my bureau, all over R80,000 combined. Every one of them was prescribed. Clear Mi Debt had them removed inside a month — I bought my first car on finance two months later."
"A collection agency had been phoning me for six years about an old African Bank loan. One letter from Clear Mi Debt and the calls stopped, the listing came off the bureau, and I never heard from them again."
"My husband and I both had old retail accounts from before we were married. Five accounts between us — all gone. Our home-loan application went through the second time we applied."
"I phoned two other companies first. They both wanted me to 'settle' an account that the law had already extinguished. Clear Mi Debt was the first to actually check the prescription dates before quoting me anything."
"Seven old listings. Two cellphone contracts, a gym membership, three store cards and a Wesbank account from 2015. Every single one removed within 23 days. I cried when I saw my clean report."
"I thought I'd be stuck with a 2014 personal loan on my name forever. Turns out it had prescribed years ago and nobody had ever told me. Removed in three weeks."
"I had stopped opening collection letters years ago. Clear Mi Debt audited every listing on my profile and identified four that no longer legally existed. All four came off."
"Professional, straightforward and they did exactly what they promised. My credit score jumped 138 points after the old accounts were removed."
"Truworths, Edgars, Mr Price and an old Capitec loan — all from 2016 and 2017, all prescribed, all removed. I never had to pay a cent of those amounts."
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
Why Clear Mi Debt
Clear Mi Debt vs. Paying The Collector vs. Doing Nothing.
| What matters | Clear Mi Debt | Paying The Collector | Doing Nothing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free upfront assessment | Yes — before any commitment | Charged consultation fee | No assessment |
| Prescription check on every listing | Done on day one | Rarely performed | Never done |
| Monthly repayments required | None — old debt is removed, not paid | Yes — restructured monthly plan | Yes — paying debt you may not owe |
| Effect on credit profile | Listings removed, profile cleared | Flagged under debt review for years | Defaults remain |
| Process length | Most listings removed in 3 weeks | 36–60 months | Indefinite |
| Collector calls on cleared accounts | Stop once listing is removed | Routed via counsellor for years | Continue indefinitely |
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
You Are In The Right Place If…
Four Signs Your Old Accounts Are Likely To Qualify For Removal.
You have accounts that are more than 3 years old.
Section 11(d) of the Prescription Act extinguishes most unsecured debts (credit cards, store cards, personal loans, cellphone contracts, gym fees) three years after they last became due — unless the creditor took proper legal steps. Old age is the single biggest qualifier.
Old listings are blocking new credit applications.
A single prescribed account on your bureau can stop a home loan, a vehicle finance application or even a phone contract. Removing it lifts that block without you paying a cent of the alleged amount.
You're being chased for a debt you barely remember.
When a collection agency buys old debt in bulk, they often have no proof the debt is still legally enforceable. A formal Prescription Act challenge forces them to either prove it or leave you alone.
You never made a written payment or acknowledgement in the last 3 years.
Prescription is interrupted by a written acknowledgement of debt or by formal legal action. If neither happened in the last three years, the debt almost certainly qualifies to be removed.
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
Every Conversation With A Collector Can Reset The Clock On Your Debt.
This is not a sales tactic — it is the legal reality of how prescription works.
- A written acknowledgement of an old debt — even a small payment or a signed payment arrangement — interrupts prescription and restarts the three-year clock.
- Collection agencies are trained to extract that acknowledgement first, before mentioning a settlement amount.
- Once prescription has been restarted, the debt is fully enforceable again — and a fresh listing can be added to your bureau.
- Acting before you sign or pay anything is the difference between removing an old debt and breathing new life into it.
A free 60-second assessment doesn't commit you to anything — it just tells you whether your accounts already qualify for removal.
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
Our Guarantee
Three Commitments We Make Before You Commit To Anything.
Audit first, action second.
We never lodge a challenge without first auditing every listed account against the Prescription Act and Credit Bureau Code. If an account doesn't qualify, you'll be told so on day one.
One specialist, named, end to end.
From your free assessment to the moment a listing is removed, you deal with one specialist — not a rotating call centre.
An honest answer, even if it is no.
If old-debt removal is not the right tool for your situation, we will say so up front and point you to what might actually help.
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
You Do Not Have To Decide Anything Today.
You just have to find out which of your old accounts can be legally removed. One free 60-second assessment. No documents. No credit check. No obligation.
Free · No obligation · Takes 60 seconds