Johannesburg – The National Consumer Tribunal (NCT) has cancelled the registration of Big 5 Finance (Pty) Ltd with immediate effect and imposed an administrative fine of R300 000 payable within 15 business days from the ruling.
The move came after Big 5, which operates in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, was probed by the National Credit Regulator (NCR) and found to be in breach of the National Credit Act (NCA).
“The NCR’s investigations into Big 5 also revealed other offences, namely granting credit to blacklisted consumers, as well as those under debt review,” said Tebogo Ntsimane, Manager Investigations and Enforcement at the NCR.
The NCT upheld the NCR’s findings and declared that the credit provider had engaged in prohibited conduct and committed violations of the NCA.
As part of the ruling, Big 5 must appoint an independent audit firm within 90 days to identify and refund overcharged consumers.
NCT announced on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, that it cancelled the registration of Big 5 with immediate effect and imposed an administrative fine of R300 000 payable within 15 business days of the issue of the ruling.
This ruling reinforces that superficial compliance with the NCA by credit providers, achieved merely by registering with the NCR while failing to comply with the substantive requirements of legislation, will not be tolerated.
“The ruling in the Big 5 case sends a clear and unequivocal message to all credit providers that non-compliance with the NCA will be met with decisive regulatory and judicial action,” stated Ntsimane.
“Any credit provider engaging in similar unlawful conduct can expect to face the full might of the prescribed by law, which includes enforcement action, the cancellation of its registration where warranted, and the imposition of appropriate administrative fines and other legal sanctions the NCT may impose.”
