No. Under no circumstances is a debt collector allowed to threaten or harm a debtor, the property of a debtor or that of anyone related to the debtor.
If we tell you that legal action will be taken this is not regarded as a threat as we intend to do so and we will do so. This, however, should not be confused with court procedures where warrants of execution on property are executed by the sheriff of the court.
Debt collectors are bound by a strict Code of Conduct enacted under section 14 of the Debt Collectors Act, 114 of 1998. The Code states that a debt collector will not humiliate or use abusive, obscene, or defamatory language towards a debtor or his or her relatives during any form of communication whether orally or in writing. A debt collector will further not intimidate or induce a debtor to pay.