A 36-year-old mother of two girls, living in Johannesburg's northern suburbs, found herself in financial trouble after her divorce.

Although the woman kept the family home, she had to pay all the monthly bills. Besides the cost of maintaining her home and children, she had to repay debt incurred during her marriage.

The drama began when her car broke down and she had to pay R65000 to have it fixed.

She couldn't pay other bills and went to her bank for a loan to consolidate her debts. She was turned down.

As creditors began foreclosing on her and requiring her to sell belongings, the woman went to the National Credit Regulator and was referred to a debt counsellor.

She owed R860000 on her house, R129000 on her car, and R144000 on other debts. All the repayments combined would have cost her R18407 a month, which she couldn't afford.

But the debt counsellor arranged for an alternative payment plan which cost her R10000 a month, which was what she could afford.