There is currently some R89bn swilling around in the financial services sector that is unclaimed.

Listen to this article 6 min Listen to this article 6 min Listening to the radio in the car can sometimes be most informative. Clarence Ford of Cape Talk radio interviewed Erica Liebenberg of Just Money on Tuesday, 25 March 2025; the entire interview lasted just over eight minutes and is available as a podcast.

It emerged during the interview that there is currently a pool, or more accurately pools, aggregating some R89-billion swilling around in the financial services sector that is unclaimed by those who are entitled to claim their share of it, but don't.

Often this is because beneficiaries are long dead, unaware of the entitlements. Some are too disengaged with their finances to care or to look up whether they are entitled to any part of this treasure trove. Most helpfully, Liebenberg dispensed advice on tracing unclaimed benefits in various ways, using different means.

Based on the track record of these unclaimed pensions, provident funds, insurance benefits, UIF entitlements, dividends, dormant bank account balances and the like, it is possible to actuarially calculate how much is likely to be claimed in the foreseeable future. It is a small fraction of the total, which has grown exponentially...