How To South Africa exists to give South Africans accurate, practical answers. This page explains how we keep that promise — how we verify facts, when we update, how we make money, and what to do if we get something wrong.
Who we are (and who we are not)
How To South Africa (howtosouthafrica.co.za) is an independent publisher of practical guides and tools, operated by Louw van Riet in Paarl, Western Cape.
We are not affiliated with any government department or agency — not SASSA, SARS, UIF, the Department of Home Affairs, NSFAS, the Department of Employment and Labour, or any other. We cannot check your status, process your application, or influence any official decision. Our guides show you how to use the official channels yourself.
We are also not a financial services provider, law firm, recruitment agency or debt counsellor. Our content is educational. For advice on your specific situation, consult the relevant registered professional.
How we verify facts
Grant amounts, tax tables, deadlines, fees and portals change constantly in South Africa — often yearly, sometimes monthly. Publishing stale figures costs readers real money, so verification is our core discipline:
- Official sources first. Amounts, dates, procedures and contact details are checked against official channels (government gazettes, department websites and portals, SARS, official announcements) before publishing. Where reputable secondary sources are used, we cross-check.
- We say so when we can’t verify. If a figure can’t be confirmed from an official source — or official sources conflict — we say that plainly and point you to the authoritative channel rather than guessing.
- “Last verified” dates on every guide. Every fact-sensitive article shows the date its facts were last checked. If that date looks old for a fast-moving topic, treat the specifics with caution and check the official source — then report it to us so we fix it.
Our update schedule
- Government services guides: fact-checked monthly; grant amounts and thresholds re-verified at every Budget Speech and official announcement
- Money guides: tax tables, limits and fees re-verified annually at tax-year changes and whenever providers announce changes
- Careers guides: wage laws, programmes and platforms re-verified at least annually, and whenever legislation changes
- Time-sensitive pages (payment dates, deadlines): updated on their stated cycle, with the cycle noted on the page
How we make money
We’re transparent about this because trust is the entire product:
- Digital toolkits. Each topic hub sells one comprehensive toolkit at R99 — spreadsheets, templates, letters and checklists that extend our free guides. Free downloads in every article are genuinely useful on their own; the paid version is the complete system.
- Affiliate links, disclosed. Some articles (for example, product comparisons) contain affiliate links — if you sign up through them, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Affiliate relationships never determine our verdicts: we recommend what we’d tell a friend to use, and we disclose affiliate content on the page where it appears.
- What we don’t do: we don’t sell your data, we don’t run betting or gambling content regardless of how profitable that niche is, we don’t publish sponsored content disguised as advice, and we never charge for information about accessing government services — that information is free here and everywhere legitimate.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we fix it fast and visibly. Every article has a “Report an error” link. Verified corrections are made promptly; material corrections are noted on the page.
Your part
Our guides describe official processes accurately as at their verification date — but departments change things without notice. Always treat the official source as final, and treat anyone who contacts you claiming to be us and asking for money or personal details as a scammer: we will never ask for your ID number, banking details, or any payment to “help” with a government service.
Last updated: 30 August 2026