A woman has been saved from a suicide attempt after a loan shark demanded a R100,000 interest for a R20,000 loan.
The woman from Phoenix, KwaZulu-Natal, had recently attempted to kill herself twice before she was saved by Reaction Unit South Africa Rusa from jumping off a bridge on Monday.
Rusa received several calls from friends and family of the victim. According to the family, the loan shark had lent her the cash and changed the interest rates from 50 to 400 when the debt was almost settled. The lender then threatened to send a group of men to repossess her car if the monies were not paid, said Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram.
He said the woman then borrowed smaller amounts and paid them over to the loan shark, but he made further demands.
The mother of a minor daughter made calls to family earlier this week, informing them she intended to jump off a bridge, explaining that she had become overwhelmed in debt. She requested that family care for her child, said Balram.