R4.5 billion in unclaimed dividends in South Africa – check if you are owed money
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has launched a tool for South Africans to check if they are owed any money for unclaimed dividends.
The stock exchange has launched its new “Claim It” campaign, urging South Africans to check of they are potential shareholders owed a portion of the R4.5 billion in unclaimed dividends.
The campaign is a collaboration between the bourse and some of the largest companies listed on the JSE.
Through the collaboration, the JSE has access to nineteen issuer share registries and will endeavour to reunite nearly 375,000 former employees, shareholders or beneficiaries of deceased estates with their unclaimed funds.
The Claim It verification process is as follows:
South Africans can visit the JSE website on www.jse.co.za/claimit and complete the online form or
Contact the JSE Claim It call centre on 0861 401 105 to find out if they are entitled to unclaimed dividends.
The documents that are required for the verification process are:
- A valid South African ID
- Current contact information, such as a cellphone and landline number as well as an email address
- Proof of address
The JSE will then verify whether the details provided correlate with those of the shareholders in the registries.
“There are various factors that contribute to people not knowing that they have unclaimed dividends owed to them.
“These include people changing jobs, moving homes to a new address or updating banking information without notifying listed companies.
“This, in turn, has made it difficult to verify beneficiaries, delaying the distribution of unclaimed funds,” the JSE said.
The nineteen listed companies that the JSE has joined forces with to reconnect South Africans with their dividends are:
- African Media Entertainment Ltd
- Finbond Group Ltd
- Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon Ltd
- YeboYethu
- Advtech Ltd
- Cashbuild Ltd
- Super Group Ltd
- Naspers Ltd
- Mpact Ltd
- JSE Ltd
- Reunert Ltd
- Merafe Resources Ltd
- Northam Platinum Holdings Ltd
- Growthpoint Properties Ltd
- Old Mutual Ltd
- Sasol Ltd
- Sasol SA Ltd / Khanyisa
- Quilter PLC
- Sasol Inzalo
For assistance and more information on how to claim your dividends, visit www.jse.co.za/claimit or contact the JSE Claim It call centre on 0861 401 105 and follow the exchange’s social media accounts on Facebook (The JSE Group) X (@JSE_Group) and LinkedIn (JSE Limited).
Unclaimed assets
Unclaimed dividends are just a small part of the nearly R90 billion of unclaimed assets in South Africa that still need to be connected to their rightful owners.
South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) noted in 2024 that upwards of R88.5 billion in assets remained unclaimed in the country.
Unclaimed assets generally refer to any asset due to a person by a financial institution that remains unpaid or unclaimed.
More specifically, it means assets the client has forgotten about or for which the client’s heirs and beneficiaries are unaware they could claim.
Funds become unclaimed when the beneficiary does not receive them within 24 months of becoming eligible to do so.
As with unclaimed dividends, there are many reasons for unclaimed assets, including poor information updates and record keeping, employer oversight, and changes in intermediaries.
For those who want to see if they are owed any money.
A good start is to visit the FSCA website and use the search tool to input basic information like your name, surname, identification number, fund name, and employer.
“If there’s a potential match, they’ll provide you with the contact details of the relevant fund or administrator. You can then contact them directly and follow their usual claims process,” it said.
Other groups, like Standard Bank’ and’s collaboration with Robin Hood, also provide tools for customers to check if they are owed anything.
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