Private Property and People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA) are highlighting a common trend that impacts women’s ability to be financially independent. It’s called Financial Abuse, and as Fatima Shaik, Executive Director of POWA explains, it is a pervasive yet often invisible form of gender-based violence in South Africa.
“It occurs in all communities, across all racial, cultural, and socio-economic groups—but its impact is most deeply felt among women in economically dependent and low-income households, and within relationships governed by patriarchal norms, including customary or traditional marriages.
“While there is limited national data specific to financial abuse, the broader context of high GBV rates in South Africa, coupled with economic inequality, points to financial abuse being both widespread and systematically underreported.”
If you haven’t heard the term before, financial abuse is a pattern of behaviour used to control a partner’s access to financial resources, thereby limiting their independence and capacity to escape an abusive relationship. “It is a deliberate strategy to trap, isolate and disempower a person—often a woman—by manipulating or denying access to money, property, and other economic resources,” says Shaik.
It includes, but is not limited to:
Controlling all income or financial decision-making in the household, regardless of who earns the income.
Withholding access to bank accounts, pay slips, or financial records.
Forcing the partner to share bank PINs or hand over bank cards.
Monitoring or policing spending, even of her own money.
Blocking her from working or sabotaging employment opportunities.
Taking loans or incurring debt in the woman’s name, especially harmful in marriages in community of property where both partners are legally liable.
Coercing the partner into signing documents, such as loans, property transfers, or policies, without full understanding or consent.
Claiming or misusing life insurance policies, provident funds, or retirement benefits—sometimes cashing out policies without the woman’s knowledge.
Preventing her from buying or registering assets in her own name (car, house, business).
Selling or pawning her belongings or using her income to settle his debts.
Threatening to cut off access to money or withhold child support as a form of punishment or control.
Who is most affected?
Although financial abuse can happen to any woman, certain demographics are more vulnerable says Shaik.
Women in low-income households, especially where the male partner is the primary or sole income earner.
Women in customary or traditional marriages, where patriarchal expectations may entrench the idea that men manage finances.
Young women who are financially inexperienced, students, or early in their careers and may not yet have financial independence.
Older women who may not have worked formally or who are financially reliant on grants or spousal support.
Working women, surprisingly, are also highly vulnerable. In many cases, women who earn an income are still not allowed to control or access their money freely. Their income is managed by their partners, and they may be required to seek permission for spending or surrender their bank card and PIN.
Married women, particularly those married in community of property, where financial abuse becomes more damaging. A partner may accumulate debt in both names, misappropriate joint assets, or make decisions that compromise the woman’s long-term financial security.
Why It matters
Financial abuse traps women in abusive relationships. Without financial freedom or resources, many survivors feel they have no way to leave, no means to support their children, and no access to legal help or safe housing. Over time, financial abuse can also severely affect a woman’s credit rating, ability to re-enter the workforce, and long-term financial health—even after leaving the abusive partner.
“This economic control is one of the most effective tools of coercion and entrapment in abusive relationships,” says Shaik. “It prevents women from building any form of savings or emergency fund, which is essential to escape an abusive environment. Without money, many women are unable to leave.
The long-term impact
Ultimately, financial abuse is not only about control during the relationship—it also has enduring consequences. Women may: Lose their credit standing due to debts incurred by or forced on them. Have no financial history or independence, making it harder to rent property, apply for jobs, or access loans. Remain tied to their abuser through shared debt or legal battles. Be unable to rebuild their lives independently, which prolongs the trauma and heightens the risk of returning to the abusive relationship out of financial desperation.
Property rights Financial abuse can and often does deprive women of their legal and rightful access to property and assets. This form of abuse is frequently subtle, masked by cultural practices, financial manipulation, or emotional coercion. It may involve women being: Coerced into signing away ownership of land, homes, or vehicles—often under emotional pressure or without full understanding of the legal implications. Excluded from financial decision-making, even in jointly-acquired property. Denied access to or knowledge of property documentation—including title deeds, mortgage agreements, or lease contracts. Shockingly, in some cases, property is registered in the name of the husband only, or even in the name of his family members, without the woman’s knowledge or consent. If the relationship ends, or the husband dies, she is often left with no legal claim, despite having contributed financially or emotionally to the home.
This is not only disempowering—it is a violation of the constitutional right to equality and property ownership.
“Even when a woman legally owns property, financial abuse can seriously undermine or strip away her ownership rights, particularly in contexts where there is emotional manipulation, lack of legal knowledge, and unequal power dynamics within the relationship,” says Shaik.
Proactive steps
POWA and Private Property encourage women who suspect they are victims of financial abuse to reach out for support. For those entering new relationships, there are some precautions you can take early to prevent financial abuse:
- Have a legal marriage contract.
- Discuss property registration early.
- Be vigilant about family interference.
- Make and understand a will.
Know your rights and use confidential resources, such as contacting POWA:
- Telephone: 011 642 4345/6
- WhatsApp: 076 694 5911
- Email: info@powa.co.za
- Website: www.powa.co.za
