Help
Your phone will ask “Install?” Tap Install.
- Tap the Share button at the bottom of the screen (a square with an arrow pointing up).
- Scroll down and tap Add to Home Screen.
- Tap Add at the top right. The STOKVEL icon is now on your phone.
Please do this in Safari, the blue compass icon.
- Tap the three dots at the top right of your browser.
- Tap Install app or Add to Home screen.
- Tap Install.
You are looking at this inside another app. To install STOKVEL, open this page in your phone's normal browser (Chrome on Android, Safari on iPhone): tap the three dots or the Share button and choose Open in browser.
Done. Look for the STOKVEL icon on your phone's screen.
How it works in 60 seconds
Example: 4 people each pay R100. The pot is R400. Month 1: person 1 receives it. Month 2: person 2 receives it. And so on, until all 4 people have had their turn.
Your questions, answered
How do I log in?
Type your name and surname the way you registered them and your password. If you gave an email address when you registered, you can use that instead. You do not need an email address to use this site.
I forgot my password. What now?
If you gave an email address, use "Forgot password" on the login page and we send you a link. If you have no email address, phone or message the administrator: he gives you a temporary password, and you choose your own new one when you log in.
What is a stokvel, in one sentence?
A small group of people who each put in the same amount every month, and each month one person takes home the whole pot. After a few months everybody has had their turn, and everybody has put in exactly what they got out.
Does everyone pay the same amount?
Inside one group, yes. But each group chooses its own monthly amount, so your group may pay more or less than the example figures on this site. Your page always shows your own group's amount. You can try different amounts on the calculator.
Do I make or lose money?
No. You get back exactly what you put in: you pay R100 a month for 4 months (R400 in total) and you receive R400 once. The benefit is that you receive a lump sum in your month, and it is a way to save. It is not a bank, and it pays no interest.
When and how do I pay?
By the 28th of every month, by bank transfer from your own bank account. Your page shows the account number and your own reference, with a Copy button for each. Always put your reference in the reference box. It is how we know the money is from you.
How do I know you received my payment?
The administrator checks the bank account and records every payment. It then shows on your page with the date it arrived, and you get a message (and an email). If you paid and it does not show after two working days, send a message to jwelthagen@gmail.com.
When do I get my money?
On your turn. Your page shows your month and the date, for example "R400 on 15 January". The administrator pays it into your own bank account around the 15th. You can see your turn from the moment you are placed in a group.
Who decides whose turn it is?
The administrator places everyone in the group. Once the group has started, the order is fixed and cannot be changed quietly: every change is logged. Some groups are set up so that everyone moves up one place in each new round, so nobody is always last.
Why can I not see the other people in my group?
To protect everybody. Nobody can see anyone else's name, bank account or payments, and nobody can see yours. You can see how many people have joined, your own payments and your own turn. The administrator is the only person who sees everything.
What if the group is not full yet?
The group only starts when every place is filled and paid by the 28th of the starting month. If that does not happen, the start moves to the next month and you get a message. Any money you already paid is recorded and safe.
What if I am late or cannot pay one month?
Please tell the administrator as early as you can. There are no late fees. You get a reminder before the date, a warning if you are 7 days late and a final notice at 14 days. The money you pay in is the money the next person is waiting for, so a late payment delays them.
Is my money safe?
Everything is written down and nothing is hidden: every payment is recorded with its date and you can see it; a wrong entry is cancelled with a reason, never deleted; every action by the administrator is saved in a log; bank details are stored scrambled, so even someone who got into the files could not read them; and a payout is never made until every member's payment for that month is confirmed. You still need to trust the people in your group, which is why everyone is checked and approved first. Only join with money you can afford to commit.
Why is this different from a cash stokvel?
With cash, nobody can prove who paid what and when. Here, every rand goes through a bank account, every payment is recorded with a date, and you can always open your page and see exactly what you paid and what is still to come. Nothing depends on one person's memory.
Can I leave?
Tell the administrator as early as possible. If you have not been paid yet, the administrator decides how what you paid is returned, and tells you in writing. If you leave after being paid while others are still waiting, that is treated seriously. Please read the pilot rules.
Who do I ask if I am stuck?
Write to jwelthagen@gmail.com and say what you see on your page. You can also read the pilot rules and How it works.
Words you will see
- Group
- The small circle of people who save together.
- Your turn
- The month in which you receive the whole pot.
- Pay by
- The date by which your payment must reach the account.
- Reference
- A short code that is yours alone (for example STK-002-A). Put it in the reference box when you pay.
- Pot
- All the money paid in for one month. It goes to one person.