Hi...

I have a question related to (what I assume to be) an old student debt.

Recently I contacted my old university (UKZN) for an unrelated question - I've been trying to get info about my marks there for possible accreditation for further study. The first times I tried to contact them, they passed the buck and never got back to me.

However, after contacting them again, I've received a reply saying I should contact an 031 (Durban) number, because of a 'debtors hold' of some sort.

The thing is, I left the university 10 years ago. Also, I never completed my studies - after one semester I left because I couldn't afford to stay, nor could I get a loan. I paid the fees for this semester in full though, using my savings from work for the previous few years, and a small bursary.

It seems a bit strange that now ten years later I should have to contact them about some nebulous 'debt'. I've asked for an email address as I don't really want to spend too much money on unproductive phone calls (I'm living abroad now), but have received no reply again.

Should I contact this 031 number, or do I risk opening a can of worms? I've heard absolutely nothing about this for the last 10 years, this is the first...and the only thing I can imagine is a library fine or something, although surely they wouldn't keep this on record or try to reclaim it after so long...

Any advice welcome! Thanks.