Bank credit is an important source of finance to the private sector in South Africa. Over the past twenty years bank lending to the private sector increased at a relatively high average annual rate, even though the development of sophisticated financial products and highly efficient financial markets seemed to favour borrowing from alternative non-bank sources of finance.This note gives a short overview of changes in bank credit extension to the private sector during the period 1976 to 1996. A distinction is drawn between the different types of credit and between lending to companies and individuals. Finally, the banks' lending portfolio is disaggregated according to various sectors of economic activity.