Hon. Barbara Creecy
Minister of Transport
Per email: Borothon@dot.gov.za; Sylvesterg@dot.gov.za
Dear Minister,
- We wish to bring to your attention, as a matter of urgency, that it appears that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) has halted payment of claims to RAF claimants for nearly the past four (4) months, with a 71,5% reduction in claims finalised in 2024, as compared to the previous two years.
- In fact, according to the RAF’s Annual Report for the 2022/2023 financial year, 62,34% less claims were finalised in 2023 compared to 2019 and the total outstanding claims, as at the end of that financial year, stood at a total of 427,034 – some 37,9% higher than in 2019.
- The RAF is on the brink of imminent collapse, unless the Minister takes a firm approach to rectifying the multitude of issues plaguing the entity. It is particularly concerning that the RAF’s board of directors and senior management have seemingly been operating the entity without adequate oversight, exemplified by the legal action taken against the entity and the Department following the introduction in July 2022 of the “RAF1 form”.
- Victims of motor vehicle accidents, often poor and unemployed, are in desperate need of urgent intervention within the RAF to ensure that their rights are protected and their interests safeguarded. In light of recent developments within the RAF, we urge the Minister to waste no time in taking robust steps to bring the entity back on track.
- Accordingly, and bearing in mind the constitutional values of transparency and accountability to which all organs of state are bound, we hereby request that the Minister urgently investigates the halting of RAF claim payments and to take the public into her confidence regarding the true state of affairs at this crucial government entity.
- We trust that this matter will be treated with the urgency that it requires.
Yours faithfully, Dr Chris Hunsinger, MP Spokesperson for Transport Democratic Alliance