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Road Accident Fund accused of hiding billions amid crushing debt
Written by Celeste Martin | Published on November 4th, 2025 | EWN. Parliament’s Standing Committee of Public Accounts (SCOPA) is trying to uncover the rot at the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The RAF is facing accusations of financial mismanagement and deliberate obstruction of victim claims, with its debt estimated to have ballooned to R500 billion. Legal advisor Gert Nel from the Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victims said that the RAF allegedly altered its accounting standards to conceal billions in liabilities and has unlawfully failed to pay thousands of legitimate claims. According to Nel, the RAF changed its structure ‘overnight’ from a social insurance scheme to a social benefits scheme, effectively writing off hundreds of billions in contingent liabilities that courts have since ruled unlawful. “They essentially changed themselves overnight from a social insurance scheme to a social benefit scheme. Subject to a social benefit scheme, they only recognised
RAF reports record R5.5bn in October claim payouts after 100 days in turnaround
Edited by Chanel de Bruyn | Published on November 4th, 2025 | Engineering News. The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has paid out a record R5.5-billion in October, its highest monthly payout for the 2025/26 financial year, as the newly appointed board marks its first 100 days in office and reports progress in stabilising the troubled institution. According to the RAF, the October figure followed on the R4.2-billion paid in September, continuing an upward trend in claim settlements. From April to October, the fund disbursed R20.2-billion in compensation to road accident victims, compared with R16-billion over the same seven-month period in each of the previous two financial years. The monthly payments for the 2025/26 financial year were R1.6-billion in April, R2.4-billion in May, R1.8-billion in June, R2.1-billion in July, R2.6-billion in August, R4.2-billion in September and R5.5-billion in October. “I am [pleased with] the dedication and extra effort of RAF staff in processing and paying claims faster than before. This milestone demonstrates
Mandatory mediation of RAF cases is not working – lawyers association
By Roy Cokayne | Published on August 1st, 2025 | Money Web The Road Accident Fund (RAF) lacks the capacity to mediate cases at scale, with only three out of 1 000 mediation notices served on the fund in the past four months having been mediated, but none of them have been settled. Personal Injury Plaintiff Lawyers Association (Pipla) chairperson Advocate Justin Erasmus made this claim this week following Pipla lodging an urgent supplementary affidavit in the Gauteng High Court on behalf of its members last week. Read: RAF castigated in high court case, but gets further Sars ‘relief’ in another Pipla represents about 400 personal injury lawyers in South Africa. Erasmus said two large legal firms have since April this year served more than 1 000 Rule 41A notices on the RAF. “Only 35 have been responded to, and just three matters have gone to mediation. To date, nothing has been
Gert Nel skyn lig op ‘The Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victim’-ramp
Published on August 5th, 2025 | Die GROOT Ontbyt
INTERVIEW: Why APRAV is against South Africa’s mediation directive — Gert Nel
By Anita Crispng | Published on August 10th, 2025 | Crispng Gert Nel, legal spokesperson for the Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victims (APRAV), recently raised concerns over a Gauteng High Court directive that makes mediation compulsory before road accident fund claims can proceed to trial. In an interview with Crisp Nigeria (CrispNG), Nel explains how the directive bypasses standard legal procedures and infringes on constitutional rights, leaving many claimants stuck in a lengthy and costly process. He also sheds light on the struggles faced by thousands of South Africans seeking fair compensation after road accidents and highlights the urgent need for reform in civil litigation. For those unfamiliar with the issue, can you explain what the Gauteng High Court’s mediation directive is, and why it’s become such a serious concern for APRAV and legal practitioners alike? Thank you very much for the opportunity. I think just to make it as
APRAV raises alarm over RABS Bill’s impact on road accident victims
By IOL News | Published on July 23rd, 2025 | IOL News The Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victims (APRAV) has voiced concern and strong opposition to the reintroduction of the Road Accident Benefits Scheme (RABS) Bill to Parliament, saying a broken system cannot be fixed by stripping away the rights of road accident victims. “RABS is not reform; it is regression,” Ngoako Mohlaloga, APRAV’s deputy chairperson, said on Wednesday. He and the chairman of the association, Pieter de Bruyn, addressed the media during a briefing held in conjunction with the National Press Club on the “flaws” of the proposed Bill. APRAV’s response follows the reintroduction of RABS by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, a Bill previously rejected three times by Parliament due to its limitations, unaffordable structure, and impractical design. Trade union Cosatu recently voiced its support for the Bill, which it called a progressive measure aimed at protecting
Road Accident Fund is at a crossroads
By Moonstone Information Refinery | Published on July 17th, 2025 | Moonstone The Road Accident Fund’s board has finally been dissolved – but will Transport Minister Barbara Creecy’s move bring long-overdue relief to frustrated claimants, or make a broken system even worse? In an interview with eNCA, Ngoako Mohlaloga, the deputy president of the Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victims, expressed cautious optimism. “The RAF can still be saved. We have got expertise around us to help fix the RAF meet its mandate – put the right people in the right places and get the RAF to be functional.” He said the organisation is hopeful that dissolving the board will not negatively affect people waiting for their claims to be processed. “There are systems within the RAF that should be used to compensate victims who have been waiting for quite some time, who have been in the system. We are
Road accident victim advocates welcome SCOPA’s RAF probe, call for public input
By Kennedy Mudzuli | Published on June 24, 2025 | Conviction Key points SCOPA launches full inquiry into RAF, citing grave governance failures.APRAV views this as a breakthrough after over a decade of advocacy.Public submissions are now open as Parliament moves to restore institutional integrity. The Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victims (APRAV) has welcomed, with deep relief, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts’ (SCOPA) decision to initiate a full Parliamentary Inquiry into the Road Accident Fund (RAF). SCOPA’s move follows years of mounting concern over mismanagement, opaque governance, and alleged misconduct within the Fund, issues again laid bare during a heated committee session in Cape Town on 24 June 2025. APRAV, which has lobbied for over a decade through evidence submissions, expert commentary, and testimonies from victims and legal professionals, described the decision as a moment of long-awaited recognition. “This is a massive victory, not just for
Law Firm Denies Road Accident Fund CEO’s Allegations of Irregular Profits
Written by SAT – International | Published on 9 June 2025 | MSN Gert Nel, CEO of Gert Nel Incorporated, has dismissed claims by suspended Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo that his law firm irregularly benefited from the fund, calling the allegations “baseless.” Letsoalo, currently suspended amid an investigation into the RAF’s affairs, previously accused Nel’s firm of pocketing over R2.2 billion from the fund over five years, suggesting the firm took excessive fees from settlements meant for accident victims. In an interview, Nel refuted the figures, stating Letsoalo’s calculations were flawed. “He incorrectly assumes we charge 25% of every settlement, which is not how contingency fees work,” Nel said. He emphasized that his firm’s fees are strictly regulated under the Contingency Fees Act and subject to court scrutiny. Contingency Fees Explained Nel clarified that contingency fees—payable only if a case succeeds—are capped at 25% of the settlement