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Lawyer calls for intervention at the RAF

Written by Zelda Venter | Published on 2 February 2025 | IOL The time has come for South Africa’s leadership to take action and restore order and accountability to the Road Accident Fund. Without immediate intervention, the RAF will become yet another failed state-owned entity. This is according to attorney Gert Nel who specialises in RAF matters. Nel expressed his concern about how the fund is being operated. “Fuel levy payers’ money is wasted, real lives and livelihoods are at risk, with road crash victims bearing the brunt of systemic inefficiency and bureaucratic indifference.” He said the RAF is an institution charged with compensating road crash victims, yet it is deliberately distorting its purpose by bypassing legal obligations and operating in blatant defiance of court rulings. He accused the fund’s leadership of evading accountability while systematically denying justice to thousands of vulnerable victims. Nel said the cornerstone of the RAF’s

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Expert accuses RAF of misrepresenting itself and its purpose

Written by Ina Opperman | Published on 24 January 2025 | The Citizen An expert attorney says the RAF is not doing its job and changed its purpose, despite parliament and the courts challenging the change. An expert says the Road Accident Fund (RAF) is misrepresenting itself and its purpose to avoid accountability while denying justice to vulnerable victims. However, the RAF says the expert is a former employee who set up his business based on the fund’s “inefficiencies.” Gert Nel from Gert Nel Inc., a law firm specialising in personal injury cases, including claims against the RAF, calls on people to imagine an institution charged with compensating road crash victims that deliberately distorts its purpose by bypassing legal obligations and operating in blatant defiance of court rulings. “This is the reality of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) whose leadership has unlawfully redefined its purpose – a calculated misrepresentation designed

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Law firm slammed for allegedly pocketing R2.2 billion from RAF

Written by Kirsten Minnaar | Published on 10 January 2025 | DailyInvestor The CEO of the Road Accident Fund (RAF), Collins Letsoalo, has alleged that the law firm Gert Nel Attorneys has benefited irregularly from medico-legal claims. “Over the past period of five years, Gert Nel Attorneys has been paid over R2.2 billion from the RAF,” Letsoalo said.  “For R2 billion, we know that is close to R500 million that he has made. You are not shocked why this man fights so much. He wants to continue.” When asked to break down this R2.2 billion figure, Gert Nel, CEO of Gert Nel Attorneys, told Daily Investor, “We intend to ask the RAF the same question – we do not have the specifics of this figure and hence cannot confirm or deny the correctness thereof.”  A recent report by IOL states that the RAF has blocked the disbursement of R65 million

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Discovery mulls SCA appeal after RAF medical costs ruling

Published on 8 January 2025 The Gauteng High Court dismissal with costs last month of Discovery Health’s application for an order declaring the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to be in breach of a previous High Court order was saluted by RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo, who described it as “a watershed” moment. However, said a legal expert, it did not absolve the agency of its obligation to reimburse road accident victims for their past medical expenses. The case dates back to 2022, when the RAF instructed its staff to reject claims from car crash victims if they had already been paid by medical schemes. Letsoalo said Discovery Health “must know we are coming for our money they have claimed illegally from the RAF”. He referred to paragraphs in the judgment saying the RAF was not an insurer, and said he had claimed for some time “that the RAF is a social

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Open letter to the South African public

Gert Nel Incorporated, and particularly our managing partner Mr Gert Nel, in his personal capacity, has fallen victim to a smear campaign orchestrated by the Road Accident Fund led by their CEO Collins Letsoalo. The attack is rooted in the fact that the executive and Board of the RAF had been called on their unlawful reform and mismanagement of the RAF. See in this regard various publications in which our Mr. Nel has highlighted the utter disregard of the rule of law and the Court, resulting in serious prejudice to all road crash victims. Despite calling a media briefing to address the issues raised, Mr. Letsoalo, seemingly unable to prove the contrary, opted to orchestrate a false and defamatory innuendo of corruption as aired and published on various media platforms. RAF spokesperson Mr. Macintosh Pholela also joined in spreading more falsities and unsubstantiated rhetoric to silence the voice of truth.

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Die nasionale krisis vereis dringende optrede

Written by prof. Hennie Klopper | published on 26 November, 2024 | Maroela Media Elke keer wanneer jy jou motor volmaak, is ʼn deel van jou betaling ʼn reddingsboei vir padbotsingslagoffers – of ten minste, dit behoort so te wees. Suid-Afrikaners dra ongeveer 40% van die totale huidige brandstofheffing by tot die Padongeluksfonds (POF) – ʼn fonds wat bedoel is om mediese en finansiële vergoeding aan slagoffers van padverkeerbotsings te verskaf. Ten spyte van hierdie aansienlike openbare bydrae, is die POF in ʼn finansiële en operasionele krisis vasgevang, wat slagoffers tot agt jaar laat wag vir vergoeding. Die werklikheid van hierdie vertragings is nie net ʼn burokratiese ongerief nie – dit is ʼn direkte aanslag op kwesbare mense. Slagoffers ly as gevolg van onbehandelde beserings, verergerende mediese toestande en toenemende finansiële laste. Intussen vervaag die publiek se vertroue in die POF omdat POF-leierskap hul verantwoordelikheid ontwyk en geen tasbare oplossings

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South Africa R500 billion disaster

Written by Kirsten Minnaar | 25 November, 2024 | Daily Investor The state of the road accident fund (RAF) in South Africa is rapidly declining, with growing backlogs and over R500 billion in unpaid claims. Many victims find themselves losing their income, home, and even their lives. Gert Nel, CEO of Gert Nel Incorporated Attorneys, explained this, saying that South Africa’s road accident victims face unprecedented delays in compensation as the RAF struggles with severe operational and financial crises. According to the firm, reform is urgently needed to support these vulnerable individuals. In particular, claims processes need to be more efficient to alleviate victims’ burdens. In an open letter earlier this year, Chris Hunsinger, the Democratic Alliance’s spokesperson for transport, alleged that the RAF had suspended claim payments for nearly four months. This suspension has led to a 71.5% decline in finalised claims in 2024 compared to the previous two years. Two weeks

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RAF needs a Settlement Hub for crash victims – expert

Written by Ina Opperman | Published on 11 November 2024 There is an urgent need for reform to support crash victims, and an efficient claims process can alleviate the burdens they face. The RAF needs a Settlement Hub where claims for car crash victims can be settled before they go to court to avoid the RAF’s systemic failures from harming them and causing neglect, an expert says. South Africa’s road accident victims face unprecedented delays in compensation as the Road Accident Fund (RAF) struggles with severe operational and financial crises, Gert Nel, CEO of Gert Nel Inc., says. Nel says it is important to settle claims outside of court wherever possible. “Settlements, including compensation for medical costs, lost income, and general damages, provide a faster and less costly resolution for victims. “However, the RAF frequently bypasses these opportunities, particularly in cases already on the court rolls. We recommend that the

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RAF Crisis Leaves Victims in Limbo Amid Mounting Backlogs

Written by Neelahm Rahim | Published on 11 November 2024 A significant backlog in the Road Accident Fund (RAF) leaves thousands of South Africans waiting years for critical compensation. Victims, already grappling with injury and financial hardship, face unprecedented delays due to the RAF’s economic struggles and operational issues. In an interview with Radio Islam International, Gert Nel, CEO of the law firm Gert Nel Inc., highlighted the dire situation. “The RAF cannot ascertain its exact financial liability due to an ongoing dispute with the Auditor General over accounting practices. This financial ambiguity compounds delays in compensating claimants,” Nel said. He noted that victims, many of whom rely on timely payments for medical expenses and basic support, are forced to wait far beyond the court-mandated 180 days. The crisis has exacerbated an already strained court system as RAF cases pile up without legal representation on the Fund’s side. “RAF’s decision not to

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