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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
Gert Nel dismisses RAF allegations
Law firm Gert Nel Incorporated CEO Gert Nel has dismissed allegations by suspended RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo, who accused the firm of irregularly benefiting from the Road Accident Fund. Nel says the claims are baseless and insists that its 25-year track record is proof of its ethical and lawful practice. Watch the full interview of Gert Nel on the Newzroom Afrika YouTube channel:
Gauteng high courts face crisis: Judicial Service Commission announces vacancies
Written by Zelda Venter | Published on 23 May 2025 | IoL While the Gauteng Division of the High Court (Pretoria and Johannesburg) is struggling to cope with the heavy workload, mainly due to too much work and too few judges, there may be light at the end of the tunnel as the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) is looking to fill eight vacancies in this division. The JSC has called for nominations to fill these vacancies, as well as for candidates to apply for two vacancies in the Constitutional Court. It will also accept nominations of candidates to fill one vacancy in the Supreme Court of Appeal, one in the Land Court, as well as for three vacancies in the Johannesburg Labour Court. Two vacancies are open in the Mpumalanga division, while there is one vacancy open in the Free State and Limpopo divisions. The KwaZulu-Natal division has five vacancies
Pretoria law firm challenges mandatory mediation directive in Constitutional Court
Written by Zelda Venter | Published on 28 April 2025 | IoL A Pretoria law firm has turned to the Constitutional Court for direct access to the highest court in the country in an urgent bid to overturn a directive introducing mandatory mediation in the Gauteng Division of the High Court. Since last week, the Johannesburg and Pretoria high courts no longer allocate trial dates for civil cases (cases where evidence is being led, such as damages claims). Litigants, who in these cases want a judge to determine their issues, must first prove that they have tried to resolve their issues via mediation. A trial date will be allocated only if mediation does not resolve the issues, and they can prove via a certificate that they did try it. Gauteng Judge President Dunstan Mlambo in March issued a draft directive and called for objections from the public, lawyers, and interested
Concerns raised over mandatory mediation for civil trials in South Africa
Written by Zelda Venter | 7 April, 2025 | IOL (Independent Online) A leading Pretoria law firm has expressed its concerns regarding plans that from next week, a system will be introduced that no civil trials may proceed before a judge unless the parties have attempted mediation first. Gauteng High Court Judge President Dunstan Mlambo last month issued a draft directive in which he explained plans in a bid to alleviate the congested civil trial rolls. He called on members of the legal fraternity to submit their comments before the directive came into force. Gert Nel, director of Gert Nel Inc, in a 44-page submission to Judge Mlambo, has expressed various concerns in this regard. He said while mediation can be a valuable tool to enhance access to justice, making it a mandatory gatekeeper to the courts raises serious concerns. The directive, among others, provides that all existing trial dates set down
Open Letter to the South African Public
Gert Nel Incorporated, recently addressed a letter to the management of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to request that they respect the attorney and client relationship between our firm and our clients, to stop their unsolicited messaging of represented claimants. The formal relationship between an attorney and his client starts the day a power of attorney is signed, signifying that the practitioner has taken the responsibility to represent the client, thus arising a contract between the practitioner and client. It is expected from the lawyer to act in the best interest of his client and is generally responsible for deciding on the means to achieve the claimant’s objectives. At the same time, the lawyer has a duty to consult with the client about the decisions and to give adequate information about the risks involved and reasonable available alternative strategies and decisions. Technically, the RAF represents the person who caused harm to the
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