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Collins Letsoalo appointed new boss of the Road Accident Fund
By Sibahle Moth Cabinet has approved the appointment of Collins Letsoale as the new permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Road Accident Fund (RAF). This was confirmed in a statement by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Friday. “We welcome this decision and we believe this appointment will go a long way in placing the RAF on a stable footing. “Mr Letsoalo joins the RAF at a time when it is facing daunting challenges, and requires a steady hand to guide it through the change into the Road Accident Benefit Scheme once the enabling law has been passed by Parliament. “
Wheels turn for RAF as it focuses on paying victims
Fund’s new operating model aims to finalise claims within 120 days, not four to five years Cape Argus 3 Aug 2020 GEORGINA CROUTH & DAVID RITCHIE THE EFFORTS of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to focus on paying accident victims are proving fruitful, despite failure to have it declared an essential service during the lockdown. The RAF has been plagued by inefficiencies for years to the detriment of crash victims and their dependants. The fund, which has a shortfall of more than R17 billion, has admitted to having neglected its primary mandate to settle and investigate claims, by focusing on unnecessary and costly legal battles. In February, acting chief executive Collins Letsoalo declined to renew contracts for the fund’s panel of attorneys and requested that they hand over all unfinalised case files. The 85 aggrieved attorneys took the matter to the high court in March, where Judge Norman Davis ruled
Humps on lawyers’ path to court roll
Pretoria News 3 Aug 2020 ZELDA VENTER WHILE lawyers welcome the fact that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) is changing its litigation strategy to streamline payouts, the administrative problems to get their cases on the court roll are a stumbling block. Several lawyers said despite the challenges created by Covid-19 and ongoing litigation between the RAF and its former panel of attorneys, the entity was achieving its strategic goal to turn things round. The Pretoria Attorneys Association recently raised concerns over the practical and administrative problems faced by practitioners in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, which it said was the busiest court in the country. Tiaan Joubert, chairperson of the association, confirmed having had a meeting last month with Judge President Dunstan Mlambo, Acting Deputy Judge President Sulet Potterill, registrars and other office managers to discuss, among other issues, the concern that no trial matters had been allocated for 2021
The RAF is in a court battle with a number of law firms it has accused of refusing to hand back 183,842 files
The Road Accident Fund (RAF) is in a court battle with a number of law firms it has accused of refusing to hand back 183,842 files with victims’ claims. The RAF says it decided against renewing its contracts with the 85 law firms which are supposed to handle victims’ claims on its behalf. According to Business Insider, the fund will now handle claims in-house. Joanne Joseph spoke to RAF acting CEO Collins Letsoalo to find out more. They simply refuse to hand them over. Collins Letsoalo, CEO – Road Accident Fund Our initial intention was to ensure that matters that were from June to December this year would have been handed by mid-March, in which case we would have settled those matters directly as the Road Accident Fund and saved ourselves legal costs. Collins Letsoalo, CEO – Road Accident Fund The problem is that where we sit, we can't settle
RAF says it has been operating on a model that in terms of the Satchwell commission is unsustainable & inefficient
SAFM Sunrise The Road Accident fund has a new operating model. The Road Accident Fund says it has been operating on a model that in terms of the Satchwell commission is unsustainable, unequal, unaffordable, and inefficient. This model has seen the actuarial liability of the RAF increasing exponentially especially over the last five years to more than R320 Billion. Guest: Collins Letsoalo (acting Chief Executive of the Road Accident Fund). Content hosted by iono.fm
RAF to change operating model in bid to become sustainable
Updated July 20, 2020 | By Neo Motloung The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has introduced a new strategic plan for the ailing state-owned agency. Acting CEO, Collins Letsoalo says the current operating model has left the RAF unsustainable. Letsoalo says the new model is moving away from litigation to claims management. He adds the priority is early investigation and settlement of claims within 120 days. “This model has seen the actuarial liability of the RAF increase exponentially especially over the last five year to more than R320 billion. Our short-term liability, mainly comprising of money owed to claimants, is sitting at R17.2 billion,” says Letsoalo. “All the above attributable to this model and that has been anchored around litigation rather than investigating (and) than settling claims as provided in the RAF Act.” Letsoalo says a system that has administrative costs that amount to 40% is unsustainable. Letsoalo explains the operation
Streamlined service on RAF, lawyers’ agenda
ZELDA VENTER – 29 Jun 2020 Pretoria News IN the wake of a legal battle between 103 law firms whose contracts as in-house attorneys for the Road Accident Fund (RAF) the entity is trying to terminate, it is also trying to find a way to streamline its business, while saving costs. The Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, recently ruled on various applications in which the attorneys tried to overturn the decision by the fund to no longer use an in-house panel to act on its behalf against the public. In the latest judgment, Judge Wendy Hughes ordered that the RAF retain the services of its panel of attorneys for at least the next six months – to safeguard the rights of those embroiled in legal proceedings against the RAF. The RAF subsequently unsuccessfully applied for leave to appeal against this judgment. It stated at least 19 grounds on which it felt
Transport asks National Treasury for R27bn additional funding
By Mayibongwe Maqhina Jun 11, 2020 Cape Town – The Transport Department has asked for additional funding to the tune of R27.5 billion from the National Treasury to bail out five of its entities that suffered massive revenue losses during the national lockdown. “The interventions and amounts that are being requested as an addition to what we on our budget could not cover and what we discuss with Treasury is R27bn to have the entities back into full operation,” head of department Alec Moemi said. Moemi said the department has requested R2.4bn for Acsa, R300 million for Sacca, R6bn for Sanral, R17.2bn for RAF and R1.4bn for Sanral. This emerged when the department briefed the transport portfolio committee on the implementation of level 3 of Covid-19 regulations on Wednesday night. Moemi painted a poor state of finances particularly at Acsa, Prasa, Road Accident Fund (RAF) and Sanral. He said Covid-19
Panel of attorneys at Road Accident Fund is retained
By Zelda Venter Jun 4, 2020 Pretoria – A judge has ordered that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) retain the services of its panel of attorneys for at least the next six months. The order is a bid to safeguard the rights of South Africans embroiled in legal proceedings against the RAF. “The status quo has to be retained for at least six months This will enable the RAF to reconsider its position and retain the social responsibility net in place, protecting the public,” said Pretoria high court Judge Wendy Hughes. The service level agreement that the RAF had concluded five years ago, with its panel of attorneys, expired last month after it was extended for a few months. This meant that since Monday the RAF intended to either settle its claims where possible, or matters which could not be settled were due to go on arbitration, or where this was