RAF In the News

Written By Mthobisi Nozulela | Published on 17 April 2026 |  IOL The Supreme Court of Appeal  (SCA) has ruled that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) must compensate all road accident victims, including undocumented foreign nationals, finding that “any person” in the RAF Act includes them. IOL previously reported that the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria struck down a RAF directive requiring foreign nationals to prove legal presence in South Africa at the time of injury to claim compensation. A full bench of three judges, led by Judge Norman Davis, set aside the directive to the extent that, in respect of foreign claimants, it requires that proof of identity must be accompanied by documentary proof that the claimant was legally in South Africa at the time of the accident. “These accidents don’t discriminate in respect of the victims thereof between race, gender, age or between illegal foreigners and citizens of this country,” Davis said

Written By Greg Ardé | Published on 10 March 2026 | Daily Maverick The Road Accident Fund faces an imminent financial crisis, threatening a R400bn hole in the national budget due to mounting debt and mismanagement. Penny-wise South Africans are basking in the general Budget hurrah. A bit of good news is like a tonic, boosting cautious optimism that SA Inc has finally started to tidy its books and is poised to turn the corner. But the ticking time bomb of state-owned enterprise (SOE) debt, particularly the calamitous Road Accident Fund (RAF), threatens to explode. Debt estimates of the RAF differ. The problem is that the RAF debt is not properly quantified. Contingent liabilities could be above R400-billion. RAF contingent liabilities are potential future costs linked to the fund that are not yet fully certain, but could fall on the RAF, and ultimately the state, if certain claims, court matters or

Published on  9 February 2026 | Moonstone Information Refinery Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has sharpened the spotlight on the Road Accident Benefit Scheme (RABS) Bill, pressing the Department of Transport on whether the long-stalled legislation can – or should – be applied retrospectively to deal with the Road Accident Fund’s vast legacy liabilities. The issue surfaced during SCOPA’s engagement with the Ministry of Transport on 4 February as part of its review of executive and ministerial oversight over the past five years. Although the department provided an update on the status of the RABS Bill, it was committee members’ concern about what happens to existing RAF Act claims that dominated the discussion. SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi (pictured) put the question bluntly: when the RABS Act comes into force, what happens to claims lodged under the current RAF Act – do they fall away, or does the new

Written by Sinenhlanhla Masilela | Published on 27 November 2025 | The Mercury A Limpopo man’s claim from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) failed after the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria determined that he was not a victim of a hit and run. Instead, the court determined that he had been involved in a fight where a car was used as a weapon. Oscar Mashengani was hit by a car in the early hours of January 1, 2019, after his opponent, Tendani Edwin Ramunenyiwa ran him over following a fight at Fish Point Tavern in Vleifontein, Louis Trichardt. The fight started after the tavern owner switched off the music and asked Mashengani and his friends to leave the premises. Mashengani asked the owner to lend him a bucket in order to carry the liquor that was remaining – his request was not denied. However, Ramunenyiwa was against the idea,

Written By Nonkululeko Njilo  | Published on November 9th, 2025 | Daily Maverick. As Parliament’s oversight inquiry into allegations of maladministration, financial impropriety and misuse of public funds at the Road Accident Fund continues, four top executives have been suspended. Whether this will improve the fund’s operations and restore public trust remains unclear. In the wake of explosive evidence of the Road Accident Fund’s accounting practices and its collapsing claims system, the board has suspended four top executives – the acting CEO, the chief financial officer (CFO), chief governance officer and the head in the office of the CEO – on precautionary terms with immediate effect.   City Press has named three of them: acting CEO Phathutshedzo Lukhwareni, CFO Bernice Potgieter and chief governance officer Mampe Kumalo.  The RAF noted on Friday afternoon: “These precautionary measures do not in any way constitute a finding of wrongdoing against the affected officials but are intended

Written By Schalk Burger | Published on October 20th, 2025 | Engineering News. The State-owned Road Accident Fund (RAF) made record payments of R694-million on October 17, highlighting the positive impact of its fast-tracking initiatives on daily payment volumes. It has disbursed R17.3-billion in compensation to road accident victims and service providers since April, with R4.18-billion paid out in September alone. This marked the highest amount disbursed in a single month during the 2025/26 financial year. However, the RAF had already paid R2.57-billion in claims for October by October 17, placing the organisation on track to surpass September’s record by month’s end. These figures demonstrate a significant improvement in payment speed and capacity and reflect the RAF’s concerted efforts to reduce the backlog and enhance turnaround times. Claimants, their attorneys and medical service providers are witnessing the benefits of faster and more reliable settlements, the RAF interim board says. This rapid payout underscores the RAF’s dedication to providing timely and fair

Written By Lindsay Dentlinger  | Published on October 11th, 2025 | EWN The fund has also opened new bank accounts and diverted funds into investment accounts to avoid direct payments to claimants who have obtained a writ of execution. The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has reportedly been leasing cars and office equipment worth millions of rand in an effort to avoid having its property attached for the non-payment of claims. The fund has also opened new bank accounts and diverted funds into investment accounts to avoid direct payments to claimants who have obtained a writ of execution. READ: Road Accident Fund officials accused of obstructing SIU investigations These tactics were revealed by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) at an inquiry of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Friday, which is probing maladministration at the fund. According to the RAF’s payment rules, a valid claim is supposed to be settled

Written By Roy Cokayne  | Published on September 3rd, 2025 | MoneyWeb The financially-distressed Road Accident Fund (RAF) has received a significant High Court blow, which may lead to its collapse. The RAF applied to the High Court in Pretoria for the extension, revival, or reinstatement of a 180-day moratorium on the execution of writs and warrants for capital and interest against it. However, Judge Jabulani Nyathi struck the application from the court roll, with costs, because of a lack of urgency. The RAF had R10.4 billion in unpaid claims at the end of its financial year to 31 March 2025 – and a total claims liability of R40.4 billion – despite this, it maintains it can meet its obligations over the next 12 months. The moratorium provided temporary legal protection from immediate enforcement of court-ordered payments, allowing the RAF up to 180 days to settle claims. The 180-day payment structure