RAF In the News
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We invite you to keep abreast of the latest updates on the Road Accident Fund’s New Strategy.
In 2020, Collins Letsoalo, Acting CEO of The Road Accident Fund (RAF) introduced a new strategic plan that involved moving away from litigation to claims management. This strategy had been adopted as, according to Letsoalo, “the current operating model has left the RAF unsustainable”. Moving forward, the priority is early investigation and settlement of claims within 120 days.
We’ve kept a collection of audio clips, video and news articles for you to keep abreast of RAF’s new strategy.

RAF pays out R694m to claimants in one day
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

Road Accident Fund accused of evading payments and attachments
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

High Court order may push RAF closer to collapse
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

Whistleblowers Expose RAF’s Claimed Legal Cost Reduction as a “Smoke Screen”
Written By Thanduxolo Jika | Published on August 31st, 2025 | Sunday Times, Za Allegations have surfaced that the Road Accident Fund’s (RAF) reported success in slashing legal expenditure by over 50% is misleading, masking deeper systemic problems within the organisation. Whistleblowers recently presented evidence to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), revealing operational inefficiencies, inflated claim settlements, and serious dereliction of duty as the real challenges facing RAF. The RAF had publicly celebrated its purported achievement in reducing costly legal fees, framing it as a major turnaround. However, insiders contest this narrative, warning that such figures are a “smoke screen” designed to deflect scrutiny from internal mismanagement. According to whistleblowers, RAF’s operational processes are plagued by delays, lack of accountability, and poor oversight, leading to unnecessary financial losses. They also allege that inflated claim settlements—sometimes granted without adequate investigation—have drained the fund’s resources, undermining its sustainability. “These problems are

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

Caution: Road Accident Benefits Scheme ‘will create new victims, not justice’
By Conviction Staff Reporter | Published on July 10th, 2025 | Conviction The Road Accident Benefits Scheme promises reform, but critics warn it will dismantle hard-won legal protections, exclude vulnerable victims, and deepen systemic failures • Fewer rights, no court access, and reduced compensation.• Vulnerable groups, including dependents and informal workers, left out.• System can’t cope with 1.5 million payments a year. The Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victims (APRAV) has voiced strong opposition to the reintroduction of the Road Accident Benefits Scheme (RABS), a Bill previously rejected multiple times by Parliament due to its unconstitutional limitations, unaffordable structure, and impractical design. “You can’t fix a broken system by stripping away rights. RABS is not reform; it’s regression,” says Ngoako Mohlaloga, APRAV Deputy Chairperson. APRAV’s response follows COSATU’s recent public support for RABS, which the trade union federation called a progressive measure aimed at protecting the poor. But APRAV

Inside the RAF’s broken books — CEO Letsoalo’s court bid fails, deficit stays
By Yeshiel Panchia | Published on June 29, 2025 | Daily Maverick Embattled Road Accident Fund CEO Collins Letsoalo’s court bid to keep his seat may have failed, but his possible ousting and the pending Scopa inquiry highlights the fundamental problem with the RAF’s books that no fuel levy increase can fix. On Thursday, 26 June the Pretoria High Court dismissed suspended Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo’s bid for reinstatement, finding his application to be vexatious. Letsoalo, who was suspended by the board four weeks ago on Monday, 3 June 2025 after allegedly failing to attend a Scopa hearing in breach of a statutory summons, now finds himself on the wrong end of a governance crisis. Judge Nasious Moshoanathe ruled that Letsoalo failed to show any factual or legal right to an urgent interdict. The court’s decision was welcomed by the Association for Protection of Road Accident Victims (Aprav).

Gauteng High Court rules against suspended RAF CEO Collins
By Zelda Venter | Published on June 26, 2025 | IOL Suspended Road Accident Fund (RAF) chief executive Collins Letsoalo’s suspension will remain in place, after the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has turned down his application to immediately be reinstated as CEO. In a scathing judgment released late on Thursday, Judge Nasious Moshoanathe said Letsoalo’s application was vexatious. He found Letsoalo’s suspension effected by the RAF Board earlier this month is lawful, rational and reasonable. “There is no factual or legal basis to declare the suspension to be unlawful, irrational and unreasonable. Mr Letsoalo has failed to establish a prima facie right, even one open to any doubt. He failed to demonstrate any apprehension of irreparable harm. Thus, he is not entitled to an interdictory relief of any nature, be it interim or final,” the judge said. Accordingly, the application, although heard as one of urgency, falls to be dismissed, he added, slapping Letsoalo with the

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