Road Accident Fund Faces Collapse

Dear Editor

The DA wrote to the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, to urgently draw her attention to the fact that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) seems to have halted payments for nearly four months.

This state of affairs seems to point to the fund’s imminent implosion without prompt intervention from either the Transport Minister or the Portfolio Committee on Transport.

Over the years, we have seen a worrying disconnect between the Department of Transport and one of its key entities, the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The RAF CEO and the Board have been operating unchecked and without proper oversight for too long. Having six Transport Ministers in only seven years has produced a perfect environment in which the RAF, for example, can pick which sections of the RAF Act to apply and which not to apply, based on what works best for them.

Proof of this was the onerous new requirements RAF tried to impose on traffic accident victims, by the introduction in 2022 of a new “RAF1 form” without having followed the proper administrative channels.

This unlawful notice was however overturned earlier this year when the High Court in Pretoria found it to be unconstitutional. The court ordered the Minister to devise a new version within six months and said that claimants who had failed to meet mandatory requirements as set out in the now-defunct form could resubmit their claims using the simpler RAF1 form that was brought in effect in 2008.

RAF does all in its power to limit the rights of claimants and is actively working, for years now, unchecked and with little oversight, to limit, ignore and dilute their lawful responsibilities. Claims need to be paid and the Minister must intervene to ensure that they are.

We implore the RAF to execute its legislative duty fully and diligently to ensure road collision victims’ rights are prioritised, and that victims are not subjected to the cruelty of the existing RAF management.

Regards

Dr Chris Hunsinger MP
DA Spokesperson on Transport