Road Accident Fund goes to communities

The RAF has been running a “road campaign” across the country where officials help people submit claims and check progress with existing claims.

Hundreds of people attended the briefing in the Mfuleni town hall, with officials from the Department of Home Affairs, South African Social Security Services, South African Police Service, community leaders and taxi associations.

Sobantu said more than R12-million would be paid out in the next few months in claims processed and verified at the briefing.

She said it took about 900 days on average to process a claim, including investigations and medical reports, and to make a payout.

The process could take longer with the involvement of attorneys, she said, because the claim then had to go through a court.

Sobantu said the RAF would assist with burial costs and would provide wheelchairs for people who were disabled after a road accident but would not cover catering at funerals. The fund also provided help with rehabilitation after an accident.

She urged claimants to come directly to the fund.

“Lawyers only focus on financial compensation and are entitled to 25% of the total payout. We have had cases where the lawyers have taken more than 50% of the payout,” said Sobantu.

People who had not submitted claims three years after the accident did not qualify for payouts, she said.

Home Affairs officials verified IDs, while police checked accident reports for people who came to submit claims or took down affidavits. People who did not qualify for payouts were referred to SASSA.

• To make a claim, you will need
• witnesses’ statements
• police report on the accident
• hospital and medical records
• vouchers and documents to support the amount claimed.