Parliament has initiated a comprehensive inquiry into the Road Accident Fund (RAF), citing serious concerns over governance failures, financial mismanagement, and the institution’s long-term sustainability.

This was confirmed at a sitting of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) in Cape Town on Tuesday—a watershed moment for road accident victims, medical service providers, and legal professionals who have long suffered under the fund’s mismanagement.

SCOPA will investigate the financial state of the RAF, including irregular, wasteful, and fruitless expenditure, the legality and transparency of RAF accounting policies and reporting systems and the operational impact of recent decisions. 

This also includes the agency’s Governance and oversight, including the roles of the CEO, Board, and Minister, as well as the lived consequences for victims and service providers, including delayed payments to hospitals, clinics, attorneys, and claimants.

Association for Protection of Road Accident Victims (APRAV) deputy chairperson, Ngoako Mohlaloga, said “This is more than a moment of reckoning—it’s a real chance for transformation.”

“SCOPA’s firm, structured, and solution-focused stance gives us renewed hope. For over a decade, APRAV has raised the alarm about systemic dysfunction in the RAF. Today, the system itself is finally being held to account.”

In an interview with eNCA, MD of the Board of Healthcare Funders, Dr Katlego Mothudi, said it was about time that public officials were held accountable.

“it is good that SCOPA and the select committee for transport have started looking at the RAF,” he said.

According to the Board of Healthcare Funders, the state institutions must be held liable and respect court rulings.

In South Africa, victims of road accidents are legally entitled to compensation from the Road Accident Fund (RAF). However, the Fund has faced criticism for delays in processing and disbursing this payment. 

Meanwhile, the RAF CEO, Collins Letsoalo, remains suspended on full pay and benefits. 

kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za 

IOL Politics

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