The Road Accident Fund (RAF) says it has spent R239.4 million on road accident claims by foreign nationals between April and September 2025.

The RAF said that in response to the questions from IOL News.

According to the RAF, this figure includes all claim expenditure – capital or costs – related to foreign claimants.

“From April 2025 to September 2025, R239.4 million was paid towards claims by foreign nationals.”

“This amount includes all claim expenditure – capital or costs – related to the foreign claims,” RAF spokesperson McIntosh Polela, told IOL News.

The revelation comes in the wake of a tragic bus crash in Limpopo, which claimed 43 lives.

According to the Limpopo provincial government, 34 of the victims have been identified by their families. 

The bus, which was carrying 91 passengers, was travelling from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape to Zimbabwe and Malawi when it crashed on the N1 near Louis Trichardt.

The incident has sparked renewed debate around foreign nationals’ access to the RAF, which said that all victims of the crash were eligible to lodge claims under the Road Accident Fund Act.

However, the RAF has emphasised that each claim will be assessed individually and must meet specific legal criteria.

“We have noted misleading media reports suggesting that the RAF is liable for claims arising from the accident,” it said.

“It is not accurate that the RAF is automatically liable for all or any accidents. The liability of the RAF is established by the RAF Act, which provides in Section 3 that ‘the object of the Fund shall be the payment of compensation in accordance with this Act for loss or damage wrongfully caused by the driving of motor vehicles’.”

The RAF said for liability to apply, it must first be established that the accident was wrongfully caused. Each claim must therefore be properly lodged and investigated.

“Until the claims are lodged with the RAF, we implore everyone concerned to allow the relevant authorities to conclude their investigations before any pronouncements are made on the liability of the RAF.”

It added that the RAF, as an organ of state, must also comply with Section 42 of the Immigration Act, which prohibits the aiding and abetting of illegal foreigners.

“Where the RAF’s liability is established, the payment of compensation must not contravene any other law, such as the Immigration Act.”

“The RAF sympathises with the families of those injured and deceased in the accident. We extend our deepest condolences to all those families who lost their loved ones and pledge to support them in lodging their claims for compensation.”

The RAF’s mandate is to compensate people within South Africa’s borders who sustain bodily injuries or die as a result of road accidents caused by a negligent insured driver.

Claims must be lodged within three years if the driver is known, or within two years in the case of a hit-and-run.

Earlier this month, IOL News reported that South African taxpayers have collectively disbursed a staggering R546 million to foreign nationals who lodged claims with the RAF during the 2024/25 financial year.

This was revealed by Acting Transport Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa when he was responding to parliamentary questions posed by ActionSA MP Alan Beesley.

“A total of R42.94 billion was paid across 128,716 claims during the 2024/25 financial year. R548 million was paid in respect of claims where the claimant or injured is a foreigner,” Ramokgopa said.

He revealed that a total of 222 personal claims were registered where the claimant or injured is a foreigner.

As of September 13, 2025, only 17 out of the 222 foreign claims had been successfully settled.

On the pending claims, Ramokgopa said 78 had been repudiated, objected to, or flagged as duplicates, while 12 claims have an offer in progress and 115 claims are open and in progress.

Beesley said it was concerning that taxpayers’ money from the fuel levy covered the medical expenses of foreigners.

“It is quite a big concern that we use taxpayers’ money to pay foreigners. The question is why all of that is happening in our country?” he asked.

Beesley also said the matter was begging a question as to how much was spent by the State on health and education for foreigners as opposed to supporting South Africans.

He questioned how many of the RAF claims paid to foreign nationals were legitimate and whether they were genuine or not in light of the RAF being a cesspool of corruption.

Beesley said the Road Accident Fund needed to be relooked and ensure that visitors to the country have their own medical cover.

ActionSA will take up the issue and see whether to introduce some type of legislation in Parliament to plug the gap in law. “That is whole reason we asked the questions to the minister to find out how much it is costing the taxpayer,” he said.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL News

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