For Shaun Stuurman, one day stands apart as the most harrowing of his life — the day he was told that his wife, sister-in-law, and young niece had died after a drunk driver ploughed into them.

March 13 2020 is etched into his memory. That was the day his world was upended, leaving him to raise his daughter alone while mourning the loss of the other women he loved.

But the trauma did not end at the roadside.

Five years later, the Gqeberha father is still waiting for the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to pay out the claim he lodged for his late wife.

“The money that should have helped me take care of my daughter and rebuild our lives has never come,” a visibly emotional Stuurman told IOL. “It’s difficult to always be told nothing can be done because the RAF’s house is out of order.”

Stuurman, 56, said the delays had placed severe financial strain on his family. His wife was a teacher, and her income was vital to the household.

“I wanted to take early retirement, but that’s no longer possible. My daughter’s studies are on hold. Our lives are on hold,” he said.

Across South Africa, crash victims and grieving families are in similar situations — trapped in limbo while they wait years for compensation meant to help them recover. Many say they have lost hope in a system they believe delivers only paperwork and delays.

Petunia Ntuli from an informal settlement near George shares the frustration. Her 13-year-old son Thabiso was left paralysed after a taxi crash in 2019.

“I submitted the claim over a year ago,” she said. “But I’ve not received a cent. Every time I call, it’s another excuse. How do you tell a child who can’t walk to be patient?”

<!–
This is the component.
You can copy
and place it anywhere in your article’s HTML.
–>

class RafInfographic extends HTMLElement {
constructor() {
super();
// Attach a shadow DOM to encapsulate styles and markup
this.attachShadow({ mode: ‘open’ });

// — 1. Define Component Styles —
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color: #333;
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border: 1px solid #e0e0e0;
border-radius: 8px;
overflow: hidden;
box-sizing: border-box;
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/* The main wrapper inside the shadow DOM */
.wrapper {
max-width: 1100px;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 20px;
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/* — Typography & Base — */
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font-weight: 700;
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h1 {
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h2 {
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p {
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ul {
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li {
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header {
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.meta {
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font-weight: bold;
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background: #f4f4f4;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 6px;
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margin-bottom: 25px;
font-size: 0.9rem;
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.timeline-strip > div {
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align-items: flex-start;
border-bottom: 0;
margin-bottom: 15px;
padding-bottom: 0;
flex-wrap: wrap; /* Allow tag to wrap on small screens */
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.status-tag {
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font-weight: bold;
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border: 1px solid #bde0eb;
border-radius: 8px;
padding: 20px;
margin-top: 30px;
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.data-grid {
display: grid;
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; /* 2 columns on mobile */
gap: 15px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}

.data-box {
background: #fff;
border-radius: 6px;
padding: 15px;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
}

.data-box strong {
display: block;
font-size: 2rem;
color: #005f73; /* Teal */
margin-bottom: 5px;
line-height: 1;
}

.data-box p {
margin: 0;
font-size: 0.9rem;
line-height: 1.4;
}

.data-box.highlight {
background-color: #e0f0f5;
border-color: #007f9c;
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.data-pills {
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flex-wrap: wrap;
gap: 10px;
align-items: center;
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.pill-group {
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.pill-group > span:first-child {
font-weight: bold;
margin-right: 10px;
color: #333;
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.pill {
display: inline-block;
background: #fff;
border: 1px solid #007f9c;
color: #003e4d;
padding: 5px 10px;
border-radius: 16px;
font-size: 0.9rem;
margin: 3px 0;
}

/* — System Flow Section — */
.system-flow {
margin-top: 30px;
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.flow-steps {
display: flex;
flex-wrap: wrap;
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background: #f9f9f9;
border-radius: 8px;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
padding: 15px;
gap: 10px;
}

.flow-steps .step {
padding: 10px;
border-radius: 4px;
background: #e9ecef;
text-align: center;
flex: 1 1 120px; /* Allow wrapping and growing */
display: flex;
flex-direction: column;
justify-content: center;
}

.flow-steps .step small {
display: block;
font-size: 0.8rem;
color: #555;
margin-top: 4px;
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.flow-steps .step.process {
background-color: #fff6e6; /* Light Orange */
border: 1px solid #fecb89;
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.flow-steps .step.payment {
background-color: #fee2e2; /* Light Red */
border: 1px solid #fca5a5;
}

.flow-steps .arrow {
font-size: 1.5rem;
color: #999;
padding: 0 10px;
text-align: center;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
flex: 0 0 auto; /* Don’t grow or shrink */
}

.warning-text {
font-size: 0.9rem;
color: #777;
margin-top: 15px;
padding-left: 10px;
border-left: 3px solid #fca5a5; /* Light Red border */
}

/* — Response & Risk Sections — */
.response-box {
background: #f8f8f8;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 8px;
padding: 20px;
margin-top: 30px;
}

.risk-panel {
background: #fff4f4; /* Light Red */
border: 1px solid #fca5a5;
border-radius: 8px;
padding: 20px;
margin-top: 30px;
}

.risk-panel h2 {
color: #d90429; /* Red */
border-bottom-color: #d90429;
}

.risk-data {
font-size: 1.2rem;
font-weight: bold;
}

.risk-data strong {
font-size: 1.5rem;
color: #d90429;
}

.note {
font-size: 0.9rem;
color: #555;
margin-top: 15px;
margin-bottom: 0;
}

/* — Footer Quote — */
.closing-quote {
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text-align: center;
border-top: 1px solid #eee;
padding-top: 30px;
}

.closing-quote p {
font-size: 1.5rem;
font-weight: bold;
color: #003e4d; /* Dark Teal */
margin-bottom: 5px;
}

.closing-quote cite {
font-size: 1rem;
color: #555;
font-style: normal;
}

/* — Responsive Breakpoints — */
/* Tablet and up */
@media (min-width: 768px) {
.stories-grid {
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; /* Two columns for stories */
}
.data-grid {
grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr 1fr 1fr; /* Four columns for data */
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}

/* Small-medium screens (flowchart fix) */
@media (max-width: 700px) {
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flex-direction: column; /* Stack flow steps vertically */
align-items: stretch;
}
.flow-steps .arrow {
transform: rotate(90deg); /* Point arrows down */
padding: 10px 0;
}
}

/* Small mobile */
@media (max-width: 600px) {
.data-grid {
grid-template-columns: 1fr; /* Single column for data */
}
.timeline-strip {
flex-direction: column; /* Stack timeline info */
align-items: flex-start;
gap: 5px;
}
.timeline-strip .arrow {
display: none; /* Hide arrow on mobile */
}
.timeline-strip .label {
margin-left: 0;
margin-top: 10px;
}
}
`;

// — 2. Define Component HTML —
// We use a template element for efficient cloning
const template = document.createElement(‘template’);
template.innerHTML = `

`;

// — 3. Attach to Shadow DOM —
// Append the styles and the cloned HTML to the shadow root
this.shadowRoot.appendChild(style);
this.shadowRoot.appendChild(template.content.cloneNode(true));
}
}

// — 4. Define the Custom Element —
// Check if it’s already defined to avoid errors on re-run
if (!customElements.get(‘raf-infographic’)) {
customElements.define(‘raf-infographic’, RafInfographic);
}

RAF response

RAF spokesperson McIntosh Polela acknowledged the fund’s longstanding financial and operational difficulties, some dating back to its inception in 1946.

He noted that the fund’s legislative framework had been amended six times, and at least seven commissions of inquiry had flagged structural flaws in its funding and operations.

“Until those legislative processes are complete, the RAF will continue struggling to process claims timeously,” Polela said.

He revealed that 43.5% of personal claims in the past five years were submitted by people aged 15–35, with an additional 15,227 claims filed by children under 15.

“Road crashes are the leading cause of death for young South Africans, accounting for approximately 41% of all road fatalities,” he said. “Most are not behind the wheel — 38% were pedestrians and 35% passengers.”

Between 2019 and 2023, 24,098 people aged 15–34 were killed in road crashes.

Polela said the RAF was working to reduce its backlog of settled claims awaiting payment.

Legal delays and court challenges

According to RAF Cash — a group that monitors fund payments and educates claimants — the RAF is legally required to pay approved claims within 180 days from the date of a court order or settlement agreement. If it fails to do so, interest begins to accrue 15 days after the payment deadline.

In practice, however, these timelines are often ignored. Last week, the RAF lost a high court bid to extend the payment window, with the court ruling its application lacked urgency and ordering it to pay punitive costs.

The Law Society of South Africa welcomed the judgment, saying the fund’s repeated delays were unjust to victims who had already suffered.

Attorney Kenneth Mhotshabo, an RAF expert, said payment timelines had recently improved. “In the past two months, most cases are being paid within the 180-day window,” he said.

But he acknowledged that some victims have waited years. “Delays often come from backlogged courts or attorneys lacking funds for court proceedings.”

He noted that RAF-related cases now account for over half of the country’s High Court backlog — a crisis worsened by the fund’s controversial 2020 decision to terminate its panel of private attorneys.

The Special Investigating Unit later told Parliament that the decision — made under then-CEO Collins Letsoalo — was taken without a contingency plan, leaving the state attorney’s office, with fewer than 20 lawyers, to handle a massive national caseload.

SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi warned last week that unless urgent reforms are made, new RAF cases may only be heard as late as 2029 or 2030.

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