The Road Accident Fund will speed up the payment of outstanding claims, prioritising claims older than 180 days, which are estimated to be more than R20 billion, the Fund’s interim board said in a statement yesterday.
It said this was part of a broader turnaround programme aimed at tackling systemic delays and restoring confidence in the Fund’s claims environment.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy appointed the interim board in August after dissolving the Fund’s previous board because of governance failures.
Read: Road Accident Fund is at a crossroads
In early September, the High Court in Pretoria dismissed an urgent application by the RAF to extend its 180-day payment moratorium on writs of execution for claims older than 180 days. The Court ruled the application non-urgent and ordered costs against the Fund.
The RAF had previously secured a 180-day moratorium to manage its cash flow and prioritize payments. The attempt to extend this was driven by fears of insolvency if forced to settle claims immediately, particularly with 41 default judgments in May 2025 alone because of the RAF’s failure to oppose claims.
The RAF, funded primarily through fuel levies, has faced chronic underfunding and mismanagement. By March 2025, its liabilities exceeded assets by R27.7bn.
On 5 September, the interim RAF board, chaired by Kenneth Brown, held an urgent meeting with attorney associations to discuss the impact of the ruling.
The RAF said the decision to speed up the payment of all outstanding claims follows a series of meetings with stakeholders, including the legal fraternity and service providers.
“In considering this programme of action, the board also wanted to ensure that a sustainable claims management system is put in place that should eliminate the existence of any claims backlogs in future.”
The board said the following has been done since the meetings:
- The board has completed a comprehensive review of all claims outstanding beyond 180 days, with clear prioritisation for settlement.
- Payments to claimants with claims outstanding for more than 180 days have started, with R3.3bn being disbursed in the past two weeks. The board said it expects the payments to be more than R4bn a month throughout the year. “This should become the norm as part of RAF’s reviewed business model.”
- Controls have been put in place to ensure supporting documentation is reviewed promptly to avoid any further administrative delays.
- Monitoring systems have been strengthened to track paid and outstanding claims to ensure compliance, accountability, and transparency.
- Bi-monthly reports will be issued to plaintiffs’ attorneys and other suppliers and made available publicly, detailing amounts paid and the progress in clearing outstanding claims.
The board said there will be a need for direct engagement on some claims, particularly those that are non-compliant. Protocols have been put in place to ensure these matters are resolved.
“The board is acutely aware of the financial and emotional strain that delayed payments have caused for claimants and their families. We reaffirm our responsibility to resolve this matter with urgency and transparency,” the statement said.
National treasury must just bailout this entity…payoff all outstanding claims of 20 billion once off …and begin to refund the bail out from monthly levy received by RAF. And work closely with new claims and avoid courts litigation is unnecessary
That would be highly appreciated after waiting for three years for funeral expenses and the only response is ” Documents received awaiting for the handler” for the past two years .
I have been waiting 8 years and have recieved q settlement with court order in Januarie 2025 but i am now still waiting to hear from my attorney of any update from raf on when they will pay my claim .. its already been longer than 180 day’s since the court order was granted ,, how long am i going to have to wait still .. ??? What is so difficult in paying the outstanding old claims .. i think my claim may be one of their oldest claims still awaiting payment..
BEING PARTY OF A RAF CLAIM. I FEEL THEY TRY THEIR BEST TO NOT PAY OUT CLAIMS DUE TO THE WAY THEY HANDLE CASES. FOR A RAF LAWYER TO PITCH UP IN COURT AFTER ADMIT ITS A LEGIT CASE AND THERE WAS A OFFER…MY QUESTION PEOPLE WHO LOST LOVED ONES ARE THE ONES THAT SUFFER THE MOST…THE SAYING RAF MUST WALK IN ALL THOSE PEOPLE SHOES IS DIRECTLY ON THEM…THEY ARE PATHETIC WITH NO SYMPATHY FOR THEM ITS ABOUT THE LESS WE PAY THE MORE IN THEIR POCKETS CORRUPTION AT ITS BEST
I have made a direct claim with Raf on the 3rd November 2015 with raf link number 397186 , on the 28th October 2017 I have received an interim offer with statutory undertaking for medical expenses and I was referred to the specialist in 2018 and 2019 on the 10th February 2020 i have received a call from the handler Kholiso Mufeba telling me that the actuaries said Ibdo not qualify for final offer and i wanted to know if is there any thing i can do to protest the decision and they said no.I have been claiming medical expenses using the undertaking statutory from 2018 till 2022 and were paid without any hustles in the 2023 they decided to stop reimbursing for my medical expenses telling me that I did not incur any cost but they have been paying my invoices covered by my medical aid all of the sudden they told me that I did not incur any cost.
Please investigate because I have a strong feeling that my final offer has been made and paid to one of raf official relative knowing that I wouldn’t where to lodge a complaint.
Kind regards
Ramo
Please check my claim since I have only received my interim offer in 2017 underwent specialist assessment in 2018 and 2019 for final offer and in 2020 I was told that the actuaries said my final offer is R0.00 and I don’t what to do any my claim was a direct claim I did not use the service of the legal representative as I was advised not use them because they will rob me,I was awarded statutory undertaking for my medical expenses now they stop reimbursing me saying I will only be reimbursed if I incurred any cost and that was not what I was told when signing for it and interim offer I was told that since I have received interim there’s noway I can’t qualify for final offer now everything changed please help me my link number is 3792186 id number 740822 5333 085.
I have made a direct claim with Raf on the 3rd November 2015 with raf link number 3792186 , on the 28th October 2017 I have received an interim offer with statutory undertaking for medical expenses and I was referred to the specialist in 2018 and 2019 on the 10th February 2020 i have received a call from the handler Kholiso Mufeba telling me that the actuaries said Ibdo not qualify for final offer and i wanted to know if is there any thing i can do to protest the decision and they said no.I have been claiming medical expenses using the undertaking statutory from 2018 till 2022 and were paid without any hustles in the 2023 they decided to stop reimbursing for my medical expenses telling me that I did not incur any cost but they have been paying my invoices covered by my medical aid all of the sudden they told me that I did not incur any cost.
Please investigate because I have a strong feeling that my final offer has been made and paid to one of raf official relative knowing that I wouldn’t where to lodge a complaint.
Kind regards
Ramo
They handled the CEO and board but they never attended to these arrogant incompetent employees at the claims processing departments or case managers who are clearly compromised by their own personal interference when it comes to claimants exercising their rights obtained in their favor. Judgement was ruled and these ground floor staff of the arAF are continuing to infringe on claimants rights . Start cleaning out these useless rotten apples in these departments who causes obstruction and will cost the RAF in the long run . Nothing gets done about them when complaints are laid .