The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) is preparing to enter the decisive phase of its inquiry into the Road Accident Fund (RAF), with deliberations on the draft report scheduled to begin in mid-March.
SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi confirmed that the committee will consider the draft during the week beginning 17 March, marking the first formal step towards finalising the report following months of hearings.
Once members have completed their deliberations, the committee will move to the next procedural stage: circulating relevant sections of the draft report to individuals or institutions who may be affected by its findings.
Zibi said this process would begin “as soon as the committee has deliberated” on the draft report.
The final report is expected to be adopted later in the year and tabled in the National Assembly during the next parliamentary term, once Parliament returns from recess.
Inquiry nearing conclusion
The update signals that SCOPA’s inquiry into the RAF – one of Parliament’s most extensive investigations into a public entity in recent years – is now approaching its conclusion.
The inquiry was launched in June 2025 after the committee cited persistent difficulties obtaining reliable information from the RAF’s leadership. Over several months of hearings between October 2025 and early 2026, SCOPA heard testimony from the RAF, the Department of Transport, National Treasury, the Auditor-General, the Special Investigating Unit, former executives, and several service providers.
Evidence presented during those hearings pointed to a range of governance failures, including disputes over accounting policy, procurement controversies, the dismantling of the RAF’s panel of attorneys, and a backlog of hundreds of thousands of claims.
The inquiry also examined concerns about financial sustainability at the Fund, which relies primarily on the fuel levy for revenue, while facing growing liabilities linked to unpaid claims and legal disputes.
With the hearings concluded, SCOPA is focusing on consolidating the evidence and translating it into findings and recommendations.
Letsoalo summons expected to feature
One issue expected to feature prominently in the report is the refusal by former RAF chief executive Collins Letsoalo to comply with a parliamentary summons.
SCOPA previously resolved to summon Letsoalo after repeated attempts to secure his voluntary appearance before the committee failed. He was instructed to appear before SCOPA in November 2025 but did not attend.
Zibi confirmed that the final report will address the matter.
“The committee had already voted to invoke the Powers and Privileges Act in respect of people who refuse or fail to respond to a summons without good cause,” he said.
The Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act provides for criminal consequences where individuals fail to comply with parliamentary summonses without lawful justification.
The issue has attracted particular attention because it represents one of the rare instances in which Parliament has considered invoking these provisions against a senior official of a state entity.
No further hearings planned
SCOPA indicated that no additional hearings or engagements are planned before the report is finalised. Instead, the committee will focus on internal deliberations and drafting the document that will ultimately be presented to Parliament.
Once adopted by the National Assembly, the report could trigger several follow-up actions. These may include referrals to law-enforcement agencies, recommendations to the executive, and proposals for legislative reform aimed at addressing structural weaknesses in the RAF system.
