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Johannesburg - As part of October Transport Month (OTM) the department of transport and the Road Accident Fund (RAF) take their flagship campaign on the road in four provinces this weekend.
Led by Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, Deputy Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and RAF CEO Dr Eugene Watson, "RAF on the Road" will run concurrently on Saturday October 11 from 06:00 to 18:00 in Giyani (Limpopo), Alexandra (Gauteng), KwaZakhele (Port Elizabeth) and Mfuleni (Cape Town), supported by live television and radio broadcasts.
Key milestones of the campaign include creating access to services through the opening of new offices in the Northern Cape (Kimberley), Limpopo (Polokwane), North West (Mahikeng) and Free State (Bloemfontein). This expansion of the RAF’s geographic footprint is in addition to the existing network of 83 Hospital Service Centers (HSC) housed in government hospitals.
“These offices provide physical access to road accident victims, who would otherwise not have had the opportunity to interact face-to-face with RAF consultants without travelling long distances to the nearest regional offices,” said Peters during last week’s RAF office launch in Kimberley.
Since March 2012, a total of 40 communities across the country were visited, 685 people were attended to in makeshift offices on Saturdays, 27 439 claimants were assisted nationally, and R591m worth of claims were paid directly to claimants. According to Watson, RAF’s aim is to expand communication, improve access, care, rehabilitate crash victims and accelerate the claims process of those adversely affected by the scourge of road crashes.
Currently one in four claimants come directly to lodge claims, 364 claimants walk through HSCs, and an average of 40 consultations are recorded at customer service centres on a daily basis.
On October 11, eligible community members will be encouraged to claim directly with the Fund, thus saving them unnecessary contingency fees and disproving the old notion that they can only claim through a representative.
RAF officials will also engage intensively with the community regarding RAF processes, assist them with claims enquiries, completion of claim forms and provided them with support to rehabilitate survivors.
As part of the build up to these OTM activities, road safety education and awareness aimed at promoting compliance to traffic rules, changing road users’ behaviour, and curbing the escalating rate of crashes and fatalities will also be offered over three days.
This includes defensive driving training to 100 public transport drivers, road safety awareness campaigns in taxi ranks, and the provision of cycling helmets to leaners at the main "RAF on the Road" event in Giyani.
The department of transport will also hand over 100 bicycles and helmets to learners as part of its Shova Kalula bicycles project for school kids at a media briefing. The project targets users in most disadvantaged rural and urban settings who have to walk long distances to get to school.
The department and the RAF invite members of the media to attend the events in their respective provinces in order to utilise the opportunity to meet key stakeholders and understand the fund’s mandate over the transition period to the Road Accident Benefit Scheme.
The details of the events on October 11 are:
- Limpopo: Giyani Community Hall, BA 41, Giyani Main;
- Gauteng: Central Johannesburg Technical College, Alexandra Campus;
- Port Elizabeth, KwaZakhele: Lillian Ngoyi Indoor Sports Centre, Mbilini Street;
- Cape Town, Mfuleni: Zolile Malindi Community Hall (Afrika Tikkun), Trevor Tokwana Drive.
