Over R152m paid to crash survivors

Johannesburg - The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has paid out over R152m to crash survivors in four provinces, it said on Sunday.

"October Transport Month activities surpassed expectations yesterday when the RAF rolled out its suite of services during its outreach campaign in four provinces, concurrently settling over R152m’s worth of claims.

"Over 5 800 claimants had heeded the call to come directly to the fund," it said in a statement.

This saved on contingency fees because people were able to register new claims, make enquiries, and settle their claims.

RAF said people who were ripped off by "unscrupulous attorneys" also reported them.

The activities were held at Lillian Ngoyi Indoor Sports Centre in KwaZakhele, Alexandra’s Johannesburg Central Technical College, Giyani Community Hall in Giyani and Mfuleni’s Zolile Malindi Community Hall.

Speaking in Alexandra, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said the fact that the "RAF on the Road" was hosted in four provinces simultaneously was special.

She said RAF on the Road was seen as one of government's key vehicles in promoting access to government services. In post-apartheid South Africa access to effective public services was not only enjoyed by a privileged few.

She said it was the "legitimate right" of all residents, particularly those who were previously disadvantaged.

"This initiative provides 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," she was quoted as saying.

"The socio-graphics of our country are such that the poorest of the poor are often those who are most affected by road crashes and don’t have the means to access facilities."

She said that the socio-economic impact of road crashes was immeasurable.

RAF CEO Dr Eugene Watson, said despite a deficit, R22bn had been paid to claimants in the 2013/14 financial year.