RAF CEO says govt must consider law to stop illegal immigrants claiming from the fund

JOHANNESBURG - Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO, Collins Letsoalo says government needs to consider changing legislation to stop illegal immigrants from claiming compensation from the fund.

In March this year, a full bench of the High Court in Pretoria set aside new rules set by the fund, which require foreign claimants to prove they were in the country legally at the time of their accidents.

The court found that there was nothing in the relevant legislation to indicate that foreigners who were not in the country legally were excluded from claiming from the fund.

It also found that the RAF and the transport minister had acted outside of their powers when they introduced these new rules.

However, Letsoalo said he doesn't understand why South Africa should pay people who are in the country illegally.
 
"We are saying we can't afford a South Africa to do what all the other countries are not doing, which is give you social benefits when you arrive there. That's why when you arrive there, they ask for medical insurance, when you're injured you must get your own medical insurance to pay for you.

"You'll be quickly out of that country, they'll stabilise you and they'll send you home, so that you don't end up benefitting. We are doing the same thing as all the other countries, there's nothing xenophobic about it."

Letsoalo says if nothing is done to change the laws, the fund will collapse.

"It won't collapse because of foreigners; it will collapse because everyone has a hat in it. All we are saying is, let's align ourselves with global practices. Why do we want best practices on other things, but when it comes to RAF, we say no?"

ALSO READ: RAF working to clear 321,000 claims that haven't been finalised