RAF board paints grim picture of dysfunctional fund and ‘climate of fear’

The board of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) has painted a picture of a largely dysfunctional organisation that cannot sustain itself and where staff have been operating in a "climate of fear". 

Interim board chairperson Kenneth Brown told Parliament’s standing committee on public accounts (SCOPA) on Tuesday that the fund’s paper-based claims system is outdated and, in the case of death, inhumane. 

The board, whose six-month term ends in just five days, is testifying at an inquiry into maladministration at the fund. 

Board chairperson Kenneth Brown has not minced his words, telling Parliament there is still a long way to go to fix a broken system. 

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"The magnitude of the work is massive. It’s a massive task, I will not lie. So, the task ahead is going to be tough," Brown said. 

Brown said the finances of the organisation remain precarious.

The fund needed to make payouts of around R20bn in December with less than R5bn in the bank. 

"What broke the camel’s back was when the Road Accident Fund lost the case on the 180-day moratorium to settle claims]" he said. 

Brown said the board’s intervention has also revealed around 300 staff members who had previously been unfairly suspended have not been assigned any jobs upon their return, while there are around 400 more staff who have been contracted in.