{"id":93205,"date":"2024-11-11T20:27:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T18:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=93205"},"modified":"2024-11-11T20:27:29","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T18:27:29","slug":"raf-crisis-leaves-victims-in-limbo-amid-mounting-backlogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/raf-crisis-leaves-victims-in-limbo-amid-mounting-backlogs\/","title":{"rendered":"RAF Crisis Leaves Victims in Limbo Amid Mounting Backlogs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n

3-minute read<\/em>
\n11 November 2024 | 17:50 CAT<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo said the massive backlog they were experiencing was due to pending claims without supporting documents.<\/p><\/div>\n

A significant backlog in the Road Accident Fund (RAF) leaves thousands of South Africans waiting years for critical compensation. Victims, already grappling with injury and financial hardship, face unprecedented delays due to the RAF\u2019s economic struggles and operational issues.<\/p>\n

In an interview with\u00a0Radio Islam International<\/a>, Gert Nel, CEO of the law firm Gert Nel Inc., highlighted the dire situation.\u00a0\u201cThe RAF cannot ascertain its exact financial liability due to an ongoing dispute with the Auditor General over accounting practices. This financial ambiguity compounds delays in compensating claimants,\u201d Nel said. He noted that victims, many of whom rely on timely payments for medical expenses and basic support, are forced to wait far beyond the court-mandated 180 days.<\/p>\n

The crisis has exacerbated an already strained court system as RAF cases pile up without legal representation on the Fund\u2019s side. \u201cRAF\u2019s decision not to reinstate its panel of attorneys has led to an unmanageable caseload,\u201d Nel explained. \u201cPlaintiff attorneys are left navigating a system where claims languish, often settling by default judgment due to RAF\u2019s absence in court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding to the turmoil is a controversial board notice that mandates claims be filed with all particulars, a measure to expedite cases. \u201cThis notice, however, was declared invalid and unlawful, yet the RAF continues to enforce it,\u201d Nel stated. He contended that the inefficacy of this rule only adds to the Fund’s burdens without alleviating the backlog.<\/p>\n

With trial dates at the North Gauteng High Court extending into 2030, many victims will wait years for their cases to reach settlement discussions. \u201cBy the time some of these cases are resolved, victims may no longer need the funds in the same way,\u201d Nel said, underscoring the Fund\u2019s failure to meet its legislative obligations.<\/p>\n

The RAF\u2019s apparent inertia has sparked concern among legal practitioners and the public. Nel\u2019s call to action is clear: \u201cIf the RAF genuinely intends to assist victims, it must address backlogged cases, starting with the oldest, and abandon ineffective policies. Otherwise, countless victims will continue to suffer without the support they desperately need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Gert Nel here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 11 November 2024 | 17:50 CAT A significant backlog in the Road Accident Fund (RAF) leaves thousands of South Africans waiting years for critical compensation. Victims, already grappling with injury and financial hardship, face unprecedented delays due to the RAF\u2019s economic struggles and operational issues. In an interview with\u00a0Radio […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":93206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-93205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Screenshot-2024-11-11-202153.jpg?fit=1098%2C612&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-ofj","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 18:49:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=93205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/93206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=93205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=93205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=93205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}