SCOPA to launch full-blown inquiry into the Road Accident Fund
The committee says it’s taken the decision because repeated attempts to get accurate information from the fund’s board have proved futile.
Chairperson of Parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts Songezo Zibi in discussion on initiating an inquiry into maladministration at the Road Accident Fund. Picture: Parliament/Zwelethemba Kostile.
CAPE TOWN - Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) is to launch a full-blown inquiry into the Road Accident Fund (RAF).
It says it will probe allegations of maladministration, financial mismanagement and misconduct at the beleaguered fund.
The committee says it’s taken the decision because repeated attempts to get accurate information from the fund’s board have proved futile.
The fund’s main income is the fuel levy, which was hiked earlier this month in a budget trade-off between political parties.
Last month, the now suspended RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo dodged the committee, proving to be the last straw for parliamentarians after it emerged he refused to be vetted for the job he’s held for seven years.
The fund has also been unable to tell the committee where it’s investing its money.
SCOPA chairperson Songezo Zibi says the committee can’t continue to ignore whistleblower accounts of tender irregularities, the fund’s failure to fill key vacancies and how it appoints law firms.
"There are lots of allegations and counter allegations. Everybody involved needs to be given the opportunity to present their side of the story before the committee. We need to give everyone the opportunity to do so under oath."
The committee plans to approve the inquiry’s terms of reference by the beginning of July for an inquiry to start after the August recess.
This is the first inquiry initiated by a parliamentary committee since the start of the new administration.