Double claim payments generally not due to corruption, RAF tells MPs

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) says double payments made in respect of claims are not generally due to corruption but the result of claimants pursuing multiple avenues to get their money.

On the first day of a parliamentary inquiry into governance practices at the fund, claims officials said duplicate payments largely occured when the fund’s bank account was attached after a claim was already lodged on the RAF system. 

The inquiry being conducted by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts has also heard of attempts by foreign nationals who are in the country illegally, using legal avenues to be compensated.

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Much of the first day of the inquiry involved officials explaining the claims process to MPs, who sought to understand why the fund was not meeting its 180-day deadline to pay a legitimate claim, leading to court action.

Acting regional manager, Sibongile Mgwali, said this situation was contributing to the duplicate payments.

"So instead of waiting until RAF does the payment, they will go in and attach RAF’s bank account, meaning they will submit a rate, and the bank will have no option but to pay the amount, whilst the same amount is already requested on the system."

Acting chief claims officer, Tshepo Moatshe, said lawyers also circumvented the claims deadline. 

"We’ve got instances and examples of practitioners who will bring court orders when they are over 180 days, with a writ."

He said mechanisms had been put in place to ensure court orders don’t slip through the cracks, and that they were executed timeously.