RAF 'vacillating between hope and a total cancerous and fetid situation' - Polela

The Road Accident Fund (RAF)’s communications head, McIntosh Polela, has described the organisation as broken and dysfunctional. 

He appeared before Parliament’s oversight inquiry of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Wednesday to testify about two media contracts worth a billion rand.

But Polela also backed up earlier witness testimony of the fund’s toxic working environment that has led to numerous alleged unfair suspensions and dismissals that have ruined lives.

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Following the testimony of three dismissed RAF officials on Tuesday, one of them who could not hold back tears in front of the committee, on Wednesday, Polela said that he could attest to the hardships many have faced working at the fund.

With the former CEO gone and a new interim board in place, Polela said that some employees were now seeking to exact revenge on managers.

"Where we are currently, we are vacillating between hope and a total cancerous and fetid situation."

Polela did not appear confident that a new board could bring about the needed reform and said that he issued this warning to the new chairperson.

In August, Cabinet appointed former Treasury official, Kenneth Brown, to the job after Transport Minister Barbara Creecy dissolved the previous board.

"I put it to him that if he stays long enough in the RAF, he will become part of the problem because I’ve seen it happening."

Polela claimed that not even the law can protect employees who challenge instructions from powerful individuals. 

"Even if there is legislation that is so hard it will send them to jail, they will put you out of the RAF."

The inquiry will resume next week.