RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo could face criminal charges if he fails to appear before Parliament

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) is tightening its pursuit of former Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo, who has repeatedly failed to accept summonses to appear before the committee.

Scopa chairperson Songezo Zibi explains that after sheriffs found his listed properties vacant, Parliament resorted to serving the summons online.

"I will assume that he has been very busy, and at the time that the sheriff has arrived, which is numerous times at the various properties that are under his name, he has just not been able to come to the door to take the summons. But we are expecting him to be at the committee today."

Letsoalo is being asked to explain his high spending while in office. This includes R23 million spent on personal security, hotels, and bodyguards from 2023 to 2025.

Zibi cautions that if Letsoalo does not show up, it may lead to criminal proceedings being initiated.

Beyond the missing CEO, Scopa is probing deeper into dysfunction at the RAF, including ballooning legal costs, a dramatic drop in the number of claims settled, and what Zibi calls a 'serious accounting scandal'.

"The financial statements of the Road Accident Fund, which have to be consolidated into the budget, have deliberately contradicted what the finance minister has told Parliament as part of the budget, simply because they did not like the accounting policy that is applicable. I am not aware of any country where that happens, but in South Africa it does. Parliament has seemingly been okay with it for the last few years because the Road Accident Fund's annual reports have also been approved by Parliament, which makes no sense to me."

To listen to Zibi in conversation with CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit, click below: