RAF riddled with 'collusion' and 'malfeasance', former board tells Parliament

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has been described to Parliament as an institution riddled with collusion and malfeasance.

The fund’s former deputy board chairperson, Nomonde Mabuya-Moloele, told the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) that it is not the board’s job to get involved in employee matters.

She was responding to questions from members of Parliament (MPs) on allegations made by some employees that former CEO Collins Letsoalo was a "bully" who terrorised them.

The four former board members who appeared before Parliament’s inquiry into the RAF were peppered with questions about mass suspensions and terminations at the organisation under the leadership of the former CEO.

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Mabuya-Moloele said the board only raised concerns about the money spent on disciplinary matters and the length of time that they took.

She said the board used employee surveys to test the mood within the organisation.

"We never did door-to-door. That was not our role. The surveys were a good dipstick to give us a sense of the pulse of the organisation," she said.

She also testified that the organisation needed a firm leader, but said she could not verify witness testimony that Letsoalo had been abusive towards staff.

"The RAF is an organisation full of collusion... malfeasance... people doing all sorts of things. If you are a CEO, stepping into those shoes, it’s not an easy organisation, that I must put upfront," Mabuya-Moloele said.

However, she said it was disappointing that the board lacked expertise in human relations and that the organisation’s employee relations managers were not up to the task of handling disciplinary matters.