RAF calls more than 70k claimants to clear backlog of unpaid claims

The Road Accident Fund (RAF) said it’s made more than 72,000 calls in an attempt to trace claimants as it tries to clear its mammoth case backlog.

But it said at least half of this number can’t be found through the phone numbers on record.

Officials have been reporting to Parliament on Friday on the operations at the fund during a visit of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) to the Parktown office in Johannesburg.

The visit forms part of the committee’s inquiry into maladministration at the fund.

By the end of Thursday, the RAF said it made 71 840 calls to claimants who are not represented by lawyers.

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It has made a further 921 calls to attorneys’ offices, many of whom represent several claimants.

Acting legal head Nyiko Baloyi said the fund wants to cut down on protracted legal battles and accompanying costs.

"We’ve taken active steps to ensure matters don’t proceed to court and an earnest process for settlement is actually engaged with."

However, acting head of claims Tshepo Moatshe said this is not always possible.

"Of course, there will still be people who want to push litigation, and this is where our legal capacity issues come into play, where we need to defend, because people are hell-bent to litigate."

The RAF said it’s trying to dispel the notion that matters can’t be settled through mediation.

But it acknowledges that it needs to ramp up its ability to process claims if it’s to reduce litigation.