RAF cannot afford to cover foreign nationals, says CEO
Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo says that the fund cannot afford to pay out foreign nationals when they suffer injuries on the country’s roads.
Lestoalo briefed the media on Thursday at the RAF offices in Centurion on the fund’s 2022/2023 financial results and the proposed draft bill.
He said expecting the RAF to cover foreign nationals is simply unsustainable.
“Why does South Africa think it can afford to get people from developed countries coming here and we cover them? It’s not sustainable. It’s not a global practice we are aligning. People are always saying ‘South Africa and compare us’,” said Letsoalo.
“The cover you have must be the same as other countries; you just don’t arrive there and get social benefits, and the RAF can’t afford it. For it to be sustainable, you must make sure that there is a model that works. This is nothing about the hatred of foreigners. We are just aligning to the global best practice.”
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The RAF published a directive in 2022 stating that no money would be paid out to people who were in the country without valid documentation.
This directive, which has come in for harsh criticism from some quarters, is being challenged in court by Zimbabwean national Adam Mudawo.
Mudawo’s permit lapsed after he came into the county as an asylum seeker in 2020.
He was subsequently involved in a motorbike crash, which resulted in serious injuries to his face.
But Letsoalo argues that it is a global standard practice for anyone residing in a country to have some form of security.
“You go to developing countries, and when I need a visa, they say insure yourself first. They say they want to see my medical insurance, and they want to see how I will be repatriated if I die in the country. These are all developed countries.”
