Road Accident Fund Tightens Its Belt Towards Foreign Nationals, Insists on Travel Insurance

• The new draft bill by the Road Accident Fund proposes exclusion of foreign nationals from claiming compensation
• The bill has been widely criticised by lawyers, among others, saying it infringes on the rights of accident victims in the country
• The bill also suggests significant restructuring, moving from lump sum payouts to providing accident victims with a fixed regular income

SOUTH AFRICA - It's going to be a bumpy ride for foreign nationals going forward as the South African Road Accident Fund (RAF) is not backing down on its proposed bill, citing the exclusion of foreign nationals from compensation.

The fund has now shifted gears, insisting on foreign nationals getting insurance or finding other means to cater for themselves when entering the country.

According to SABC News, the fund says it has paid over R3.3 billion in claims to foreign nationals over the last two years. It also tabled plans to bring those who have been misusing the fund to book.

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Head of Corporate Communications, McIntosh Polela, said 8 600 foreign nationals have benefited from the fund between April 2021 and March 2023. He said:

"What we’re proposing now is that foreign nationals are not going to be catered for. If you come through our borders, however, you come through our borders, you need to have insurance."

South Africans divided over the bill

Netizens shared different sentiments on the newly proposed bill on Twitter, with some supporting it and others dissenting. Below are some of the views:

@nyasha_gwata asked:

"So foreigners must not pay tax?"

@Trompies015 posed this question:

"Do they not have RAF in their own countries?"

@PMSFC__ commented:

"It's funny how we South Africans always apply for private medical insurance when travelling to other countries, but here in SA, we have people who want foreigners to benefit from our own RAF."

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@bongwe_ncube asked:

"Same foreigners who are funding the RAF through road and fuel taxes?"

@makhanip remarked:

"Travel insurance makes sense, I don't know what the uproar is about."

@OhFlipItsVuyo asked:

"If foreigners pay tax, why must they be excluded from being able to claim RAF?"

Man kidnapped, extorted for RAF payout

Previously, Briefly News reported that a bank employee and two accomplices were arrested after kidnapping a man and extorting his RAF payout.

The man has been a victim of kidnapping on several occasions since January this year. The thugs made three attempts to swindle the man's RAF money, demanding R50 000 each time. The suspects were later apprehended in Inanda, Durban.

Man fined R100K for scamming RAF

In a similar report by Briefly News, an Eastern Cape man got more than he bargained for when he was fined R100K for trying to scam the RAF.

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56-year-old Mzwandile Patrick Msutwana attempted to claim over R2 million, claiming he was injured in a hit-and-run accident. Red flags in the claim led the RAF to probe and later discover that he had in fact fallen and gotten injured while intoxicated.

Msutwana was sentenced to a fine of R100K or five years imprisonment, to which he opted for the fine.

Source: Briefly News