As previously reported, the Road Accident Fund (RAF) is so dysfunctional a judge has called for it to be urgently liquidated. However, since then, a law firm has called on the government to become involved and take responsibility in a bid to avoid a total collapse of the entity, says a report in The Mercury.

Seven claimants, who urgently need the money and have been awaiting payment of their claims for up to a year and more, will, with the help of their lawyer, approach the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) to try to ensure government’s intervention.

They will, through lawyer Stephan Spruyt, ask that Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni file reports every three months with the court, setting out how they plan to ensure that claims are paid out to those claimants who have already obtained court orders to be compensated following road accidents.

They will also ask that Mbalula, as soon as possible, present a copy of the RAF’s annual report before Parliament.

In addition, the Auditor-General must, within three months, audit the RAF’s annual financial statements and supply the court with a copy.

The court will, meanwhile, also be asked to compel Mboweni to supply the court with a report setting out how National Treasury plans to ensure that there is always enough money in the national revenue fund to pay the RAF, to in turn pay the claimants.

Spruyt questioned the RAF’s ongoing litigation – at the taxpayers’ cost – while its outstanding liabilities stood at R14.9bn in March.

He said it was now time to turn the attention to ‘the lack of response’ by the national executive responsible for the fund’s administration.

‘In all that has transpired, the Transport Minister is ominously silent …,’ said Spruyt.

Full report in The Mercury (subscription needed)