ActionSA has formally written to the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, demanding the immediate dismissal of the entire Board of Directors of the Road Accident Fund (RAF). It is an affront to South Africans that they are expected to pay more at the pumps while these funds fuel corruption, incompetence, and waste.
The RAF’s appearance before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Wednesday, following investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), confirmed that the RAF has become a cesspool of mismanagement and corruption. With an annual revenue of R50 billion, the RAF is meant to compensate individuals injured in road accidents. Instead, it itself has become a “car crash.”
Despite repeated attempts to evade accountability, the RAF Board was ultimately forced to appear before SCOPA, largely due to the intervention of Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, a former SCOPA Chairperson. Just hours before the meeting, RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo was placed on “special leave” over misconduct allegations related to a R79 million lease deal. This last-minute move was a thinly veiled attempt to shield him from parliamentary scrutiny. He himself refused at the last minute to attend SCOPA despite having flown to Cape Town.
The meeting that followed was one of the most chaotic in recent SCOPA history. Among the revelations:
- The RAF has operated without a Head of Legal Services for nearly three years, despite being a litigation-heavy entity, that literally bleeds money to default judgements.
- Key staff are appointed without proper vetting.
- The Board has actively obstructed SIU investigations.
- The RAF is currently in litigation with the Auditor-General following an adverse audit opinion. They literally spend resources intended for compensation on fruitless litigation.
There is only one path to restoring the RAF’s credibility: the immediate dismissal of the entire Board and its replacement with competent, accountable leadership. As seen at the SABC, National Lotteries Commission, and Eskom, turnaround is possible when leadership is replaced and governance is restored.
When executive leaders fail to act, Parliament must compel them. That’s why ActionSA has introduced its maiden piece of legislation, the Enhanced Cut to Cabinet Perks Bill, a bold move to slash the bloated costs of one of the world’s largest Cabinets and to bring long-overdue transparency to the secretive Ministerial Handbook and improve performance and oversight of the executive.
ActionSA has also volunteered to serve on the Parliamentary Spending Review Committee, which is tasked with eliminating wasteful, underperforming programmes and redirecting funds to where they are most needed.
South Africans deserve better than a government that protects corruption while demanding more from its citizens. ActionSA will not rest until accountability and integrity are restored in institutions like the RAF.
ActionSA Demands Immediate Dismissal of RAF Board
ActionSA has formally written to the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, demanding the immediate dismissal of the entire Board of Directors of the Road Accident Fund (RAF). It is an affront to South Africans that they are expected to pay more at the pumps while these funds fuel corruption, incompetence, and waste.
The RAF’s appearance before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) on Wednesday, following investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), confirmed that the RAF has become a cesspool of mismanagement and corruption. With an annual revenue of R50 billion, the RAF is meant to compensate individuals injured in road accidents. Instead, it itself has become a “car crash.”
Despite repeated attempts to evade accountability, the RAF Board was ultimately forced to appear before SCOPA, largely due to the intervention of Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, a former SCOPA Chairperson. Just hours before the meeting, RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo was placed on “special leave” over misconduct allegations related to a R79 million lease deal. This last-minute move was a thinly veiled attempt to shield him from parliamentary scrutiny. He himself refused at the last minute to attend SCOPA despite having flown to Cape Town.
The meeting that followed was one of the most chaotic in recent SCOPA history. Among the revelations:
There is only one path to restoring the RAF’s credibility: the immediate dismissal of the entire Board and its replacement with competent, accountable leadership. As seen at the SABC, National Lotteries Commission, and Eskom, turnaround is possible when leadership is replaced and governance is restored.
When executive leaders fail to act, Parliament must compel them. That’s why ActionSA has introduced its maiden piece of legislation, the Enhanced Cut to Cabinet Perks Bill, a bold move to slash the bloated costs of one of the world’s largest Cabinets and to bring long-overdue transparency to the secretive Ministerial Handbook and improve performance and oversight of the executive.
ActionSA has also volunteered to serve on the Parliamentary Spending Review Committee, which is tasked with eliminating wasteful, underperforming programmes and redirecting funds to where they are most needed.
South Africans deserve better than a government that protects corruption while demanding more from its citizens. ActionSA will not rest until accountability and integrity are restored in institutions like the RAF.