Transport Ministry given deadline for strategy to resolve RAF issues

The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has given the Department of Transport until next week to inform them on its strategy to resolve governance failures, financial mismanagement and procurement irregularities within the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

Yesterday, the RAF updated SCOPA on several issues, including why its CEO was placed on special leave and the current SIU investigation.

During the hearing, the committee raised a number of concerns which include boards failure to vet its senior officials, failure to appoint a chief claims officer despite a backlog of claims and operating for more than two years without a head of legal services, to name a few.

SCOPA Chairperson Songezo Zibi says if appropriate action is not taken it will move to censure the transport minister.

“It was a difficult hearing because firstly, it nearly didn’t happen. I got three lawyers’ letters, one from the CEO of the RAF, the other from the chairperson and another from the acting chief investment officer of the RAF. The first two, they said they don’t want to come to the hearing because they had not been presented with the same presentation the SIU gave to us many weeks ago. The acting chief investment officer did not want us to mention him at all during the meeting. We worked through the weekend to make sure that we have a hearing with the great assistance of the deputy minister of transport.”