Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Dr Chris Hunsinger MP, isiZulu soundbite by Mzamo Billy MP, and isiXhosa soundbite by Mlindi Nhanha MP.
The Road Accident Fund (RAF) wants motorists to pay more. It has asked National Treasury to raise the fuel levy by 75 cents a litre, to R3 per litre, in the same week that fuel prices hit a record R30 a litre.
Yet the Sunday Times shows where the money is going. The RAF has spent R12.8 million on legal costs for just seven disciplinary hearings, and close to R30 million on salaries for at least 16 suspended executives. Some have been sitting at home on full pay for almost two years.
Meanwhile, thousands of legitimate claims remain unpaid.
More money will not fix the RAF. Its problem is not that motorists pay too little. It is how the money is managed. This is making petrol and diesel far more expensive than it should be. Every rand spent on drawn-out suspensions and senior counsel is a rand that should have gone to accident victims.
Clearly, the model is completely broken and must be reformed immediately.
Before motorists are asked for another cent, the RAF must show it can manage what it already has. The DA will continue to fight for a fund that is properly run, accountable, and focused on victims rather than on protecting its own executives.