POLOKO TAU
THE ROAD Accident Fund has opened its doors to aggrieved accident victims with the debut of its national campaign, called RAF on the Road.
Soweto residents flocked to the Ipelegeng Community Centre in White City on Friday to get advice and information about how to institute claims after some had lost all hope of receiving a settlement, while others did not know how to go about the process.
The RAF has dubbed 2012 “the year of the customer” and is aiming to take its services to the people, said spokeswoman Nozipho Jafta.
“We want to meet the faces behind the files… We’re also informing them of the simple procedures of lodging a claim when they or a family member have been involved in a road accident.”
Many of those who came to the event – like Daniel Sehube from Molapo – thanked the RAF for the interaction.
Sehube said he had been clueless about the service, but now hoped his grandmother, who was involved in a taxi accident, could be assisted.
“My family have submitted all the necessary documents and we’ve now been advised on what to do next,” he said.
Jafta said that apart from taking new claims, giving advice and educating residents, they were also checking the status of applicants’ claims.
Babili Nkosi, 72, of Mofolo, left the centre relieved after learning that his claims had not even been registered by his lawyer, who has vanished.
“I was worried he might have received my money without telling me. You know, these things happen all the time. I came here today and was told I can do it without a lawyer,” Nkosi said.
Jafta said that to lodge a claim, victims required a police accident report and a medical report, and needed to be able to give a statement about the accident.
“If possible, take pictures of the accident, get details of the driver or drivers involved, car registration plates, details of other passengers and anything that could help us process the claim faster,” she said.
“We had positive feedback, judging from the number of people who came, and we made sure that they left satisfied. This will soon be seen in all other areas,” said Jafta.