Durban - KwaZulu-Natal will get its turn to share their thoughts on the Road Accident Fund’s proposal to change the way claimants will receive their payouts.The Road Accident Benefit Scheme, known as RABS, aims to provide a social security scheme for the victims of road accidents.
Officials will host the public hearings at the Uvongo Town Hall in Port Shepstone on Wednesday, August 1.
Last week, the Portfolio Committee on Transport held hearings in the North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
Committee chairperson, Dikeledi Magadzi, explained that the Bill will replace the current RAF Act and improve the administration of benefits and payouts to accident victims.
“Thus far, we have received mixed reactions from the public and members of the legal fraternity.In the provinces that we have visited thus far, people have given us input that we believe will assist the committee when analysing the bill. We hope that we will get even better input from the remaining hearings,” she said.
According to RAF, RABS is necessary to address the legacies of the current third party insurance system under the fund, which have made the system unfair, inequitable, inefficient, unsustainable and vulnerable to widespread abuse.
Under RABS, fault will not be considered on the part of the claimant or other persons involved in the road accident. The focus will essentially be on how the claimant is immediately assisted. A no-fault scheme will create a new era of socio-economic balance and will also remove the unintended negative consequences and financial burden on the families of the wrongdoer.
During the hearings, Magadzi said they had received complaints from current RAF claimants who were unhappy with the services that they had received from the Fund.
She said they will be meeting with the head of RAF, the RAF board and the Minister of Transport to tell them of the challenges that they had come across during the hearings.
More about RABS
