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ActionSA fully supports the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) in its resolution to secure the appearance of former Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO, Collins Letsoalo, as a witness in its ongoing inquiry into alleged maladministration, financial misconduct, and the misuse of public funds at the Fund. The integrity of Parliament’s oversight process cannot be compromised by the refusal or evasion of key witnesses, particularly those who held executive authority over the entity under investigation.

SCOPA’s inquiry represents a crucial mechanism to ensure accountability and transparency in relation to the serious allegations facing the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The Fund, mandated to compensate victims of road accidents, manages an annual budget exceeding R40 billion, financed by every South African motorist through a R2.18 levy on each litre of fuel purchased. Given the scale of this public contribution, it is imperative that the Fund be managed with the highest standards of integrity and financial discipline.

ActionSA has already raised serious concerns about the troubling findings emerging from the inquiry, including evidence pointing to unrecorded liabilities in excess of R500 billion. The inquiry has also revealed supply chain and procurement irregularities (including whistle-blower reports of over R1 billion in questionable contracts), failures to fill critical senior management positions (such as Chief Claims Officer and Head of Legal) that have undermined the Fund’s governance, and material findings by the Auditor General of South Africa about persistent usage of non-compliant accounting standards leading to repeated failed audits. It is therefore vital that Mr Collins Letsoalo account personally for these allegations and the evidence before SCOPA.

ActionSA will continue to support Parliament’s efforts to hold those responsible for the RAF’s financial collapse to account and to ensure that no individual or institution obstructs the work of SCOPA. Parliament’s oversight processes are essential to restoring public trust in the management of public funds, and ActionSA will remain steadfast in demanding that accountability, transparency, and the rule of law prevail in every entity funded by South African taxpayers.

Issued by ActionSA Member of Parliament Alan Beesley