RAF claims face expiry

WARNING: ABOUT 50 000 VALID CASES ARE IN DANGER OF PRESCRIBING

- Roy Cokayne

CLAIMANTS. Hit-and-run claims prescribe after two years, while standard claims lapse after three, putting thousands of victims at risk of losing compensation.

(Moneyweb)

About 50 000 valid Road Accident Fund (RAF) claims that were rejected because of the fund's unlawful RAF1 Form for claims are in danger of prescribing, warns the Association for the Protection of Road Accident Victims (Aprav).

Aprav chair Pieter de Bruyn said on Monday the RAF Act is a statute and not even the Constitutional Court can revive a claim that has lapsed.

De Bruyn says that an estimated 170 000 valid claims were rejected because of the failure of claimants to complete the RAF1 Form, which has been declared illegal in several court judgments.

"Think about the implications. There are 50 000 of these claims which must be close to the twoor three-year cutout and due to lapse. They are gone forever.

"The state will just say that you have missed the deadline and not even the appeal court or the Constitutional Court can change that," he said.