The presence of the Road Accident Fund (RAF) is being cited as an example of who shouldn’t have exhibited at Indaba 2012. Why was an organisation that focuses on providing compensation to road users for incidents arising from the use of motor vehicles doing at South Africa’s largest tourism expo?

In his letter to the Editor on May 21, Max Wallace, UK Director of Painted Earth Productions, asked, “the Road Accident Fund…what are they doing at Indaba? They couldn't answer that question when I put it to them directly.”

TU investigated and contacted the RAF. Here is their response from Connie Nel, Senior Manager of Communications at RAF….

As a public entity with the mandate to provide cover, compensation and rehabilitation to all users of South African roads (both local and international), the Road Accident Fund, on an annual basis, identifies suitable platforms to promote our service offering.

The tourism Indaba has been one of these platforms for a number of years, as this particular event brings us into contact with tour operators, the local and international tourism industry and members of the public. In turn, these groupings/individuals are equipped with the necessary knowledge pertaining to the RAF’s mandate to disseminate it to their respective customers and further afield.

These initiatives have increased the RAF’s visibility and accessibility, and we will continue reaching out to both existing and prospective customers, whose lives have been impacted negatively by motor vehicle accidents on South African roads.


What are readers’ thoughts on this?