ULUNDI — The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has announced a major strategic shift in its service delivery model, launching a high-level outreach campaign aimed at bringing essential legal and administrative support directly to the residents of Ulundi and surrounding rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal.
The initiative, which marks a significant departure from the fund’s historically centralized model, is designed to dismantle the geographical and bureaucratic barriers that have long prevented vulnerable citizens in deep rural areas from accessing compensation for motor vehicle accidents. For many residents in the Zululand District, navigating the complexities of RAF claims often meant travelling hundreds of kilometers to urban centers like Durban or Richards Bay—a journey that is both costly and physically taxing.
“We are taking the RAF to the people because we recognize that the people cannot always come to us,” said a spokesperson for the organization during a briefing this morning. “Our mission is to restore dignity to claimants who have suffered injury or loss on our roads. By establishing a physical presence in Ulundi, we are cutting out the ‘middlemen’ and predatory legal practitioners who often exploit vulnerable claimants in these communities.”
The outreach program will see the deployment of mobile offices staffed by experienced claims handlers, medical assessors, and legal experts. These units will be tasked with assisting claimants with the lodgment of new claims, providing status updates on existing files, and facilitating direct communication with the fund. The initiative also aims to educate the public on the RAF’s direct-payment policy, which is intended to ensure that compensation reaches the victims directly rather than being diverted through third-party legal channels.
Local community leaders have welcomed the announcement, noting that rural areas have been disproportionately affected by road accidents due to the poor condition of certain provincial roads and the prevalence of public transport reliant on minibuses.
“This is a victory for the people of KwaZulu-Natal,” said local community advocate Thabo Mthembu. “For too long, our people have been sidelined. Many have had their claims stalled or abandoned because they didn’t have the resources to travel to the city to follow up on their cases. Bringing these services to our doorstep allows our residents to hold the fund accountable and receive the support they are legally entitled to.”
The RAF’s move into Ulundi is expected to serve as a pilot for a broader nationwide rollout of mobile service centers. As the mobile units set up operations, the fund is urging all affected citizens to bring their relevant documentation, including police reports and medical records, to the designated service points.
With this initiative, the RAF hopes to reduce its massive backlog of claims and improve its overall service efficiency, proving that accessibility is a cornerstone of its commitment to road accident victims across the country.
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