The committee has instructed the board to provide comprehensive reasons in writing to the committee within a week
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 28, 2025/APO Group/ --
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has instructed the minster to take urgent steps to restore the effectiveness of governance systems at the Road Accident Fund (RAF). The RAF Chief Executive Officer, Mr Collins Letsoalo, was placed on special leave on Monday, 26 May 2025.
The committee has a litany of concerns, which include but are not limited to:
- That the board has failed properly to ensure that its senior officials are vetted for suitability, with the Chief Executive Officer informing the committee on 16 October 2024 that he had been vetted when this was not the case. Misleading Parliament is a serious breach of trust.
- Failure to perform background checks on a senior official, also unvetted, even though he escaped disciplinary charges at his previous state employer. The committee has consistently expressed extreme displeasure at the practice of state employees escaping accountability for serious misconduct by securing employment elsewhere in the state.
- Continuing for more than two years without ahead of legal services while pursuing litigation against the Auditor-General,and against the instructions of more than one Minister of Transport.
- Failure to appoint a Chief Claims Officer for more than two years despite a serious backlog of claims.
- Accumulating over R4bn in default judgements while failing to appoint either a head of legal services or Chief Claims Officer. The RAF has on numerous occasions been excoriated by the courts,including a case last week where the RAF attempted to overturn a R6m judgment by filing false statements with the court, and then proceeding not to argue its own application.
- Just two law firms in a panel of over 40receiving over 83% of legal fees (R83m) paid during the most recent financial year. The two law firms also received the bulk of payments in the previous financial year.
The decision to place the CEO on special leave was taken by the board yesterday and announced to SCOPA by the Deputy Minister of Transport Mr Mkhuleko Hlongwa today in a meeting that was meant to discuss updates on the ongoing SIU investigations at RAF.
RAF board Chairperson, Ms Zanele Francois, told SCOPA that the reason for the CEO special leave was due to a disagreement over whether the RAF should agree to account to Parliament, the content of the presentation and potential conflict in relation to the ongoing SIU investigation.
The committee has instructed the board to provide comprehensive reasons in writing to the committee within a week.
SCOPA has resolved to recall RAF to return with detailed explanations regarding the special leave of the CEO, a breakdown of spending on cases with a list of law firms, attorney and council fees.
“The Road Accident Fund is funded by taxpayers. It is unacceptable that any official thereof refuses to account to Parliament in the manner we have experienced during the past week. It is also unacceptable that the institution can accumulate billions in default judgments due to its failure to manage litigation properly, leaving the institution vulnerable to expensive default judgments that accumulate interest taxpayers must pay,” said Songezo Zibi, the Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Brother Goth cut down on this 'His Excellecy;' and Honorble' thing you preface your news items with. No one uses them anymore. Just plain Somaliland Vice Mr Abdirahman Saylici met with …should do. This should apply to all politicians including the President
Good for development, job creation and good for recognition for Somaliland sovereignty. Anyone against is an enemy of Somaliland. Thanks to the Kulmiye government and specially the president and the Minister for foreign affairs yet for another mission accomplished.
Good for Somaliland indeed. Hope one of these projects is actually implemented. I bet moronic Berberawis wil demonstrate against this too. Fu7nny how they never demonstrated when Siyad Barre gave the Port to Russi and the mountains to North Korea. Not a beep.
Now they are all mouth.
Isaq waa gun guntuna isma indha buuxiso. Wisest words I ever heard.
kabocalaf
Dadka xaal sii. Reer Berbera hady gun yihiin, dadkoo dhami gun maaha.
Certainly, Berbera reversed to medieval era because of Ibhrahim-Dhegaweyne and his cohorts. I still remember the old days when Berbera was the only civilized city in Somaliland where all nationalities and tribes live together happily without tribalism and racism.
Haa Isaaq oo dhan ayaa gun ah. Guntu isma indha buuxiso oo wey isu urtaa sida orgida markaasay geesaha is dartaa. Markay Xayawaan kale arkaan xataa bisad jaanta ayey ka rogtaa!
Car mid reer Berbera ahi haka jawabo su'aashan: Markii Siyad Barre ina haystay ee uu Dekedda Berbera siiyay Ruushanka immisa reer Berbera ahbaa mudaaharaaday? Markuu sibidhka siiyay North Korea imisaa dhagax tuuray?
Ma arkeen(ma aha Reer Berbera oo keliya, ceebta weynnu wad leenahay) mid inaadeerkood ah oo Isaq ah markaasay giir iska wada kicinyaan oo dhbi lisanayaan.
War gun beynnu nahaee aan iska aqblanoo u yeedhano cid shisheeya ah oo ina xukunta kuwaasaynnu qiimeynne.
Waxa laguu sheegayaa reer Berbera qof buka ceeb ayay ku noqonaysaa in ay la tirsadaan. Ta kale sare laguula hadal oo hoos laguula hadal. Mayaadan dhego lahayn. Waxa lagu yidhi qof daciifa oo laga adkaaday ayuunbaa ku dul wareega qabyaalada. Sidee wax kaa yihiin ma biyo ajoobay mise biyo calcelis ah baa lagugu canqariyay. Reer Berbera xaqooday ka dhacsanayaan dawlada baa lagu yidhi sidii reer Caynaba ay xaqooda u dhacsadeen ee dagaalka ka rideen. Markaa raali ahaw lagula tirsan maayee.
Isaq waa gun waa gun, gun aan adiga ahayn kuma aragno halkan imika. Haddii aad ujeedo kale leedahay iska cadayso waa raganimo eh. Habeen wanaagsan.
Kabocalaf iyo Gulaidba waa isku hal qof oo magacyada badsanaya. Waxaan ku leeyahay kabocalafow waxxba kumaad hadlin hadaanu reer berbera nahayna xaal kaama doonayno sababto ah waxaad na tustay inaad caqli kugu filan aadan lahayn. Shimbiraha lalaayee ku dabaasha laydhaa ee laaleys baa ku dhaama.
Sharikadan la sheegayona hadii dani noogu jirtona waanu soo dhoweyn hadii kalena jidaafaha ayaanu u laabi. Siilaanyona waxba kama qaban karo sidii wershedii sibidhka.
Ta kale xasuuso 25% oo ah block 6 (oodweyne) inaad siiseen Ibrahim oo HJ ah. Intaydin siiseen reer yoonisna oo ah block 13 way soo bixi. Markaas inaanu foojigaanu oonu xaqayaga dhacsano waa nagu waajib.
Dhegihii baad iga gufaysaye aan kaa raaxaysto oo dhegaysto laaleeys ee hawada iiga baxa.
Siilaany, Siilaanyo. Siilaanyo has put on hold all efforts to seek political recognition from the world community. He even refused the valuable advice of some members of the European parliament who wisely advised him back in 2011 nt to limit efforts for the deplomatic recognition with only talks with the shakey weak and failed state of Somalia; but to adopt a dual truck foreign policy by fiercely engaging the international community for that politcal recognition in parallel line with opening talks with Somalia for the sam purpose. He blocked all efforts to restore the re-recognition of the statehood for the sake of filling his pockets and enriching himself and his family members at the very cost of the political recognition for our nation. The country under Siilaanyo the triator is in total collapse. Half of the country on the eastern regions is occupied by faqash remnats milita. Buuhoodle and Taleeh are no go area, talks with Somalia will never result in the two state solution, and every thing is at shambles. It is time to save the country from Siilaanyo.
I am afraid you are right Baaruud, unfortunately.
Here is proof of Siilaanyo's indecisiveness and weaknesses. Fiqi Fuliye community are pleading with him to honor the agreements that were signed in that famous public announcement made few months ago. Watch and see their pleas for yourself.
Tape starts in the middle. Rewind it to start from the beginning.
I do not know where all these hatred and crap chauvinistic triblism is coming. I live in Somaliland and specially in Berbera and we live in peace and prosperity. Had there been a problem we would have been the first to notice. Please do not believe what the politicians tell you, they are just competing to win seats and do not consider the consequences of their empty speeches. Let them not waste your time and each of you must try to participate in the development of your country and not destroying it.
You can criticize both the government and the opposition respectfully and be truthful in your accusation. Insults and counter insults have no place in our religion and not in our Somaliland culture. Berbera is for all and Saraar too.
Generalizations and stereotyping are the signs of ignorance. Smart people rebuttal ideas and do not hide behind a clan or attack a clan. Because someone from a certain clan has made a statement you don't like, it does not give you the license to attack a whole population. The mentally challenged ones are those who will most likely choose to attack people on tribal bases. Clannish attack is nothing more than shouting for help, because you feel helpless and defeated.
If you chose to blind fold yourself and selectively see only the clan of your opponent then you are a loser and deserve no public response.
Isaaq is Isaaq after all we have been thru and all the enemies sharpening knives for our necks do we really have time to be against each other? Calm yourselves down and think, when Somaliland prospers everyone prospers so solve your problems like brothers and quit this sub clan bs or we will end up like Hawiye tore up from the floor up