ROAD ACCIDENT FUND EXACERBATES CRIPPLED PASTOR’S PLIGHT

Lost: Rumo  suffered serious injuries, lost his job and was divorced by his wife

By Thuli Zungu

A Mpumalanga pastor who has been awaiting payment of his claim from the Road Accident Fund (RAF) after he sustained serious injuries in a car accident  has at last received attention from  RAF who have promised to look into the matter – six years after the lodging of the claim.

Thanks to the intervention of  Weekly SA Mirror,  Landiwe Rumo,56, of Leslie, says he  recently received a call from RAF informing him that his claim was being processed.

Rumo suffered injuries to his spine and hand when a drunk motorist skipped a robot  and crashed into his car while he was on his way to Soweto.  The father of five says he was hospitalised for two weeks at the Chris Hani Hospital before he was transferred to a Mpumalanga hospital where he was admitted  for a month.

Rumo says he did not only lose his job and the car, but also his wife who divorced him.

He contacted RAF directly because he was encouraged by their newspaper advert which informed people involved in vehicle accidents  that they could lodge claims without  briefing lawyers. “But they offered me the worst service you can imagine from an institution that should never have allowed my claim to prescribe under their watch when I have been to their offices  regularly since the lodging of my claim.’’

Rumo says his claim has been handled by almost ten consultants who could not provide him with the proper progression of his claim.

“ Taking the matter up with senior management did not help either. I was told that there is nothing that RAF could do because the claim had exceeded the time limit.”   He continued fighting to have the claim processed  until  one of the lawyers referred him to  the Weekly SA Mirror which took up the matter on his behalf.

The trips to RAF offices did not only cost him a lot of money but his employer dismissed him due to his inability to perform his work and as a sales person at a furniture shop. When he challenged his dismissal, the CCMA  ruled in the employer’s favour.

“I have lost a car, my job and a wife and  I cannot lose this claim.” He now survives on a government disability grant which is not enough to take care of his needs including monthly consultations  with his medical doctor. He is also required to go to Steve

Biko Hospital  in Pretoria quarterly. “For the first two years I was required to go monthly until the doctors advised me to come quarterly as there was nothing they could do to help me any more.’’

Rumo got a positive response from RAF recently after Weekly SA Mirror stepped in. He was surprised when their consultant, a certain Luyanda, called him.

“She told me that they are working on my claim after ignoring all the emails I have been sending to them for the past six years.” 

Mcintosh Polela, Head of Corporate Communications at RAF, says they have now contacted Rumo and updated him about the status of his claim. “  The necessary claim – related processes are being followed and communicated with the claimant.  “ Furthermore, specific information about the claim cannot be provided due to the RAF being precluded from doing so by the operation of the Promotion of Access to information Act,”  Polela said.