The Road Accident Fund (RAF) says it has managed to clamp down on fraudulent claims of over R2.6 billion over the last three financial years.
This achievement is a result of the sterling work done by the fund's Forensic Investigation Department.
RAF spokesperson Boniswa Matshoba says medical doctors, attorneys, victims, the funds' employees and those of corporate companies, are among the people punished for defrauding the fund.
She says a total of 713 claims were rejected in the 2022/2023 financial year, 448 in 2021/22, and 4 172 in 2020/21.
In the past three financial years, there has been a total of 32 arrests; 15 in 2022/23, 12 in 2021/22, and five in 2020/2021.
The highest sentence over this period was a 12-year direct imprisonment of an attorney.
"Internally, investigations led to the suspension of seven staff members between 2020/21 and 2022/23. Six employees resigned during further probes or hearings from 2020/21 to 2022/23," says Matshoba.
Road Accident Fund CEO Collins Letsoalo says the fund remains alert and investigates each case as it comes.
He added that defrauding the fund robbed claimants and dependants of their livelihood.
"It also creates a negative impact on the socio-economic status of the country. We will continue to vigorously pursue any party internally or externally that engages in fraudulent activities or attempts to do so."
