Question NW2723 to the Minister of Transport
11 October 2023 - NW2723
Lees, Mr RA to ask the Minister of Transport
What (a) are the (i) details of all default court judgments granted against the Road Accident Fund in each month from 1 January 2017 to 30 June 2023, (ii) names and details of parties that were awarded default judgements and (iii) total amounts of each default judgement award split between (aa) the claim amount and (bb) associated legal costs, (b) is the total number of default judgements against the Road Accident Fund in each month in then specified period and (c) are the reasons for each default judgment being awarded?
Reply:
a) (i) The RAF does not possess record of DJ from 2017 until March 2021. The keeping of record for default judgements granted against the RAF was only initiated at the instance of the new executive, that joined the RAF in 2020. The new executive realised that there was an increasing number of default judgements being granted against the RAF. Flowing from the realisation mentioned above, a register was then created for the purpose of keeping record of all default judgements.
Below is the detail that dates back to April 2021:
|
Year& Month |
No |
Sum of Default Amount |
|
2021 |
483 |
R 1 401 437 842,22 |
|
Apr |
4 |
R 28 751 513,30 |
|
May |
27 |
R 119 012 729,48 |
|
Jun |
11 |
R 55 607 616,92 |
|
Jul |
21 |
R 90 377 746,43 |
|
Aug |
41 |
R 146 910 003,11 |
|
Sep |
39 |
R 122 642 105,62 |
|
Oct |
77 |
R 257 127 501,91 |
|
Nov |
198 |
R 476 570 651,75 |
|
Dec |
65 |
R 104 437 973,70 |
|
2022 |
1116 |
R2 983 787 854,79 |
|
Jan |
77 |
R 178 089 717,77 |
|
Feb |
162 |
R 425 187 398,43 |
|
Mar |
147 |
R 326 862 619,76 |
|
Apr |
110 |
R 220 372 106,44 |
|
May |
148 |
R 398 263 543,41 |
|
Jun |
79 |
R 250 938 385,61 |
|
Jul |
52 |
R 117 963 549,89 |
|
Aug |
111 |
R 352 593 108,84 |
|
Sep |
84 |
R 258 276 693,58 |
|
Oct |
67 |
R 186 170 005,05 |
|
Nov |
72 |
R 259 405 584,30 |
|
Dec |
7 |
R 9 665 141,72 |
|
2023 |
126 |
R 438 072 775,33 |
|
Jan |
26 |
R 97 620 725,91 |
|
Feb |
22 |
R 74 419 177,22 |
|
Mar |
21 |
R 89 934 379,90 |
|
Apr |
11 |
R21 408 483,22 |
|
May |
26 |
R 90 919 466,89 |
|
Jun |
12 |
R 31 614 116,41 |
|
Jul |
5 |
R 16 622 242,61 |
|
Aug |
2 |
R 6 941 966,17 |
|
Nov |
1 |
R 8 592 217,00 |
|
Grand Total |
1725 |
R4 823 298 472,34 |
(a)(ii) The names and details of claimants in whose favour default judgments will not be disclosed as per POPIA and risk of the claimant being put at risk of possible criminal attacks. Below is a list of the Default Judgments, and values per court.
|
Court Name (Province) |
No of Judgements |
Sum of Default Amount |
|
Aberdeen Ec |
1 |
R 3 290 048,75 |
|
Alexandria (Ec) |
1 |
R 315 000,00 |
|
Belfast (Mp) |
1 |
R 204 309,00 |
|
Benoni (G) |
1 |
R 620 087,00 |
|
Bredasdorp (Wc) |
1 |
R 136 604,39 |
|
Brits (Nw) |
1 |
R 818 786,00 |
|
Cape High Court, Cape Town |
7 |
R 27 870 652,00 |
|
Eastern Cape High Court, East London |
4 |
R 18 623 748,31 |
|
Eastern Cape High Court, Port Elizabeth |
2 |
R 11 659 579,81 |
|
Emakhazeni(M) |
1 |
R 126 016,77 |
|
Emalahlani(M) |
1 |
R 50 000,00 |
|
Ermelo (Mp) |
2 |
R 490 949,50 |
|
Free State High Court, Bloemfontein |
20 |
R 53 898 056,54 |
|
Ga-Kgapane (Bolobedu) (L) |
1 |
R 29 600,00 |
|
Giyani (L) |
1 |
R 40 500,00 |
|
Graskop (Mp) |
1 |
R 383 878,00 |
|
Hlanganani (Vongani) (L) |
1 |
R 100 000,00 |
|
Humansdorp (Ec) |
1 |
R 30 800,00 |
|
Kempton Park (G) |
1 |
R 30 020,00 |
|
Klerksdorp (Nw) |
1 |
R 350 000,00 |
|
Klerksdorp Regional Court |
38 |
R 10 425 560,30 |
|
Kwazulu-Natal High Court, Durban |
7 |
R 21 419 873,39 |
|
Kwazulu-Nutal High Court, Pietermaritzburg |
7 |
R 15 630 480,57 |
|
Lebowakgomo Regional Court |
1 |
R 100 894,00 |
|
Limpopo High Court, Thohoyandou |
35 |
R 88 311 995,22 |
|
Magistrate Court Johannesburg |
1 |
R 382 068,40 |
|
Magistrate Court Pretoria |
14 |
R 280 586,14 |
|
Mbombela High Court |
31 |
R 76 556 622,60 |
|
Mdantsane (Ec) |
1 |
R 5 000,00 |
|
Mpumalanga Circuit Court Middleburg |
15 |
R 49 787 658,65 |
|
Namakgale (L) |
1 |
R 46 808,00 |
|
Nebo (L) |
1 |
R 54 481,55 |
|
Nkowankowa (L) |
1 |
R 15 000,00 |
|
Polokwane Circuit Court) |
64 |
R 202 512 664,58 |
|
North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria |
1193 |
R 3 590 000 197,08 |
|
North West High Court, Mafikeng |
11 |
R 21 842 019,78 |
|
Northern Cape High Court, Kimberley |
2 |
R 1 497 520,09 |
|
Ntuzuma (Kzn) |
1 |
R 142 625,00 |
|
Port Elizabeth |
3 |
R 94 534,57 |
|
Praktiseer (L) |
1 |
R 12 500,00 |
|
Pretoria |
101 |
R 229 985 837,49 |
|
Pretoria North (G) |
7 |
R 24 959 648,01 |
|
Pretoria Regional Court |
7 |
R 598 848,75 |
|
Queenstown Regional Court |
2 |
R 227 904,16 |
|
Sekhukhune (L) |
2 |
R 84 341,50 |
|
South Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg |
54 |
R 278 833 734,21 |
|
Tonga Regional Court |
3 |
R 774 529,00 |
|
Uitenhage (Ec) |
2 |
R 231 485,58 |
|
Vereeniging (G) |
2 |
R 508 800,00 |
|
Verulam (Kzn) |
2 |
R 38 400,90 |
|
Witbank (Mp) |
1 |
R 60 000,00 |
|
Witsieshoek (Fs) |
1 |
R 121 900,00 |
|
Bloemfontein (FS) |
3 |
R 13 879 160,00 |
|
Burgersfort (L) |
1 |
R 389 000,00 |
|
Durban (kzn) |
1 |
R 263 808,55 |
|
East London Regional Court (Ec) |
15 |
R 1 123 386,92 |
|
Cape Town (Wc) |
2 |
R 303 820,00 |
|
Tzaneen Regional Court (L) |
2 |
R 89 153,05 |
|
Welkom Regional Court (Fs) |
2 |
R 78 580,00 |
|
Thohoyandou (L) |
1 |
R 44 000,00 |
|
Grahamstown Regional Court (Ec) |
1 |
R 7 050,00 |
|
Polokwane (L) |
24 |
R 67 981 476,83 |
|
Mbombela Regional Court (Mp) |
3 |
R 3 084 769,00 |
|
Mahwelereng (L) |
3 |
R 1 075 201,50 |
|
Pietermaritzburg (Kzn) |
3 |
R 332 320,10 |
|
New Brighton (Ec) |
1 |
R 21 590,80 |
|
Phalaborwa (L) |
1 |
R 12 000,00 |
|
Grand Total |
1725 |
R 4 823 298 472,34 |
(a)(iii) (a-b) Total amounts of each default judgement award split by cost type:
|
Default Type |
No |
Sum of Default Amount |
|
Capital |
1688 |
R 4 727 467 418,25 |
|
Capital & Cost |
13 |
R 45 879 063,99 |
|
Costs |
15 |
R 40 729 436,74 |
|
Experts |
2 |
R 2 651 674,24 |
|
Post-settlement |
7 |
R 6 570 879,12 |
|
Grand Total |
1725 |
R 4 823 298 472,34 |
(a)(iii)(c) Reasons for default judgements is mainly that the RAF elected not to defend legal action for claims that have become valid in terms of section 24(5) of the RAF Act. These are claims that become valid because they were not objected to within the stipulated 60 days.
The RAF does not want to incur further legal costs in defending valid claims, as a result the judgements are granted in default without incurring costs of defending attorney and counsel.