RAF appoints a new panel of attorneys
This comes after a group of attorneys brought an application in the Port Elizabeth High Court seeking to set aside the awarding of a tender to provide specialist litigation services to the Fund.
MBOMBELA – Road Accident Fund (RAF) has acquired the services of a new panel of attorneys to render efficient legal services on behalf of the Fund.
The acquisition is in compliance with a court order issued by Judge Plasket earlier this year.
According to RAF’s media specialist, Mr Sello Mosotho,In February 2014, a group of attorneys brought an application in the Port Elizabeth High Court seeking to set aside the awarding of a tender to provide specialist litigation services to the Fund.
The court declared the tender award to be invalid and thus set it aside. The effective date of the court order was suspended to December 1 2014.
The focal point of the application was whether the RAF was empowered to revive the validity of a bid after the expiry of the validity period. The court found that the RAF was not empowered to do so.
Meanwhile, the decision did not cause disruptions to the operations of the RAF as the nullified panel of attorneys was retained pending the finalisation of the new tender process.
RAF CEO, Dr Eugene Watson said, “The transition to the newly appointed panel of attorneys will be managed efficiently devoid of any inconvenience to the courts, stakeholders and the business of servicing our claimants.”
He added that the panel of attorneys will be required to render various services for the RAF with utmost professionalism.
In summary, the panel is expected to deliver on numerous services including the provision of general advice on the RAF Act and related legislation, represent the Fund in the high courts in respect of litigated claims, assist in the investigation of claims, draft and negotiate settlement agreements between the RAF and claimants and make representations during taxation of bills of cost relating to litigated matters, where necessary.
“To ensure a mutually beneficial relationship between the RAF and the service provider, a clear service level agreement with penalties for non-compliance will be enforced.
These efforts should be seen in a broader context by the Fund to improve its administration with a view to reducing legal fees and alleviating operational demands placed on our courts”, said Dr Watson.
