Undertakers take aim at Road Accident Fund

South African undertakers say they are suffering financially because of changes introduced by the Road Accident Fund.

The National Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa‚ comprising about 300 members‚ said that parlours have had to shut their doors since the RAF introduced a panel of preferred undertakers to conduct the funerals of accident victims.

"When a family has claimed from RAF for the funeral of a relative that has died in an accident‚ the fund gives the family two choices - you either take the funeral parlour that we are going to give you or you conduct the funeral using a parlour of your choice but we are not going to pay for your claim‚" said association secretary general Nkosentsha Shezi.

He said the panel was made up of just three undertakers.

"Those three funeral parlours have one thing in common and that is that they are white-owned. We are not politicians. We are business people but we are fighting against the white monopoly capital‚" said Shezi.

Several of the association's members have laid complaints with the RAF as they allegedly lost more than R1.5-million due to non-payment for funerals they conducted.

"There were members whose main focus was the RAF but since this panel‚ they have had to lay off some of the workers because the money that was being generated is no longer coming in.

"There are people who have claims that have not been paid to date. There are people who will tell you that they have lost and have shut down‚" Shezi said. He said the association had several meetings with the RAF and even took the matter to the National Treasury.

"The RAF's mandate is to pay claims not dictate to claimants. We hope to discuss a way forward today‚" Shezi said at the association's Funeral Indaba which is currently on in Durban.

The RAF did not immediately respond to queries.