Strange case of a ghost in a gearbox

What does a parrot that died of a heart attack, a bakkie under an evil spell and a car bumper eaten by a lion have in common?

They are real claims from around South Africa submitted to insurance companies.

Although most claims are generally straightforward, insurance companies have had their fair share of bizarre cases this year.

For example, the insurance arm of one of South Africa's largest banks was asked to replace a client's parrot that had died of a heart attack as a result of a burglary.

Another man asked the company to cover the cost of replacing his false teeth - he had lent his set to a friend who had misplaced them.

Staff also had to deal with the paranormal.

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"A client bought a brand new bakkie and called to submit a claim because she felt there were evil spirits every time she put the bakkie into fourth gear. The client wanted us to either replace the bakkie or remove the spell that was put onto the bakkie," a bank spokeswoman said.

In another case, a woman tried to claim because branches "hanging over the fence" from her neighbour's property knocked against a window in her house when the wind picked up.

"She felt so traumatised that she had to go to the doctor and so she wanted to claim back the doctor's bills," the spokeswoman said.

Dawie Loots, CEO of MUA Insurance Acceptances, said some clients' responses to questions had been surprising. One man said a mirror on his car broke when a guinea fowl flew into it. Asked if any personal injuries occurred as a result, the client replied: "Only my ego!"

Another, when asked how damage occurred to his property, replied: "Small water particles gather in the air until a cloud forms. They rub against another, creating static electricity, which erupts as lightning."

Loots said that after a visit to the Kruger National Park, a man had claimed "for a car bumper to be replaced as the original one was chewed off by a lion".

Jolene Chait, spokeswoman for Dialdirect, said the explanation one client gave for his late-night crash was the unexpected sensation of fur at his feet. He panicked, "took his hands off the steering wheel" and hit a tree.

"The client then jumped out and is convinced he saw a cat jump out of his car too," said Chait.