MAKING A DIFFERENCE 2

*Thozamile Sipatala will always be grateful to Monde Marasha and the Road Accident Fund for helping her secure compensation for her son.

Four years ago, Sipatala was only seventeen-years-old and clueless about the RAF and its offerings when her baby boy was knocked down by a car which also damaged the home she shared with her siblings in Emfuleni near Khayelitsha in Cape Town.

Having lost both parents, Sipatala called her aunt from Lady Frere in the Eastern Cape to come to Cape Town and assist.

“We did not know anything about the Road Accident Fund (RAF) until we had to lodge a claim,” she says, almost sounding embarrassed by her ignorance.

She adds that she heard many disturbing stories about the RAF not paying claimants on time or paying “ridiculously low settlements”, but does not regret claiming directly as she had a positive experience, contrary to what she had been warned about.

“I’m glad we came directly and I’m grateful to everyone who helped us, including the police who told us about the RAF and where to go to get assistance,” Sipatala says adding that the RAF explained to her that she had a choice to claim through attorneys.

“All I want to say is ‘enkosi’ (thank you) to the RAF and especially to Monde Marasha. He was of great help and was always there when we needed him,” says Sipatala sitting at the family’s RDP home she shares with her two siblings, nephew and son.

“My child is receiving all the medical help he needs and I’m not worried about his education because that is also been taken care of. A large percentage of the money we received from the RAF has been invested on his behalf,” she says with a childish smile that seems to make her look younger than she is.

The young mother has reasons be happy. She is one of a growing number of victims of motor vehicle accidents who choose to claim directly from the RAF. Last year she received a settlement of R2,9 million for her five year old son who suffered serious head injuries during the accident.

“I thought it would be a difficult process to claim, but it was not bad. The main thing was just getting all the documents needed and Monde helped us with that and told us where to go and what to do,” she says before once again praising him for helping her family.

Marasha, now a Consultant at the Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, says he feels honoured by the gratitude he gets from claimants.

“I’m very proud of what I do at the RAF. I’m here to make a difference. I’m the link between the RAF and the public and I would feel bad if my presence in this organisation was not making any difference to the people we are supposed to help,” he says adding that going the extra mile to help claimants has become a norm with him.

“We all need to remember that we (RAF) are here to help victims of motor vehicle accidents and must treat them with respect. When they come to our offices we need to make sure that we listen to what they are saying and not be moody or seem disinterested. Claimants need to know that the RAF is a friendly place and that we do take care of our people. We can only do that by putting ourselves in their (victims’) shoes, the image of the organisation depends on how we treat victims and handle their claims,” he says.

For Sipatala, Marasha did put himself in her family’s shoes. While busy explaining how life has changed since receiving the settlement, her son, walks in. With his Spiderman school bag hanging over one shoulder; he walks straight to his mother - shakes her hand and without uttering a word, proceeds to the bedroom.

*Sibusiso Sipatala looks like any other five-year-old boy except for the big scar on the back of his head. His mother also sees nothing untoward with her only child except that he “fights a lot with other kids and does not talk much”.

“I’m a bit worried about that (fighting) but otherwise he is fine, he just does not see well and is naughty just like other kids, “she says with a smile.

But the medical report paints a different picture, stating that the young boy suffered “severe closed head injuries, cerebral contusions, a skull fracture, primitive reflexes, and might be unemployable”.

Sipatala said her son spent over four months recovering from his injuries; a period which she claims was traumatic for her. “I was very sad and did not know what to do.”

She said before the RAF paid out, her son and family were surviving on grants. “Life is a lot better now, we received the money but we are not wasting it. It is in the bank and protected,” she says adding that she knows the money is not for her and has thus not changed her dreams.

“I want to be a businesswoman and next year I’ll do a business course. I decided to register for a computer course this year because I could not get into university, but my goal is to enroll next year and study.”

She says she knows better not to share information about the compensation with anyone. “I don’t say anything about the money because I know that it will create many problems for us,” adding that she used some of the money to buy a TV set and sofas and nothing exorbitant.

Her son returns to the lounge and sits next to his mother with his head on her arm. “He just keeps quiet,” she says with worry on her face.

*The names used are not their real names to protect their identity.

By

Thabo Mkhize

Senior Journalist