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RAF must compensate all, including illegal foreigners, SCA rules

Sowetan · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 139 words · By Ernest Mabuza
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What to know about RAF must compensate all, including illegal foreigners, SCA rules

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has ruled that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) cannot refuse to pay compensation to people even if they are in South Africa illegally.

Claims checked 4
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has ruled that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) cannot refuse to pay compensation to people even if they are in South Africa illegally.

Why it matters

The SCA on Thursday dismissed two appeals by the RAF concerning section 17(1) of the RAF Act, more specifically, whether “any person” entitled to claim compensation for loss or damage, as contemplated in that provision, excluded illegal foreigners.

Common ground

In the first appeal, a full bench of the Pretoria high court held that the section did not exclude illegal foreigners.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-04-17-raf-must-compensate-all-including-ille…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 4 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
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Claim 1: “The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has ruled that the Road Accident Fund (RAF) cannot refuse to pay compensation to people even if they are in South Africa illegally.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results report the same core finding: the SCA ruled that the RAF must compensate people even if they are in South Africa illegally, dismissing appeals regarding section 17(1). This is reported across multiple search snippets.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Court of Final Appeal Building, also known as the Old Supreme Court Building, is the home of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. It housed the former Supreme Court from 1912 to 1983 and the Legis…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_Final_Appeal_Building
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of Hong Kong (HKSC) was that existed from 1844 to 1997 in British Hong Kong. It was a superior court of record and heard cases of first instance and appeals from the District Court …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_Hong_Kong
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_St…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “In the first appeal, a full bench of the Pretoria high court held that the section did not exclude illegal foreigners.”
CORROBORATED
Two distinct web search results state that a full bench of the Pretoria High Court ruled that section 17(1) of the RAF Act does not exclude illegal foreigners from claiming compensation, which corroborates the claim's assertion about the initial ruling.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requiremen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Electric_Canberra
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Road Accident Fund (RAF) is a South African state insurer that provides liability and collision insurance coverage to all drivers in South Africa. RAF does not cover property damage (such as damag…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_Accident_Fund
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Solomon Kalushi Mahlangu (10 July 1956 – 6 April 1979) was a South African freedom fighter, struggle activist and operative of the African National Congress (ANC) militant wing, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK).…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Mahlangu
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “The SCA on Thursday dismissed two appeals by the RAF concerning section 17(1) of the RAF Act, more specifically, whether “any person” entitled to claim compensation for loss or damage, as contemplated in that provision, excluded illegal foreigners.”
CORROBORATED
The web search results consistently describe the SCA dismissing two appeals by the RAF concerning section 17(1) of the RAF Act and the specific issue of whether illegal foreigners are excluded from claiming compensation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of all airline codes. The table lists the IATA airline designators, the ICAO airline designators and the airline call signs (telephony designator). Historical assignments are also inclu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airline_codes
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Non-Stop is a 2014 action thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, co-produced by Joel Silver, and starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. It follows an alcoholic ex-NYPD officer turned Federal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Stop_(film)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South African law of delict engages primarily with 'the circumstances in which one person can claim compensation from another for harm that has been suffered'. JC Van der Walt and Rob Midgley defi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_law_of_delict
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “The second appeal is against an order by the Pretoria high court, which dismissed an application by the fund to interdict a number of claimants from proceeding with a warrant of execution against the fund’s assets, pending a decision by the SCA on the first appeal.”
CORROBORATED
The web search results confirm the details of the second appeal, specifically mentioning that it challenges a Pretoria High Court order dismissing the RAF's application to interdict claimants from executing warrants against the fund's assets pending the SCA's decision on the first appeal.
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web search NEUTRAL — The second appeal is against an order by the Pretoria high court, which dismissed an application by the fund to interdict a number of claimants from proceeding with a warrant of execution against the …
https://www.businessday.co.za/news/2026-04-17-raf-must-compe…
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web search NEUTRAL — They sought an urgent interdict from the Pretoria High Court to suspend the appointments, claiming that Macpherson bypassed proper procedures outlined in the IDT’s trust deed.
https://centralnews.co.za/pretoria-high-court-upholds-idt-bo…
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web search NEUTRAL — Application challenging clerical corrections to court orders dismissed; corrections permitted under Rule 42(1)(b) and applicants ordered to pay costs.
https://lawlibrary.org.za/judgments/ZAGPPHC/2026/
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.