SA’s life insurers see claims surge as illness hits working incomes

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Jun 10, 2026 · 1387 words · By Neesa Moodley

Insurance Industry Promotion Financial Risk Management Public Health Crisis

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What to know about Insurance Industry Promotion

This is the thread running through the latest claims statistics from Liberty, Momentum Life Insurance and the Professional Provident Society (PPS), which together paid out almost R24-billion in life-risk and related claims in 2025.

Claims checked 31

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

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

What happened

Why it matters

The figures offer a grim X-ray of the country’s health and household finances.

Common ground

Death cover remains the largest payout category for life insurers, but the sharper story is the rising cost of illness while people are still alive, still working, still paying debt, still funding school fees and still expected to keep the household engine…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Insurance Industry Promotion story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Momentum’s data also shows that 87% of its clients who died from cancer or cardiovascular conditions in 2025 did not have critical illness cover with the insurer?
How does this story connect Insurance Industry Promotion with Financial Risk Management over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-10-sas-life-insurers-see-claims-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 90% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Fear 80% confidence

Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 31 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 21

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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Claim 1: “Momentum’s data also shows that 87% of its clients who died from cancer or cardiovascular conditions in 2025 did not have critical illness cover with the insurer.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Liberty’s youngest life insurance claim in 2025 was for a 22-year-old client who had been covered for just over a year and died in a motor vehicle accident.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 3: “Liberty’s data shows cancer was the leading cause across all retail claims at 32.5%, followed by cardiovascular claims at 22.2% and central nervous system disorders at 5.7%.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant results about back pain, a movie, and a video from VK; none mention Liberty's 2025 retail claim percentages.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — lower back pain is the leading cause of disability on the planet.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Ultimate Survival Epic of 2025. One Woman. The Endless Ocean. Watch "Adrift: Beyond Horizon," a visually stunning and emotionally gripping cinematic ma... Will they find her before the ocean claim…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMT5FZEiCCU

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web search NEUTRAL — Смотрите онлайн «ЛЕЧУЗА (2025) LECHUZA» от автора ULTRADOX - НОВИНКИ КИНО И СЕРИАЛОВ. Хорошее качество видео без регистрации в бесплатном видеокаталоге ВКонтакте. Опубликовано 8 сентября 2025. 19983 —…
https://vk.com/video-192544707_456268436

schedule

Claim 4: “It paid R602-million in lump-sum disability claims and R310-million in income protection claims.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 5: “Liberty, Momentum Life Insurance and the Professional Provident Society (PPS), which together paid out almost R24-billion in life-risk and related claims in 2025.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence does not contain a collective total for Liberty, Momentum, and PPS. One search result mentions Santam paying R24.5 billion, which is a different company.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article lists direct English translations of common Latin phrases. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of Greek phrases. This list is an automatically updated combination of the twent…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_(full)

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pro-Europeanism, sometimes called European Unionism, is a political position that favours European integration and membership of the European Union (EU). The opposite of Pro-Europeanism is Eurosceptic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-Europeanism

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Presidential elections were held in Poland on 18 May 2025. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was held on 1 June 2025. Incumbent president Andrzej Duda was ineligible for …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Polish_presidential_elect…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The youngest death claim paid in 2025 was for a 25-year-old woman who died after a uterine rupture.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 7: “At Liberty Corporate, group life assurance payouts increased by 2%, but the insurer recorded a 15% increase in deaths in the 0-to-34 age band.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 8: “PPS processed 23,016 claims, equal to about 92 claims a day, with about R17.6-million paid daily to members and beneficiaries.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific figures (23,016 claims, 92 per day, R17.6 million daily) are reported by allAfrica.com, but no other independent source corroborates these specific numbers.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — PPS processed 23,016 claims, equal to about 92 claims a day, with about R17.6-million paid daily to members and beneficiaries.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202606110718.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Хорошее качество видео без регистрации в бесплатном видеокаталоге ВКонтакте. Опубликовано 22 октября 2025.
https://vk.com/video-17978924_456269236

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — script for average day in americaEtinityHub1K views • 11 months agoLivePlaylist ()Mix (50+).The Top Three Quickest Ways To Get Rich (Average Day In America) STILL WORKING! AlpineBlox. 17K views • 1 ye…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D-eZhKc3DQ

schedule

Claim 9: “Liberty paid R42.7-million in education cover to 468 children and young adults in 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 10: “Its corporate benefits business paid out a further R2.6-billion.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided search results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing philosophy, a university, and SQL Server) and do not mention Liberty's corporate benefits payouts.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The history of Microsoft SQL Server begins with the first Microsoft SQL Server database product – SQL Server v1.0, a 16-bit relational database for the OS/2 operating system, released in 1989.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Microsoft_SQL_Serve…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Subaru Legacy (Japanese: スバル・レガシィ, Hepburn: Subaru Regashi) is a mid-size car built by Japanese automobile manufacturer Subaru from 1989 to 2025. The maker's flagship car, it is unique in its cla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_Legacy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Type R ship is a United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) designation for World War II refrigerated cargo ship, also called a reefer ship. The R type ship was used in World War II, Korean War…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_R_ship

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “PPS reported that musculoskeletal and connective tissue conditions made up 14% of claims, with R479.9-million paid.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “Musculoskeletal conditions were the leading cause of income protection claims, accounting for about a third of claims overall.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 13: “Critical illness payouts rose by more than 15% year on year, exceeding R1-billion for the first time.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

help

Claim 14: “At Momentum, cancer accounted for 43% of critical illness claims.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

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Claim 15: “The World Health Organization’s Global Cancer Observatory estimates that more than 111,000 South Africans are diagnosed with cancer each year”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 16: “Liberty paid out more than R38-million [for a client with severe sleep disorders].”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 17: “The largest annual tertiary tuition payment was R763,680 for a student studying at an international university.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 18: “The youngest critical illness claimant was a 26-year-old man diagnosed with spastic paraparesis”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

check_circle

Claim 19: “Momentum Life Insurance paid R6.88-billion in claims in 2025, with R5.92-billion paid through its Myriad product range.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (FAnews, allAfrica.com, and a report on Momentum's critical illness claims) confirm the R6.88 billion total and R5.92 billion from the Myriad range.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2006 United States Senate elections were held on November 7, 2006, with all 33 Class 1 Senate seats being contested. The term of office for those elected in 2006 ran from January 3, 2007, to Janua…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_United_States_Senate_elec…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... Momentum paid R6.88bn in claims during 2025, of which R5.92bn came from its Myriad risk product range. More than R3.9bn was paid in death claims ...
https://www.moonstone.co.za/momentums-critical-illness-claim…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 3, 2026 ... For 2025, the insurer paid claims totalling R6.88 billion across its retail life business, with R5.92 billion paid by the Myriad product range.
https://www.fanews.co.za/article/life-insurance/9/dread-dise…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 20: “Among Liberty’s critical illness claims, cancer accounted for 42.6% of claims, followed by cardiovascular disorders at 25.3%.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent sources (allAfrica.com and FAnews) confirm that cancer accounted for 42.6% and cardiovascular disorders 25.3% of Liberty's critical illness claims.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 28, 2026 ... Liberty's statistics show that death claims totalled R5.6 billion in 2025, with cancer (30.1%), cardiovascular disorders (24.1%) and respiratory ...
https://www.news24.com/business/companies/cancer-anxiety-and…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 10, 2026 ... Among Liberty's critical illness claims, cancer accounted for 42.6% of claims, followed by cardiovascular disorders at 25.3%. At Momentum ...
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-06-10-sas-life-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... For both men and women, cancer was the leading cause, making up 42.6% of all claims. Cardiovascular disorders were at 25.3% and central nervous ...
https://www.fanews.co.za/article/life-insurance/9/general/12…

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Claim 21: “The oldest client was 103 and had been covered for 37 years.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 22: “The youngest terminal illness claim was for a 34-year-old man diagnosed with terminal skin cancer.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 23: “Cancer accounted for 17% of all PPS life-risk claims, with R697.5-million paid.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 24: “the youngest lump-sum disability claimant was a 29-year-old woman with psychiatric conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and anxiety.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 25: “PPS, which serves graduate professionals, paid R4.4-billion in life-risk claims, a 20% increase on 2024.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The search results for PPS are irrelevant, discussing a Chinese video platform (PPStream) or bill payment solutions, not the Professional Provident Society's 2025 claims.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Leigh Leopards are a professional rugby league club based in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. Leigh play homes games at Leigh Sports Village and compete in Super League, the top tier of British…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Leopards

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is an extensive list of small arms—including pistols, revolvers, submachine guns, shotguns, battle rifles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns, personal defense weapons, carbines, designa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_firearms

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — A designated marksman rifle (DMR) is a modern scoped high-precision rifle used by infantry in the designated marksman (DM) role. It generally fills the engagement range gap between a service rifle and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Designated_marksman_rifle

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 26: “Liberty paid R12.63-billion in claims in 2025, including R7.79-billion to 27,976 retail clients and their beneficiaries through its Lifestyle Protector product range.”

CORROBORATED

Three independent sources (allAfrica.com, LinkedIn, and a news report titled 'Liberty’s 2025 claims hit R12.63bn') confirm the total of R12.63 billion and the R7.79 billion paid to retail clients.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Liberty paid R12.63-billion in claims in 2025, including R7.79-billion to 27,976 retail clients and their beneficiaries through its Lifestyle Protector product range.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202606110718.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Liberty paid out R12.63bn in claims during the year, delivering critical financial support to tens of thousands of clients and their families when it mattered most. 1 Jun 2026.
https://www.bizcommunity.com/article/libertys-2025-claims-hi…

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web search NEUTRAL — In 2025, Liberty paid out R12.63 billion in claims, supporting clients and families when they needed it most. For our retail clients alone: R7.79 billion paid to nearly 28,000 clients Equivalent to R3…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/liberty-group_claims-stats202…

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Claim 27: “Liberty paid R1.24-billion in critical illness claims in 2025, up from R1.21-billion in 2024.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 28: “Musculoskeletal disorders were the leading cause, making up 21.1% of these claims, followed by cancer at 15.2% and cardiovascular conditions at 10.3%.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 29: “Liberty paid R924-million for loss of income due to disability, a 19.4% increase from R773-million in 2024.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 30: “Momentum reported that 62% of death claims among clients under 30 were due to unnatural causes, mainly motor vehicle accidents.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 31: “Liberty cites Asisa research showing South Africans had a R50.3-trillion insurance gap in 2025.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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.