LSSA concerned about RAF CEO’s unfounded statements

On December 12, 2023, Mr. Collins Letsoalo, the CEO of the Road Accident Fund (RAF), made a series of sweeping and unsubstantiated claims regarding legal practitioners and the Legal Practice Council (LPC).

Among his assertions, he claimed that over 9,000 lawyers had been reported to the LPC due to complaints related to the RAF. Allegedly, many of these legal professionals were accused of misappropriating funds intended for their clients from RAF payouts.

Mr. Letsoalo also criticized the LPC for what he perceived as inefficiency in handling complaints against legal practitioners, referring to it disparagingly as a "club."

His allegations regarding duplicate payments made to legal practitioners were found to be inaccurate by the LPC. Contrary to his claims, the LPC clarified that only 13 complaints were directly received from the RAF. Of these, eight are still under investigation, while the rest have been resolved. The RAF is kept informed of these developments.

Regarding duplicate payments, the LPC explained that these occurred due to a system error at the RAF. Out of the 102 firms initially identified as having received duplicate payments, 99% either returned the extra funds or did not receive them. The remaining 13 firms underwent disciplinary processes by the LPC.

Mr. Letsoalo's statements are concerning as they tarnish the reputation of the legal profession and undermine the LPC's credibility.

Now that he is aware of the facts, it is expected that Mr. Letsoalo will promptly correct the inaccuracies in his recent media remarks or provide an explanation for his failure to do so.