01 Nov 2017

Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr Kitso Mokaila says Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund as established under Motor Vehicle Accident Fund Act No.15 of 2007, is mandated to provide compensation in the form of benefits which includes medical and rehabilitation assistance to people involved in road crashes in Botswana.

Responding to a question at Ntlo ya Dikgosi that was tabled by Kgosi David Toto II of Kgalagadi South, Minister Mokaila said the mandate of MVA Fund is territorial and only confined to accidents that occurs within the  Botswana boarders.

Mr Mokaila said there is no agreement between Botswana and South Africa in assisting Batswana who get involved in accidents in South Africa and vice-versa.However, he said there is an arrangement as an institutional level between statutory organisations established for that purpose.

He said accidents happening in South Africa are covered under Road Accident Fund (RAF) of South Africa, which operates under a different compensation system and confers different benefits to those offered by MVA Fund Botswana.

“In realising the commonality of its corporative objective and regional linkages with Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana, in 2012, entered into multilateral agreements with the funds of these countries being Road Accident Fund of South Africa, MVA Fund of Namibia, MVA Fund of Swaziland to cooperate in claims handling of residents of the four countries,” he said.

Minister Mokaila said through this mutual cooperation, the four funds have arrangement where there is a reciprocal handling of claims that arise from road crashes occurring in each respective country.

He noted that where Batswana have been involved in a road accident while in South Africa, MVA Fund Botswana will receive the claims and forward them to RAF in South Africa and where MVA Fund has been notified of a road accident that occurred in South Africa, it always plays a role in engaging its sister-fund, RAF to assist as per that Act.

He also said MVA Fund assists in follow-up of claims for Batswana who were injured in South Africa to ensure speedy compensation.

Kgosi Toto II had asked the minister to explain whether there is any agreement or collaborative efforts between Botswana and South Africa concerning road accidents that occur to Batswana while in South Africa in terms of emergency assistance as there are usually delays, which ultimately cause unnecessary deaths.

Kgosi Toto II also asked the minister if he would further engage South Africa for Botswana to provide assistance in instances where the accident happened near Botswana and vice versa. BOPA