Former Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo has referred a dispute with the fund to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Two reliable sources have confirmed this to Moneyweb.
It is believed the dispute relates to Letsoalo’s expectation of the renewal of his contract, with an offer allegedly made by the now-dissolved former RAF board to reappoint him for a further term as CEO.
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Responding to a Moneyweb request for comment, RAF head of corporate communications McIntosh Polela said last week: “The Road Accident Fund (RAF) has no comment on the referral. Please talk to Mr Letsoalo about this matter.”
Moneyweb made several attempts last week to obtain comment from Letsoalo, but he neither answered his phone nor responded to a message sent to him.
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The CCMA has yet to respond to a Moneyweb query sent to the commission last Wednesday, despite acknowledging the enquiry and indicating that its “standard response time is within 24 to 48 hours”.
Letsoalo is no longer employed by the RAF after his term of contract as RAF CEO expired on 6 August 2025, with Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy confirming to Moneyweb on 8 August 2025 that “he’s gone.”
Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa said at the same time that the Department of Transport (DoT) had a contractual relationship with Letsoalo and “that contract has run its course.”
Both Creecy and Hlengwa told Moneyweb they were unaware of Letsoalo referring any dispute with the RAF to the CCMA.
The previous RAF board was dissolved by Creecy on 15 July 2025 because of its failure to discharge its fiduciary duties effectively.
Letsoalo’s suspension
It suspended Letsoalo in early June 2025 for insubordination related to his refusal to appear before Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) the previous week.
Creecy announced the members of an interim RAF board about 10 days ago.
Hlengwa said it is his and Creecy’s expectation that the new interim board must in earnest advertise the post of the RAF CEO.
Following his suspension, Letsoalo launched an unsuccessful urgent application in the High Court in Pretoria related to his suspension and reappointment as RAF CEO.
Letsoalo applied to the court to declare the RAF board’s decision, taken on 3 June 2025 to suspend him, unlawful, irrational, and unreasonable, and sought to have it set aside.
He further applied to immediately resume his duties as CEO of the RAF and to interdict the RAF board from advertising the CEO position pending the finalisation of the process to re-appoint him.
Scopa was also informed this year by Letsoalo that a decision was previously taken by the RAF board to reappoint him.
Lack of evidence
Judge Graham Moshoana in late June this year ruled that Letsoalo’s suspension by the RAF board was lawful, rational and reasonable – and dismissed his application with costs.
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Judge Moshoana said Letsoalo alleges he had acquired a right to be reappointed as CEO of the RAF. “There is simply no factual or legal basis for this allegation,” he said.
Judge Moshoana said Letsoalo’s founding affidavit “makes a nude allegation that the board has resolved to reappoint him”.
He said the (now dissolved) RAF board denies this, and Letsoalo failed to provide any resolution taken by the board in support of the allegation of a reappointment decision.
“As such, there is no prima facie proof that the board took a resolution to appoint him,” he said.
Next steps for RAF leadership
Judge Moshoana added that the right to reappoint Letsoalo simply does not exist as a matter of substantive law and is baseless. Furthermore, the RAF board, in terms of the RAF Act, has no power to appoint and can only make recommendations to the Minister of Transport.
He said, for some unsound reasons in law, the Minister of Transport had not been joined in the present application and this is fatal to the granting of the interdictory relief.
Judge Moshoana said it is also implausible for Letsoalo to be reappointed.
He said, in terms of a clause of the fixed term contract (FTC), Letsoalo warranted that there is no expectation by him objectively, subjectively, or otherwise, that the FTC would be renewed or extended beyond 6 August 2025.
Judge Moshoana said Letsoalo also warranted that the non-renewal or non-extension of the FTC beyond 6 August 2025 would not constitute his dismissal as contemplated in terms of the Labour Relations Act (LRA).
“It is therefore unsurprising that Mr Letsoalo tactically eschewed the provisions of the LRA.
“In terms of clause 28.1 of the FTC, Mr Letsoalo agreed that no amendment of the FTC shall be binding on the parties unless reduced to a written document and signed by them.
“Certainly, the alleged board resolution to reappoint Mr Letsoalo constitutes an amendment of clauses of the FTC. Absent a signed written document, such an amendment has no binding effect.
“On the strength of all the above facts, Mr Letsoalo dismally failed to establish prima facie facts establishing a right in terms of substantive law,” he said.
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