RAF CEO Collins Letsoalo ‘undeterred’ by SIU R79m office lease investigation

Road Accident Fund (RAF) CEO Collins Letsoalo has dismissed the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe into allegations of wrongdoing in a R79m office lease agreement.

Sunday Times reported the SIU preliminary report implicated Letsoalo in possible malfeasance related to the lease for the RAF’s Johannesburg regional offices.

The SIU investigation was initiated after a whistle-blower’s complaint to the public protector’s office. The complaint alleged Letsoalo reversed decisions made by the bid evaluation committee (BEC) to favour Mowana Properties, which manages a property portfolio owned by the Government Employees Pension Fund. Letsoalo defended his decision, stating it made economic sense because rental payments would benefit the state.

Addressing the media on Monday, Letsoalo said he was “undeterred”.

“I will pursue this. The lawyers must know I fear not. I sleep nicely at night knowing I have nothing to fear, whether it is an SIU investigation or any form of investigation, I’m open to that,” he said.

He attributed the investigation to a plot to tarnish his reputation, given his contract is set to end in August.

“When people are on a fishing expedition you get statements that don’t correlate and are unrelated but those are not the real issues, and I’m not surprised. My contract is coming to an end in August, so we are going to see all these funny things that happened in the past. I hear it’s a progressive move to continuously have my name in the media for wrong reasons.”

Letsoalo emphasised his role in turning around the RAF, saying his predecessors would attest to the challenges of the position. He said his appointment was due to his ability to resolve issues.

“Turning around the RAF is not for sissies. You must ask our predecessors, and they’ll tell you. Anything you’re going to do, as long as it doesn’t benefit lawyers, medical schemes, actuaries and doctors, you won’t be liked. The previous management and board were hated for bringing the Road Accident Benefit Scheme. Unfortunately, the detractors won because it never saw the light of day.

“By the way, we didn’t bring ourselves here. I didn’t wake up, minding my own business at the department of transport as a CFO and walk in this building and say I will be the CEO. I was brought here because there was an issue, and it had to be resolved. The idea was that I was the right person [for the job]. I asked why I was asked to come here, and I was given those reasons. You must ask those who appointed me what they considered to bring me here. I didn’t bring myself here.”

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