By Inside Politics Reporter

Former National Youth Development Agency CEO Waseem Carrim has been approved by Cabinet for permanent appointment as chief executive of the Road Accident Fund.

Prior to the appointment, Carrim was serving as acting CEO of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) since March 2025.

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In a post-cabinet meeting briefing on Tuesday, Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni announced that he has been appointed permanently to lead the agency, which is facing severe financial and governance challenges.

The Chartered Accountant takes over at a time when the agency is under intense external and internal scrutiny following a marathon inquiry by the parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts. Its former and current managers were grilled over financial mismanagement and irregular procurement.

Carrim has extensive administrative experience. He was brought in to help stabilise NSFAS amid governance and financial challenges. He helped oversee efforts to clear funding backlogs and improve the scheme’s operations.

Carrim also spent several years as NYDA CEO and during his tenure the agency achieved nine consecutive clean audits and substantially expanded its operational budget.

But Carrim is now taking over an agency facing serious challenges highlighted by Scopa, including concerns that changes to the claims process have made it harder for poorer crash victims to access compensation directly and increased their reliance on attorneys.

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The committee has also raised concerns about the RAF’s funding model, warning that its reliance on the current model could place further strain on the fund’s long-term financial sustainability unless an alternative is found.

It is funded through a petrol levy which amounts to R4 billion per month, collected by the SA Revenue Service. The entity also receives minor income from ad hoc government grants and interests from investments. 

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