The state-owned special risks insurer Sasria recently announced that there was an increase in insurance claims due to violent service delivery protests. These claims have contributed to an estimated R1 billion in losses over the past nine months.
Between 2012 and 2019, Sasria received more than 20 000 claims with a notable increase in the recent past, particularly between 2017 and 2019. The risks insurer showed that service delivery protests accounted for 76.6% of claims lodged with it in the year to end-March.
Insurance operation executive manager, Fareedah Benjamin mentioned that 2019 would be a challenging year because “only certain incidents are reported in the news. Until you see the extent of the claims, you don’t realise these events are happening with more frequency and the extent of the damage is increasing.”
“Whether it is a labour strike, a student protest or a community demonstrating against poor service delivery, there is always potential for damage to property and assets. Everyone is at risk,” said Benjamin.
Click here to read the article on the Sasria webpage.
