Unacceptable Delays, Poor Service & Wrongful Claim Rejection – Santam Third Party Claim

I am writing to express my extreme frustration and dissatisfaction with the handling of my third-party claim by Santam. On 10 January, my vehicle was stationary and preparing to turn when it was hit from behind in a three-car pile-up. The insured driver of the Santam vehicle rear-ended me, and liability was clearly established. On 16 January, I was referred to Chat Leroux and Christian from Clanfin, who then directed me to Santam via email (uninsuredthirdparty@santam and DPClegal@santam). I eventually received assistance from Sanovia Jacobs, who referred me to Mirriam Matladi. Mirriam was professional and helpful. On 20 March, I was requested to submit all required documentation, including diagrams, quotes, and statements, which I did promptly on the same day. However, the process thereafter became chaotic and unacceptable: I was asked to send a video via WhatsApp and was assisted by a highly unprofessional and rude individual named Zama Nene, who told me not to waste his time and interrupted me while I was trying to explain my case. His conduct was suspicious and concerning, to the point where I believed it might be a ****. I escalated this concern. On the same day (20 March), I was asked again to resend all documents to Maurisha, despite having all the information included when she was referred to me to handle my case. On 23 March, Maurisha advised that they would contact their insured’s broker to establish the chain of events. After no feedback, I followed up on 7 April and was only told on 8 April that the matter was being discussed at management level. Later on 8 April, I received a claim rejection, stating that I should claim from the third vehicle involved. This decision is both unreasonable and unjustified. I had already provided clear proof that Santam’s insured driver admitted to hitting me from behind. I even submitted a screenshot of a WhatsApp message where their insured explicitly stated, “I hit you from behind,” and referred me for a repair quote. This evidence was completely ignored. On 9 April, I challenged this outcome, but Maurisha insisted I redirect my claim to another party. This is unacceptable. As the innocent party who was rear-ended, it is not my responsibility to pursue multiple parties when their insured directly caused damage to my vehicle. Had their insured maintained a safe following distance, the accident and resulting damages could have been avoided or minimized. I also expressed my intention to escalate the matter to the Ombudsman on two occasions. Despite this, no complaint was logged until I explicitly requested it. When I asked for escalation, I was told it would be sent to management, but no turnaround time was provided. As of today, 14 April, I have had to follow up yet again, only to be told that Maurisha is still waiting for feedback from management. This lack of communication, accountability, and urgency is completely unacceptable. My concerns are as follows: Unreasonable delays in processing my claim Poor communication and lack of feedback Being asked to repeatedly submit the same documents Unprofessional and rude conduct from staff Ignoring clear evidence of liability Incorrectly rejecting my claim and shifting responsibility I am now formally requesting: Immediate reassessment of my claim based on the evidence provided Urgent resolution of this matter Accountability for the poor service received Failing a satisfactory resolution, I will proceed with escalation to the Ombudsman for Short-Term Insurance. This entire experience has been stressful, time-consuming, and completely unacceptable.