Santam ready to assist clients affected by Southern Cape floods

Santam is ready to assist clients affected by severe flash floods in the Southern Cape.

Fanus Coetzee, Head of Claims at Santam, says while claims have started to trickle in, the company is unable to quantify the number of claims for the moment.

“The majority of the claims received so far relate to water damage in homes and businesses. We treat more manageable claims digitally at this stage and we have a team of desk-based assessors who are dealing with these claims,” he said.

Coetzee added that Santam has triggered its weather-related catastrophe claims management protocols that have been developed over the years from our past experiences of such events.

“These catastrophe management protocols detail how the claims management process and rules will be adapted to ensure that we service our clients in the best possible way. Our goal is always to create certainty with the clients as soon as possible after the event - and to ensure that we have our staff and suppliers at the location as soon as possible. In respect of the Southern Cape flash floods, should our incoming claims volume thresholds be triggered, our field office will be up and running in George within 24 hours to ensure we manage and attend to the immediate needs of our clients as soon as possible,” he said.

Santam recognises that extreme weather events are increasing in intensity and occurrence as predicted by the climate change science and the rising urbanisation patterns of South Africa.

“We acknowledge that this poses serious risks to the stability and quality of human society and the global economy. We are therefore a strong advocate of the need to build local level resilience and risk protection. As Africa’s leading short-term insurer, we continue to work with a range of stakeholders in an effort to enhance risk-based decision-making and to build community resilience along our value chain,” Coetzee said.