Hail storms, floods and fires: How we helped out

It's been a very busy first quarter at Santam with hail storms in Pietermaritzburg, flash floods in Kimberley and fires all over the Cape Peninsula. "At Santam, we classify claims that arise as a result of these circumstances as catastrophe event claims. These claims are assigned a special code and channelled to dedicated catastrophe management administration teams" says Fanus Coetzee, Santam's head of claims assessment services.

In February 2015, Santam received reports from policyholders and intermediaries in the Pietermaritzburg region about damage to vehicles and property as a result of quite an intense hail storm. Fanus explains: "Santam's claims services staff provided guidance concerning emergency repairs to ensure vehicles were made roadworthy after the claim has been registered "We received about 1 600 claims worth R64 million in the Pietermaritzburg region. Santam's claims services are mobilised to deliver good and proper insurance to Pietermaritzburg residents, which is why most hail-related claims in this area have already been processed.

Following some intense flash floods in Kimberley, we received quite a number of vehicle and building claims from our policyholders in February 2015. Says Fanus: "Our claims staff ensured that policyholders were directed to the most appropriate assessment channel. We also sourced additional assessors to manage the volume of claims in Kimberley." Click here for advice on what to do in the event of a flood.

Santam received only a few claims related to the fires that raged in the southern parts of the Cape Peninsula earlier this month. "We took the opportunity to show South Africans how they could prevent the loss of lives and property as a result of fires," says Fanus.

Santam has experience in dealing with large fire related claims from previous incidents such as the St. Francis Bay fires in 2012 which was valuable in terms of lessons learnt.

Says Fanus: "In all of the above-mentioned cases, I want to acknowledge the work of our claims team and our intermediaries in the various regions. These events remind us of the steps we need to take to stay safe and when you're in the business of insurance like Santam that is always our priority."

Want to report a claim?

Santam's new app contains a built-in an incident and accident reporter, making it easier for you to report an incident to us. Read more about the Santam app by clicking here.