Personal Lines
Identity theft, or impersonation fraud, has skyrocketed by 337% this year according to data from the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS). Using advancements in technology and data from increasing breaches, criminals are now able to create sophisticated synthetic identities by combining genuine personal information with fake or false information.
Personal Lines
For Judith Groenewald, Chief Financial Officer at Santam Shared Services, leading with empathy is key to succeeding in a highly competitive and ever-evolving industry. As part of the executive team at the helm of one of the country’s leading names in insurance, she believes that her natural abilities as a caregiver have been pivotal to her own career journey as well as the resilience of her team.
Personal Lines
Young individuals, who are in the process of accumulating wealth and typically do not have substantial savings, especially for unexpected expenses such as vehicle damages, third-party liabilities, theft, or damages to valuable items such as laptops, are the ones who benefit the most from having insurance
Personal Lines
The impact of balloon payments on your finances in case of an insurance-related incident like an accident.
Personal Lines
Why young South Africans also need insurance
Personal Lines
The risk-related factors to consider when investing in solar power systems.
Personal Lines
The Insurance Crime Bureau (ICB), an organisation established to fight fraud in the industry, has recently warned about a concerning trend wherein criminals are directly targeting insurance companies, through their call centres, by impersonating policy holders and requesting copies of their policy schedules and claims history.
Personal Lines
We have witnessed and experienced the impact of loadshedding in our day to day lives. The frequent loadshedding has resulted in around 1 in 3 consumers investing in electronic equipment to boost their power supply. This has been supported by consumer survey responses which have indicated that 34% of these consumers have installed UPS devices, 24% for generators, 20% for solar panels and 15% relying on portable batteries.
Personal Lines
Santam, South Africa’s largest short-term insurer, confirms that the over the past 48 hours the company has been dealing with multiple claims caused by inclement weather that has impacted parts of the Western Cape province.
Personal Lines
While the post-COVID rebound in Easter weekend travel is encouraging for the economy, the volume of traffic on the road demands extra vigilance from drivers. According to a report from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), the number of fatalities on our roads increased by 37% from 184 in 2022 to 252 in 2023.
Personal Lines
The latest census data revealed a long-term trend of a decrease in both marriages as well as co-habiting couples. But for many South Africans, moving in with their partner or spouse remains a very real consideration.
Personal Lines
January often brings with it a financial sobering known as "Janu-worry". Most consumers struggle to make ends meet due to festive overspending, back to school expenses and the long wait until payday. According to the latest Santam Insurance Barometer report released toward the end of 2023, 88% of consumers were already making adjustments to their spending as the cost of living increased.
Personal Lines
Santam wishes to confirm that the insurer has received reports of damage to policyholders in areas such as the Johannesburg CBD, Sandton, Midrand, as well as parts of Soweto.
Personal Lines
Vehicle theft and hijacking are on the rise in South Africa. According to South African crime statistics, 5,119 cars were hijacked in the country in the first quarter of 2023 (57 cars per day) with the numbers rising in the last month of the quarter. Alarmingly, at the end of 2022, vehicle hijackings were up by 30% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Personal Lines
An outage can cause extensive damage to certain types of geysers, and consumers should be aware of steps that can be taken to reduce what can be potentially costly damage to their geyser systems as a result of future outages.
Personal Lines
Tips to get better value from your insurance premiums this Savings Month
Personal Lines
With winter fast approaching, and weather patterns suggesting it is going to be a harsh season, Marius Kemp, Head of Personal Lines Underwriting at Santam, has advised those living in areas prone to extreme atmospheric conditions in South Africa to take precautions.
Personal Lines
The Easter weekend is approaching, which means many South Africans will be hitting the roads to see family or go somewhere scenic with their loved ones. While this may be a beautiful time, the country’s roads can become unpredictable. So, taking the necessary precautions to ensure you get there safely is essential.
Personal Lines
Eskom board chairperson Mpho Makwana’s recent announcement detailing Eskom’s plans to implement permanent stage 2 and stage 3 load shedding over the next 24 months confirmed the worst-case scenario for individuals and businesses – that blackouts will be a part of daily life for years to come.
Personal Lines
South Africa faced several challenges in 2022, including climate-change-related weather disasters, load-shedding, and a rise in cyber-attacks. Combined, these obstacles created a demanding insurance landscape.
Personal Lines
Managing one’s finances and finding ways to cut unnecessary expenditure has never been more important and quite often we forget to declutter that all-important short-term insurance contract.
Personal Lines
Santam, South Africa’s largest general insurer, has cautioned Johannesburg, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Mpumalanga residents to be careful and exercise extreme vigilance in the wake of the severe weather conditions predicted for the regions and the surrounding areas over the coming days.
Personal Lines
Santam, has advised residents in the hailstorm ‘hot spots’ of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal to take the necessary precautions in anticipation of the predicted hail season for these regions over summer.
Personal Lines
A thorough understanding of what is covered under your home and car insurance policy, combined with regular and proper maintenance of your assets in accordance with your contract, are critical in ensuring a satisfactory claims experience.
Personal Lines
South Africans were subjected to an unexpected escalation in load shedding to level 6 earlier in the week, resulting in warnings that the country could be subjected to an even stricter electricity reduction protocol.
Personal Lines
Santam, South Africa’s largest general insurer, handed over firefighting equipment to the Mangaung Metro Fire Services on 16 September 2022 as part of its flagship programme known as Partnerships for Risk and Resilience (P4RR). The intervention came after the city approached Santam for support with firefighting foam and fire blowers to optimise its firefighting efforts.
Personal Lines
Santam, has cautioned Western Cape residents to be careful and to exercise extreme vigilance in the wake of heavy rain expected over the coming days.
Personal Lines
Santam, has warned that clients could, over the next couple of weeks, and possibly months, experience delays in the repair of damaged motor vehicles due to a global shortage in parts caused, among others, by COVID-19 and other supply-chain challenges.
Personal Lines
South Africa’s power utility Eskom has announced stage 6 of rotational load shedding which has been taking place since Tuesday evening, due to a significant deterioration of its operations.
Personal Lines
With a massive increase expected to take fuel prices beyond R23 per litre this June, drivers must once again tighten their belts.
Personal Lines
Santam, is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Motus Mobility Solutions that ensures that the company’s insurance clients will have access to market-leading motor-warranty services.
Personal Lines
Santam has urged households to prioritise safety considerations of gas appliances, as many homes look for alternatives as means of dealing with loadshedding.
Personal Lines
5 Essential checks before you buy your home
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With the increase in the fuel price now breaking through R20 a litre, and with peak time traffic being a nightmare, it makes sense to try carpooling to save money.
Personal Lines
Santam is ready to assist clients affected by severe flash floods in the Southern Cape.
Personal Lines
Fire is a very real and present risk at this time of year. Residents need to be alert to the dangers fire poses to properties and possessions. Here’s how to proactively protect your home and loved ones.
Personal Lines
Karen Muuren Head: Segment Solutions at Santam says “At the end of the day we all understand the realities of living in South Africa.
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The primary cause for home insurance complaints during 2020 was the rejection of claims.
Personal Lines
Advice to keep your trusty steed in tip-top shape — as well as how to reduce your car insurance premiums for the foreseeable future.
Personal Lines
After over a year of lockdowns, many South Africans have vastly changed circumstances. Managing one’s finances and finding ways to cut unnecessary expenditure has never been more important.
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Some people believe that vehicle insurance is beyond their financial reach. The good news? There are affordable vehicle insurance solutions that can protect your vehicle and your financial wellbeing.
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South Africans to take necessary precautions in protecting their property
Personal Lines
After a year of lockdowns, a lot of South Africans have vastly changed circumstances.
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Santam has offered the following tips to motorists and homeowners ahead of the expected heavy rains this week.
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The Western Cape experiences a higher than normal fire risk between December and April each year, and exceedingly high temperatures and strong winds can increase the probability of further fire outbreaks.
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With international travel not really possible, South Africans have to opt for domestic travel. This trend is likely to continue, and we will see more cars hitting the road this Easter Holiday.
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The long-awaited driver demerit system is likely to come into effect this year.
Personal Lines
The economic downturn over the past year, coupled with the need to reduce expenses, has seen a rise in vacant properties across South Africa and an increase in co-habiting.
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4 Tips on what to do if your house or vehicle is affected or damaged
Personal Lines
February is known as the month of love and, even in a pandemic year, billions of rands are expected to be spent on Valentine’s Day gifts, globally.
Personal Lines
Did you recently make any personal changes like moving in with your partner or made some adjustments to your property.
Personal Lines
When signing up for short-term insurance products, one of the first aspects to consider is whether or not you have to pay an excess when submitting a valid claim.
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Good news is that, with many people now working from home and commuting less, you may be able to negotiate a better rate on car insurance.
Personal Lines
As we near the end of National Transport Month this October, statistics from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) paint a bleak picture. According to RTMC, more than 12 500 people lost their lives on the roads in 2019.
Personal Lines
Summertime is commonly associated with hail season in the northern parts of South Africa, and short-term insurer, Santam confirmed on Friday afternoon they received the first storm and hail damage reports from Mpumalanga.
Personal Lines
Getting into a motor vehicle accident can be nerve-wracking. In the heat of the moment, you could panic or forget simple details.
Personal Lines
Santam has reported a significant increase in daily vehicle related claims for the month of May so far, although still below a normal month’s expected claims.
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Your student child will soon be heading back to or starting at their various campuses and like many University and College students, they are walking around with thousands of rands’ worth of property on them.
Personal Lines
Some important things to consider when entrusting your home to someone else.
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Summertime is historically hail season in the northern parts of South Africa.
Personal Lines
Does picking a red vehicle mean you have a higher risk of an accident? And will this influence your insurance premium?
Personal Lines
Criminal syndicates are looking to exploit clients and intermediaries into transferring funds into their accounts by leveraging Santam’s brand and reputation.
Personal Lines
Did you know one of the world’s most expensive bikes – the Pinarello K10S favoured by cycling sensation Chris Froome – currently costs the equivalent of a brand new Volkswagen Polo GT – which is around R245 000 – or 186 pairs of Nike Airforce 1s?
Personal Lines
Valentine’s Day is one of the most commercialised days on the global calendar. Each year billions of rands are spent on expensive gifts. In 2018, South Africa’s online gift and flower delivery business, NetFlorist, grew by 1,400% in the run-up to Valentine's Day as more than 200,000 red rose stems were ordered.
Personal Lines
In response to the highly anticipated 2019 Budget Speech, Santam, South Africa’s largest general insurer, encourages consumers to take the opportunity to look at practical ways to adjust their household budgets.
Personal Lines
Did you recently get married? Move in with your partner? Or maybe you made some adjustments to your property. Every year, our lives change and every new year we ‘spring clean’ the clutter to make way for the new resolutions. But more often than not there is one thing we always put on the back-burner.
Personal Lines
South African insurer extends Guidewire relationship to enhance claims processing efficiency, reduce IT TCO, and leverage marketplace ecosystemn them.