More than 21,000 claims were lodged in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, and Sasria has paid out the majority.

Although 80% of the claims from the civil unrest of July last year have been settled, about 20%, amounting to R10-billion, are outstanding. Sasria's executive manager for stakeholder management, Muzi Dladla, told Business Maverick that the outstanding claims were due to a long rebuilding process.

"We pay as the buildings are being rebuilt. A small portion of that [unpaid amount] is due to clients not providing required information and claims where an agreement of loss has been issued, but clients are not signing the documents," he says.

Dladla was quick to say that there is no specific cut-off for claims to be settled, after an outcry followed a circular issued by Sasria on 13 June. The circular gave insurers 10 days to finalise all unsettled claims related to the looting where clients had either failed to provide the required information or had not signed an agreement of loss document.

The contentious statement noted: "Sasria will no longer put effort on these claims and consider them as not taken up and close the files. Where signed agreements of losses have still not been returned...