What SASRIA covers
What does SASRIA cover in South Africa?
SASRIA covers physical loss or damage to your property caused by special risks that ordinary insurance excludes: riots, strikes, civil commotion, public disorder, labour disturbances and politically or socially motivated malicious acts, including terrorism. It applies to assets like your car, home, contents and business property. It does not cover war, and consequential losses like lost income need a special extension.
Key takeaways
- SASRIA covers damage from riots, strikes, civil unrest and public disorder.
- It also covers politically or socially motivated malicious acts, including terrorism.
- Ordinary insurance policies exclude these perils, which is the gap SASRIA fills.
- It applies to property such as vehicles, homes, contents and business assets.
- War is excluded, and lost income needs a separate business-interruption extension.
The special risks SASRIA covers
SASRIA, the South African Special Risks Insurance Association, provides cover for physical loss or damage to property caused by events that normal insurers will not touch. These include:
- Riots, public disorder and civil commotion.
- Strikes, lockouts and labour disturbances.
- Politically or socially motivated malicious acts, including terrorism.
If your property is damaged in an event like these, SASRIA is the cover that responds. For the wider story, see our post on SASRIA explained.
What property SASRIA protects
SASRIA cover attaches to the assets you already insure, so it can protect your vehicle, your home and buildings, your contents and business property. Because it sits alongside your underlying policy, the property it covers mirrors what that policy insures. It pays for the physical damage to those assets caused by the special risks, up to the cover limits.
What SASRIA does not cover
SASRIA is specific, so some things fall outside it:
- War and warlike activities are excluded.
- Consequential loss, such as lost business income, is not automatically covered and needs a special extension.
- Ordinary perils like accidental damage, fire or theft, which your normal policy already covers.
Knowing the boundary matters, because SASRIA fills one specific gap rather than replacing your main cover.
How it fits with your other cover
SASRIA does not replace your insurance; it plugs the special-risks hole your normal policy leaves. You keep your ordinary car, home or business cover for everyday risks, and SASRIA adds protection for riots, strikes and unrest. See SASRIA versus normal insurance for why the two are separate, then compare quotes for your underlying cover. This is general information, not financial advice.