Construction insurance
SASRIA Cover
Riot, strike and public disorder damage is excluded from conventional construction policies in South Africa. SASRIA SOC Ltd is the only provider of that cover, and it is added as an extension to an underlying policy you hold.
Riot and strike damage to the works
An extension on the policy you hold
Terrorism too not just riot and strike
FSP 49912 authorised broker
What it is
The cover only SASRIA writes
SASRIA is the South African Special Risks Insurance Association, now SASRIA SOC Ltd, a state-owned insurer. It exists to carry the risks the conventional market will not touch: riot, strike, civil commotion, labour disturbance, public disorder and terrorism.
Your Contractors All Risk or Plant All Risk policy excludes those events. The SASRIA extension is added on top of it, so whatever that policy insures can also be covered for unrest damage. We arrange the extension with the policy and confirm the limit on your schedule.
What is covered, and to what limit, is set out in your policy wording and schedule. This page is a plain language summary, not the policy.
The short version
Get a quote
SASRIA is not sold on its own. Pick the policy it goes on and we will quote the two together.
Contractors All RiskThe works, on and off site.→ Plant All RiskYellow metal, owned or hired.→ Commercial InsuranceThe business behind the site.→ Not sure whichTell us what you hold and we will check it.→What it covers
Unrest damage, on your site
These are the events SASRIA was created to carry. Cover follows the items insured on your underlying policy, up to the limit shown on your schedule and on the terms of the SASRIA wording.
Riot and strike
Damage to the works and materials insured on your policy, caused by rioting or strike action on or around your site.
Public disorder
Civil commotion, service delivery protests and blockades that spill onto the site and damage what you are building.
Labour disturbance
Damage arising from a labour dispute affecting your site, whether or not the people involved work for you.
Terrorism
Damage caused by an act of terrorism as defined in the SASRIA wording. Conventional construction policies exclude it.
What we do about it
Check whether the policy you already hold carries the extension, because some already carry it and the contractor was never told
Add the extension to the right underlying policy
Confirm the limit and the period with you in writing before you rely on it
Renew it when the underlying policy renews, and arrange an extension of the period when the contract runs late, subject to the insurer agreeing it and any additional premium
The limits
What the extension will not do
An extension is not a standalone policy. These are the boundaries worth understanding before you count on it.
Cover anything your underlying policy does not cover
Work at all without an underlying policy in force
Pay consequential loss (knock-on losses such as delay costs) beyond the extension limit
Cover business interruption, unless that is arranged separately
How the extension works
It sits on one named underlying policy
It runs for the same period as that policy
The limit is confirmed on your schedule
It renews when the underlying policy renews
One extension per underlying policy
SASRIA sets the rate, not the broker
Your riot cover follows your underlying sums insured. If the works are under-insured on the CAR policy, the extension is under-insured with them. Tell us when the contract value changes and we will adjust both.
Where it sits
The policies it attaches to
SASRIA is not bought on its own. It is added to one of these, so one of them has to be in place first. Tell us what the project involves and we will work through which one fits.
Quick answers
SASRIA questions
The ones contractors ask us most often.
Are strikes and riots covered by my CAR policy?
Not on their own. Conventional construction policies exclude riot, strike and public disorder, so damage from those events is not covered, whatever else the policy covers. Only the SASRIA extension picks those events up. We raise it on most projects, and we work through whether it suits yours before you buy it.
Can I buy SASRIA on its own?
No. It is an extension, so it needs an underlying policy in force to sit on. If you do not have one yet, the extension is most often attached to a Contractors All Risk policy. Tell us what the project involves and we will work through which policy fits, then arrange the extension on it.
Who is SASRIA?
SASRIA SOC Ltd, a state-owned insurer. It began as the South African Special Risks Insurance Association, set up to carry the unrest risks the conventional market will not write. It is the sole provider of that cover in South Africa, so this cover is not shopped between insurers the way a CAR policy is.
Do I already have it?
Possibly. Some construction policies are issued with the extension already on them and the contractor does not notice. Send us your schedule and we will tell you what is on it, whether we arranged the policy or not.
What happens if my project runs late?
The extension runs with the underlying policy, so when we extend the CAR policy the SASRIA cover extends with it. Tell us before the original completion date, not after it has passed.
Does it cover business interruption?
Not as part of this extension. SASRIA cover for standing charges (fixed costs that run on while the site is stopped) and interruption is arranged separately, on the policy it belongs to. Ask us and we will tell you what is available for your project.
How is it priced?
SASRIA sets the rate, not the broker. It is calculated off the sums insured on the underlying policy, so the premium moves when the contract value moves. We show you the figure before anything is bound.
This page is a summary written in plain language. The cover that applies to you is the cover set out in your policy wording and schedule, and nothing here changes it. Speak to us before you rely on any of it for a specific project.
Add SASRIA to your cover
Tell us which policy you are on and we will check whether the extension is already on it. If it is not, we will arrange it with the insurer and confirm the limit in writing before you rely on it. No obligation either way.