UIF’s COVID-19 TERS extended till 15 August: Labour Ministry

The Unemployment Insurance Fund’s COVID-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme has been extended until 15 August.

This was announced by Deputy Minister of Labour and Employment, Elizabeth Moloi during the department’s budget vote in Parliament on Tuesday.

She delivered the budget vote on behalf of Minister Thulas Nxesi who has been admitted to hospital because of COVID-19.

Moloi said about R34 billion has been disbursed to beneficiaries through their employers.

She conceded that there have been delays in the disbursement of the benefits and said that applications for April and May will be closed at the end of this month.

The Deputy Minister also announced that six people have died of COVID-19 and that there are 134 positive cases reported in the Department of Labour and Employment.

Fraud

Five people were arrested for the payment of R5.7 million from the COVID-19 UIF relief fund into the bank account of a 25-year-old Pretoria warehouse worker.

The 25-year-old suspect is said to have gone on spending after receiving the cash. He also allegedly transferred some of it to his family and girlfriend’s bank accounts.

The money was meant for about 1 400 workers from the labour brokerage firm, CSG Resources.

It is believed the worker fraudulently used CSG’s UIF number and created a profile with his own banking details.

The UIF says the Hawks are investigating numerous accounts linked to the money and have already managed to retrieve around R3.2 million of the stolen funds.

The South African Social Security Agency says they’ve already paid just over 3 million recipients of the Special COVID-19 distress relief fund.

The R350 monthly relief pay-out for unemployed people is valid from May until October, with no back pay.

Thousands of recipients are queuing at Post Offices around the country to receive their payments.

Northern Cape Sassa Spokesperson Inno Khunou says almost 8 million applications have been received.

“As at 14 July 2020, Sassa received a national total of 7.5 million applications and have already approved 4.4 million of those. The national payment figure now stands at 3 190 069. People in the Northern Cape who applied are 6 682. Those that have been paid stands at 72 785, and the declined ones are 55 817.”

In the video below, long queues at Post offices around the country:

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