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UIF starts major audit of TERS monies in Limpopo

Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has appointed seven audit firms who have started auditing monies paid through the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Limpopo, over R16 billion has been paid and the audit firms have been given until March next year to complete their work. This was shared by Allan Ragavaloo, UIF director of provincial support at the Bolivia Lodge in Polokwane recently. According to Ragavaloo the hardest hit industries during the pandemic were tourism, hospitality and the alcohol industry.

The top five industries that benefitted from TERS were personal services receiving R556m; trade getting R229m; mining industry with R159m; building sector receiving R148m and professional services receiving R121m. Thus far 197 companies that received TERS monies have been audited, and of these six have been flagged for suspected fraud and four of them are currently under investigation.

Also read: UIF clients no longer have to stand in queues

Ragavaloo said the province ranks second highest in terms of the monetary value of suspected TERS fraud cases in the country. The UIF has found that there was a trend in the province where redundant companies that were no longer operating were used by fraudsters to access ID’s obtained from a database of people who used to be employed as part of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) to defraud the fund.

The institution has also promised that workers who had their TERS application rejected, must not be dejected, because they are in the process to review previously rejected applications. To report UIF fraud call 0800 070 1701 or 015 290 1626/1630 or email fraud@labour.gov.za.

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Emelda Tintswalo Shipalana

Tintswalo Shipalana, a journalist for the Letaba Herald, has been in the media industry for over a decade. She started her journey in radio, but ended up in print which is her first love. She joined the Herald newspaper as a cadet in 2016, where she graduated with a journalism qualification from the Caxton Training Academy. She also has a qualification in Feature Writing from the University of Cape Town and a Media Management qualification from Wits University. She is completing her BA Communication Science degree with UNISA. She sleeps well at night knowing she is a voice to the voiceless and her work contributes to promoting local talent, businesses and service delivery. Her love for her community keeps her working hard every day.

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