Department, UIF provide update on TERS payouts
The Department of Labour and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) provided an update on the Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Covid-19-Ters).
POLOKWANE – The Department of Labour and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) hosted a media briefing on February 23 to provide an update on the Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Covid-19-Ters) and benefits paid in Limpopo during the 2021/22 financial year.
It was heard that the fund paid over R1.5b for normal benefits between April 2021 and January 2022 in Limpopo while R1.6b was paid for Ters benefits. The total number of Ters applications received from the province since April 2020 is 173 080, which resulted in 147 659 payments processed and 7 839 employers and 150 099 employees paid.
During the briefing, UIF unpacked its initiatives for job creation and retention in Limpopo.
Deputy director for beneficiary services, Ronet Landan urged residents to not pay third parties money for help in claiming or applying for their UIF benefits on their behalf as very often the departmental officials will not accept or prioritise them. This was in response to client reports of agencies soliciting money from them while promising quick claim processing.
“UIF services are free and can be paid on time if all required documents are submitted to the department. Delays in paying claims on time are frequently the result of employers failing to declare their employees or properly updating the information. We urge employers not to give their employees the UI19 form because by the time it reaches our desks, a lot of information, such as salary and hours worked, has changed.”
The department encourages employers to use the online uFiling system because the department has dedicated staff across the province to help employers navigate the system.
UIF director Vuledzani Mulindi urged media outlets to conduct due diligence and seek investigative journalism before submitting UIF inquiries to the department, noting that the majority of the delays are also due to employers failing to declare or contribute to the fund.
“Our officials cannot pay incomplete applications; we rely on employers to send the necessary documentation. The department encourages clients to check their status with the fund; if they discover that they are not registered, they must report this to the nearest Labour Centre.”
