TWENTY one people have been arrested in this financial year for submitting fraudulent claims to the Department of Labour’s Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and Compensation Fund (CF) in KZN, including a recent case uncovered at the Prospecton offices.
The suspects were arrested by the labour department’s risk management unit in conjunction with the SAPS in separate cases across the province. Some of the matters are before court.
According to assistant director of risk management, Mlungisi Zondi, the potential loss to the department in the cases being investigated is estimated to be around R2-million.
In the most recent case last month, a woman made enquiries at the Prospecton Labour Centre about the status of her UIF claim, not knowing it had been flagged for possible fraud. Officials contacted risk management officials who questioned the woman. She was unable to give the address of her supposed employer, her job title and duties. She eventually confessed and was arrested and charged.
In another case, a woman enquired about her UIF claim at the Pinetown Labour Centre but was arrested when the company she claimed to have worked for had no record of her.
Mr Zondi said the department has systems in place to flag and detect fraud, while officials in the labour centres had been capacitated through awareness to detect possible fraud.
The department urges the public to cease attempts to submit fraudulent claims, as they will be arrested and prosecuted. Anyone who has knowledge of fraudulent activities against the labour department can report it to 08600 22 194 or email fraud@labour.gov.za
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