R4bn paid out in UIF Covid-19 claims

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has paid 1,035,303 workers Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) benefits totalling R4,109,434 596.70.

For normal benefits, the UIF has paid nearly R1bn (R970,915,807.31), the department of employment and labour said in a statement, bringing the combined total to R5bn since April 16 when the UIF ramped up its systems.

The figures paid to date represent successful claims submitted by 72,221 employers.

However, claims by some 55,169 employers representing 361,557 workers “are still in abeyance pending submission of further particulars by employers”, the department said.

Employers have inundated the UIF with requests for information on the exact amounts for different employees, it said, adding it had enabled employers who do not know their UIF reference number but know their PAYE number, to now retrieve the UIF number by using their PAYE number.

“As a public service institution, it is our duty to ensure that we listen to our stakeholders and to the extent possible, to make the necessary enhancements so that those who consume our services do so with relative ease and minimal issues. We continue to listen to our stakeholders and we will make further enhancements to the system in response to the identified needs of our stakeholders,” said UIF commissioner Teboho Maruping.

The enhancements have also ensured that the online systems for claims capturing, processing and eventual payment have been stress-tested.

“At some stage, it looked like our system could not handle the overwhelming interest but we are happy that we have managed to meet the demand and pay in record time — with some people indicating that they have been paid within 24-hours of lodging the claims,” said the commissioner.