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Employers unable to meet full salaries should seek UIF help

Jonisayi Maromo|Published

SOUTH AFRICA - Cape Town - 9 April 2020. Day 14 of the National Lockdown. Learners at Trevor Manual Primary school in Fisantekraal near Durbanville wait in line to receive food parcels. Learners were sanitised before entering the school and were asked to stay at least 1.5 meters apart from each other. The school provides 1500 meals a day, which is part of the Emergency School Feeding programme which started around the Western Cape on 8 April 2020. The Western Cape Provincial Treasury approved the allocation of R53 million additional funding for emergency food relief programmes which will run across the Western Cape. R18 million to the Department of Education to initiate a special school feeding programme from 8 April until 20 April, which will target the 485 000 existing school feeding scheme beneficiaries with one takeaway meal a day at approximately 1 000 schools. Picture Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA). SOUTH AFRICA - Cape Town - 9 April 2020. Day 14 of the National Lockdown. Learners at Trevor Manual Primary school in Fisantekraal near Durbanville wait in line to receive food parcels. Learners were sanitised before entering the school and were asked to stay at least 1.5 meters apart from each other. The school provides 1500 meals a day, which is part of the Emergency School Feeding programme which started around the Western Cape on 8 April 2020. The Western Cape Provincial Treasury approved the allocation of R53 million additional funding for emergency food relief programmes which will run across the Western Cape. R18 million to the Department of Education to initiate a special school feeding programme from 8 April until 20 April, which will target the 485 000 existing school feeding scheme beneficiaries with one takeaway meal a day at approximately 1 000 schools. Picture Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA).

PRETORIA – The department of employment and labour on Thursday urged employers across South Africa who are unable to pay employees’ full salaries as a result of the coronavirus to approach it for help. 

Makhosonke Buthelezi, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) director of communication and marketing, told African News Agency (ANA) that many employers had taken heed of the call, and that at least 27 000 applications had been received since the national lockdown to curtail the spread of Covid-19.  

“Employers who are unable to pay the full salaries of workers during the lockdown period can apply for the Covid19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Covid19TERS). Employers are advised to send their applications to Covid19ters@labour.gov.za,” said Buthelezi. 

Enquiries about the scheme can be made on 0800 030 007, which operates from Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm. 

UIF has relaxed its processes in a bid to minimise physical contact during lockdown. 

“The Unemployment Insurance Fund has relaxed adherence to its processes by allowing claims to be paid without mandatory source documents for those clients who are already receiving payment benefits from the Fund,” said Buthelezi. 

Clients who are receiving unemployment insurance benefits are normally expected to visit labour centres on a monthly basis to sign a continuation form, which serves as proof that the client is still unemployed. 

“To avoid movement and reduce contact, clients will be contacted via short message service (SMS) for them to confirm unemployment status and banking details. The SMS functionality will only be implemented in the lockdown period,” said Buthelezi. 

The fund also published the details for individuals to send new claim applications for normal UIF benefits such as unemployment (reduced work time) maternity, illness, adoption, and parental - across all provinces. 

These can be sent either by email or fax to: 

Gauteng

Germiston.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7295

 

KwaZulu-Natal 

Petermari.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7296

 

Eastern Cape

EastLondon.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7299

Western Cape

Capet.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7300

Western Cape

George.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7301

North West

NorthWest.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7302

Limpopo

Limpopo.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7303

Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7304

Free State

Freestate.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7305

Gauteng

Online.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7306

KwaZulu Natal

Durban.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7297

Eastern Cape

Portelizabeth.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7298

Northern Cape

NorthernCape.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7309

Gauteng

Johannesburg.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7294

Gauteng

Pretoria.BCP@labour.gov.za

086 439 7290 

Claim applications can also be done online at  www.uFiling.co.za. The guide to electronic claims is available on  www.labour.gov.za. 

South Africa is going through a 21-day national lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. The country recorded five more Covid-19-related deaths on Wednesday, bringing the total number of fatalities thus far to 18. 

The number of confirmed infections in the country has risen by 96 to 1,845. The number of recoveries stands at 95. 

The lockdown is accompanied by a string of regulations that limit the movement of citizens, who are expected to stay at home unless they are shopping for food, seeking medical help or supplies, banking, buying petrol, collecting social grants, or performing essential services.  

- African News Agency (ANA)