The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) says it paid out over R1 billion in benefits to 225 646 beneficiaries during December 2022.
This was revealed in a statement issued by the fund earlier this month.
According to the UIF commissioner Teboho Maruping, the payouts were processed to ensure that beneficiaries and “their loved ones met their financial obligations during and after the festive season”.
The UIF says the funds will go along way towards helping clients put food on the table and take care of imperatives such as buying stationery and school uniform.
Maruping affirmed that the fund remains committed to providing social security to its contributors.
We are pleased to advise that during December 2022 the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) was able to process and pay out over R1 billion in relief benefits to beneficiaries to ensure that they and their loved ones are able to sustain themselves during one of the most important times of the year.
He adds, “To this end, I would also like to thank our dedicated UIF officials in all provinces who continue to make benefit payments to our clients possible.”
Maruping says the funds were broken down distributed as follows:
- Unemployment Benefits: R876 million
- Maternity and Parental Benefits: R88 million
- Dependant Benefits: R32 million
- Illness Benefits: R24 million
Furthermore, the fund said that since the inception of the special Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Covid-19 TERS) in March 2020 during the first lockdown, the UIF had disbursed R62 billion to at least 5 million workers to date.
The fund also paid out R21 million through the Workers Affected By Unrest (WABU): Temporary Financial Relief Scheme to the 6404 workers who were affected by the unrest in July 2021 and lost income as a result.
“This year, the fund will redouble its efforts to improve service delivery and to continue paying our claims to qualifying clients and their beneficiaries as efficiently as possible,” the UIF states.
In order to do so, the UIF says that in 2023 they will be enhancing their information and technology systems, by launching a data free mobile application, a free USSD system and additional platforms which will allow them to improve overall service delivery to stakeholders and clients.
