​​The Department of Employment and Labour continues to make the lives of workers much easier under the COVID-19 pandemic challenges.

Through its entities, the Compensation Fund (CF) and the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), the department has come to the aid of workers who are injured on duty or through the disbursements of much needed cash to workers through their employers under the auspices of the COIVID-19 TERS benefit payments.

The Compensation Fund has as of (28 September 2020), received a total of 7 966 COVID-19 claims were received with respect to COIDA. The following is the distribution;

• The Compensation Fund received 62% (4 929) of the claims.
• The Rand Mutual received 35% (2 792) of the claims.
• The Federated Employers received 3% (23645) of the claims.

From the total 7 966 claims received, 57% (4 548) were received from Females and 43% (3 418) from Males.

An amount of R5 007 464.01 has since been paid towards benefits. The distribution of payments is as follows;

• R 664 322.20 paid for temporary total disablement and this constitutes 13% of the total amount paid.
• R 51 477.53 paid towards permanent disability lump sum and this constitutes just above 1% of the total amount paid.
• R 1 015 555.16 paid out in medical aid costs and constitutes 20% of the total amount paid.
• R 18 251.00 paid out in funeral costs and constitutes just below 1% of the total amount paid.
• R3 257 858.12 paid out in dependents benefits costs and constitutes 65% of the total amount paid.

From the total 7 966 claims received, 57% (4 574) were adjudicated and 43% (3 392) not yet adjudicated.  The breakdown is as follows:

• Of the total 4 929 claims received by the Compensation Fund, 81% (3 987) were adjudicated and 19% (942) still to be adjudicated. Of the adjudicated 3 987 claims by the CF, liability was accepted for 86% (3 443) and liability repudiated for 14% (544).
• Of the total 2 792 claims received by Rand Mutual, 13% (371) were adjudicated and 87% (2 421) still to be adjudicated. Of the adjudicated 371 claims by RMA, liability was accepted for 10% (38) and liability repudiated for 90% (333).
• Of the total 245 claims received by Federated Employers, 88% (216) were adjudicated and 12% (29) still to be adjudicated.

Of the adjudicated 216 claims by FEM, liability was accepted for 49% (105) and liability repudiated for 51% (111).

The work of the Compensation Fund comes in the wake of the improved controls and systems that the Unemployment Insurance Fund has instituted resulting in better vetting of claims and claimants.

As of today, the UIF has assessed and paid over R43-billion (R43 532 125 278.30) in 9 934 007 payments to employees from 874 852 employer applications. A total number of over 1-million employers have submitted claims on behalf of 11 283 665 employees.

However, there are still 443 369 employees that have not been declared by employers and until that is the case, the claims will remain in abeyance.

“We still have about 443 369 undeclared employees whose April, May and June claims we could not process for payments, and we urge employers to make declarations either electronically on uFiling or by completing the UI-19 form  to  Covid19declarations@labour.gov.za in a case of less than 10 employees," said the acting UIF Commissioner Marsha Bronkhorst.

She also added that the new controls that have been instituted in the wake of the Auditor General's report have not only made the process smoother but have also weeded undeserving claims including those made on behalf of deceased persons, prisoners and other unqualifying claimants.

For media enquiries contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694

OR

Mapula Tloubatla

Media Liaison Officer

060 989 7509 ​