The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), an entity of the Department of Employment and Labour, has paid out R22,6 million to 4 249 former Teaching and General Assistants who were employed under Harry Gwala and iLembe District Municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal.

The payments were processed last week between 20-24 February 2023 when the Fund took services to clients via its mobile buses.

The campaign began in November 2022 under Amajuba District Municipality and proceeded to eThekwini and Pinetown in December 2022. It subsequently moved to Zululand, uMgungundlovu, uThukela, Ugu, iLembe and Harry Gwala Districts. To date, a cumulative R98,4 million has been paid out to 22 037 beneficiaries who were employed in the aforementioned Districts.

From 6-7 March 2023, the Fund will continue with processing and paying out of claims in areas around the uMkhanyakude and uMzinyathi District Municipalities as follows:

uMkhanyakude:

6 March 2023: Manguzi Education Centre.

7 March 2023: Sisizakele Special School in Ngwavuma.

8 March 2023: Sinethezekile Secondary School in Jozini.

9-10 March 2023: Inkosi Mzondeni Hall in Mtubatuba (near kwaMsane Clinic).

uMzinyathi:

6-7 March 2023: Spring Lake High School (Endumeni/ Nquthu).

8-9 March 2023: Ukukhanya komsinga Special School in Msinga.

10 March 2023: Greytown High School.

Clients who wish to lodge their benefit claims are urged to bring along their identity or Passport documents, a fully charged smartphone with data, a black pen and proof of valid banking details.

To increase the employment prospects of the former Teaching and General Assistants, the Department of Employment & Labour's Public Employment Services (PES) branch will be present on-site to register the CVs of the unemployed clients on the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) system which is available on https://essa.labour.gov.za/EssaOnline/WebBeans/ for possible jobs.

This service has been a standard feature of the campaign since it started.

The former Teaching and General Assistants were employed as part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), which was implemented as part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) across all nine provinces, to reduce youth unemployment in the country. When their contracts ended, the former workers qualified to claim unemployment insurance benefits from the UIF.

The dates and venues for the final District (King Cetshwayo) will be announced in due course on the Fund's social media platforms and through the media.

 Media enquiries:

Nhlanhla Khumalo:

Provincial Communication Officer

066 488 0265

Or              

Lungelo Mkamba

UIF Deputy Director: Communication

079 889 0719

-ENDS-

​Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour​

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