IFP welcomes suspension of UIF Commissioner

2 September 2020

The IFP welcomes the suspension of the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Commissioner, Teboho Maruping. He has been placed on precautionary suspension, following the findings of the recent Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) Relief Fund Audit. 

The IFP believes that the Auditor-General's (AG) probe into the alleged corruption of the Covid-19 TERS Relief Fund is the first step in cleaning up and rooting out the rot of corruption and maladministration at the UIF. 

We call on the suspended officials to proactively provide further information on the extent of corruption taking place at the UIF, beyond just the Covid-19 TERS Relief Fund. 

Minister Thulas Nxesi's tough talk on corruption has finally seen at least one suspension of an official at the UIF. However, it is our hope that many more heads will roll and many more will be locked up for stealing the public’s funds. 

Millions of unemployed South Africans have been turned away at the UIF, even though they are well within their rights to process claims and seek relief for temporary unemployment. 

The myriad of issues plaguing the UIF will come to the fore, and an immediate turnaround strategy must be implemented to fix what is broken the UIF.

Issued by Xolani Ngwezi, IFP Spokesperson on Employment and Labour, 2 September 2020