For workers who were affected by the unrest in KZN and Gauteng a few months ago, the UIF have provided some relief via the Temporary Financial Relief Scheme, which was opened for applications recently.

To qualify, the employees’ company must be registered (or register) with the UIF and the company needs to prove that its closure was directly linked to the destruction, damage or looting of its workplace.

Applications will be validated against various entities within the Government (e.g. Dept of Labour, Dept of Trade and Industry, etc.) prior to any applications being approved.

Those companies submitting an application must also have a case number from the SAPS, together with specific evidence (e.g. pictures, etc.) to support their application.

Before any payment is made there will be a physical inspection of the workplace by the appropriate authorities.

In the event of the application being approved, the affected employee will receive compensation directly into their bank account, but only after suitable validation on the bank account has been done.

To apply companies are requested to go online at https://uifwabu.labour.gov.za