UIF starts major audit of TERS monies in Limpopo
Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has appointed seven audit firms who have started auditing monies paid through the Temporary Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In Limpopo, over R16 billion has been paid and the audit firms have been given until March next year to complete their work. This was shared by Allan Ragavaloo, UIF director of provincial support at the Bolivia Lodge in Polokwane recently. According to Ragavaloo the hardest hit industries during the pandemic were tourism, hospitality and the alcohol industry.
The top five industries that benefitted from TERS were personal services receiving R556m; trade getting R229m; mining industry with R159m; building sector receiving R148m and professional services receiving R121m. Thus far 197 companies that received TERS monies have been audited, and of these six have been flagged for suspected fraud and four of them are currently under investigation.
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Ragavaloo said the province ranks second highest in terms of the monetary value of suspected TERS fraud cases in the country. The UIF has found that there was a trend in the province where redundant companies that were no longer operating were used by fraudsters to access ID’s obtained from a database of people who used to be employed as part of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) to defraud the fund.
The institution has also promised that workers who had their TERS application rejected, must not be dejected, because they are in the process to review previously rejected applications. To report UIF fraud call 0800 070 1701 or 015 290 1626/1630 or email fraud@labour.gov.za.
