Labour Department: There will be queues
The situation of long queues at the Department of Labour in April has not improved since our last article.
This, according to the department, is because many people are losing their jobs daily due to Covid-19 and these customers need to access their UIF payments.
Polokwane Observer previously reported on how some elderly citizens would sleep outside the Labour Centre simply to beat the long lines in the morning. Some would be there as early as 03:00 but would still not get any assistance at the end of the day.
Also read: ‘Labour centre queue never ends’
Departmental Spokesperson, Lerato Mashamba says the department urges residents to make use of self-help options instead of coming to the centre in person. “The current financial situation has not changed. People are still looking for funds and as a result we will have long queues.” She says they are calling for young people to help their elderly community members to access services online, especially when it comes to processes involving confirmations and signatures for benefits.
According to Mashamba, these are some of the ways that the department has tried to eliminate the queues but they have noticed that some people do not have access to technology and the internet, while others prefer to make their way to the Labour Centre.
