The UIF’s ex-mineworkers campaign continues to yield positive results
The month-long ex-mine workers campaign in the Lejweleputswa District saw multitudes of people descending to community halls to claim for their UIF benefits. These are unemployment benefits which were not paid to these ex-mineworkers due to reasons beyond their control.
Lejweleputswa District is the mining hub of the Free State province and it therefore came as no surprise that towns such as Virginia, Odendaalsrus, Welkom and Theunissen would see so many people flocking their respective community halls to apply for benefits.
In the previous financial year, 2017/18, no less than R12 million was paid out to a total of 3346 applications in other regions of the Free State province. “Owing to the success of this campaign and the positive response it attracted, the Department of Labour was propelled to extend the Welkom leg of this campaign for one more week. “We initially planned to have this campaign in this District run from the 1st to the 31st of August 2018. However, due to the high turn out in Welkom in particular, we then resolved that one more week (03 – 07/09/2018) should be allocated for the said town.
We have always maintained that we are the government of the people, for the people, thus we felt it would not be right to deny our clients an opportunity to claim because we have reached our cut-off date. On the same token, we want to appeal to all eligible ex-miners in Welkom to come and apply for their benefits as this is the last extension in this region,” said Nomfundo Douw-Jack – Head of the Department of Labour in the Free State.
Of critical importance to note is the fact that this special project is only earmarked for ex-mineworkers who left their employment prior April 2002.
It is required of an individual claimant to bring along all or any of the following documents for officials to verify the authenticity of the claim and ascertain whether or not you indeed worked in the mines during the said period;
• Stamped Reference book (old identity document)
• Employer cards / Mine ID Card (Makhuluskop)
• Pay slips
• Old blue cards
• Record of service
• Teba bank record or
• IRP5

Source: Government of South Africa