Johannesburg – Some selected Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) service points will open at weekends during September.
The Department of Employment and Labour announced Wednesday that selected UIF service points will be open on Saturdays to render services to clients and employers.
This comes after the Pretoria High Court issued an interim interdict – at the end of August 2024 – preventing a service provider from implementing a new contract for support and maintenance services to the uFiling platform.
uFiling is an online platform used by clients and employers to apply for UIF benefits or to register companies with the UIF, declare employees, and pay over contributions to the Fund.
The platform is not connected to the main UIF system used to adjudicate and process claims.
“Due to the uFiling platform not having any support or maintenance at this time, its services were suspended,” the department said in a statement.
“UIF has since the suspension of uFiling processed more than 181 000 claims at service points around the country, totaling a payout of R419 607 185.”
The department said extended operating hours will be rendered on Saturdays from 07:30 until 16:00 at UIF service points within labour centres during September month as follows:
- Eastern Cape Province – Gqeberha, East London, and Qonce.
- KwaZulu-Natal – Pietermaritzburg and Richards Bay labour centre.
- Mpumalanga Province – Emalahleni, Secunda, Middleburg, Malelane and Mbombela labour centre.
- North West Province – Mahikeng, Potchefstroom, Lichtenburg, Klerksdorp, Vryburg, Christiana, Brits, Taung, and Rustenburg labour centre.
- Western Cape – Cape Town, Paarl, Mitchells Plain and Bellville.
New employer registrations can be done through BizPortal, available at https://www.bizportal.gov.za/services.aspx.
BizPortal is only for employer registration and will not be able to register employees.
Employee registration can be undertaken at a nearby labour centre.
Registration can also be done by downloading UI.8 and UI.19 forms from www.labour.gov.za and submitting the completed forms to email address: newui8registrations@labour.gov.za.
