<\/p>\n
Thousands of unemployed South Africans may be unknowingly submitting Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) claims through an outdated online system that accepts their applications, but in reality, processes nothing.<\/p>\n
Millions of unemployed South Africans rely on UIF benefits each year. According to its annual report, the fund paid R18 billion in benefits during the 2024\/25 financial year.<\/p>\n
The UIF\u2019s uFiling system was migrated to a new platform years ago. But the old platform remains live, appears high up in online search results, and gives no indication that it is no longer valid for employees to submit claims.<\/p>\n
Claimants often only discover the problem months later, after waiting for payment that never comes.<\/p>\n
This was the case of 43-year-old Fran (not her real name) from Roodepoort, who submitted a UIF application in February after losing her job. She and hundreds of colleagues had been told in December 2025 that their contracts would be terminated 10 months early because of changes to company projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was supposed to be a permanent position. It was a big shock to all of us,\u201d she said. Throughout January, Fran said, she applied for several jobs without success. With no income coming in, she turned to UIF for financial support while continuing her job search.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
\u2018Significant\u2019 improvement to UIF relief scheme [May 2020]<\/p>\n
UIF online services frozen in court battle [Sep 2024]<\/p>\n
Having contributed to UIF throughout her working life, Fran said she submitted her claim in good faith. \u201cWhen you Google the [UIF] system online, you find it. So I submitted my claim. It accepted it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She submitted all the required documents, including her UI-19 form and banking details, and received reference numbers confirming that her claim had been successfully submitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I noticed there was no movement \u2026 Then I sent emails with those reference numbers to so many people and they didn\u2019t even respond,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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When she finally reached a UIF official on the phone at the start of April, the response blindsided her.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn 1 April, I managed to get through to someone, but they said \u2018sorry, you put your claim through the wrong system\u2019. I asked how that was possible because it took my claim, and I have reference numbers, so it\u2019s still active \u2026 They said to me, \u2018Listen, you\u2019re on the wrong platform, so your claim won\u2019t be approved\u2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She was sent a different link and told to start again.<\/p>\n
She says she was also told that she should have found out for herself that the old platform didn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n
Screenshots of the defunct UIF platforms. The old UIF uFiling system (top) is still active despite migrating to a new platform (bottom) years ago. Image: GroundUp<\/p>\n
Fran finally got her claim approved through the Roodepoort UIF office and submitted a payment request on 21 April.<\/p>\n
But her troubles were not yet over, even on the correct system. She was told to wait 10 days for the payment to reflect [but] the claim remained stuck on \u201csubmitted\u201d for [longer than this] period.<\/p>\n
By the time GroundUp began making enquiries with the Department of Employment and Labour earlier this month, Fran, who has a 17-year-old son, had been without income for four months.<\/p>\n
She said she has been surviving on savings and her boyfriend\u2019s income, and the couple faced the prospect of losing their home. \u201cBeing four months without an income destroys your life,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I\u2019m staring into very bad financial situations.\u201d<\/p>\n
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After GroundUp followed up with the department about her case, Fran finally received a payment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure that so many people give up because they\u2019re fighting this losing battle,\u201d Fran said.<\/p>\n
South Africa\u2019s official unemployment rate currently stands at 32.7%, according to the latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
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The Department of Employment and Labour issued notices about the migration of the claims system in\u00a02021\u00a0and again in\u00a02025, directing users to a new uFiling link.<\/p>\n
But neither notice appears to have prompted the removal or redirection of the old platform.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, 19 May, GroundUp was able to access both the\u00a0old\u00a0and the\u00a0new\u00a0UIF systems. The old platform is still up.<\/p>\n
The Department of Employment and Labour acknowledged receipt of our questions, but did not respond. A response will be added when it is received.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published\u00a0here.<\/p>\n
#sending #UIF #claim #dead #website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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