Dear Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, I am a Freelance Tourist Guide and I have been self employed for the last 10 years. I have been twice denied payment of relief funding due to the UIF finding that I am employed and contributions are reflected for 2020.

I have sent Emails to the Department of Tourism on July 2020 as follows:

NAME: DAVID CALLAWAY SMITH IDENTITY NUMBER: 4601095071081
TOURIST GUIDE REGISTRATION NUMBER: WC 3931
CURRENT ADDRESS: 8 WATERKANT STREET, TULBAGH, WESTERN CAPE. CELL NUMBER: 082 990 7955

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
As per your SMS notification of 30 July 2020 you informed me that I did not qualify for the relief fund due to the fact that I am alleged to be registered as a an employee.
The information you have been given is incorrect for the following reasons:-

1. Labor law requires that men should normally retire at age 60. This can be extended to age 65 by mutual agreement. As can be seen from my identity number (4601095071081) I was born on the 9th January 1946 making my current age at 74. I can therefore not be legally employed since 2011.

2. My last period of employment was at the Mount Nelson Hotel where I was employed from August 2010 until March 2011. I was past the legal employment age and it was requested that I resign. I was told that I would not be allowed to draw unemployment benefits due the fact that I had retired and this was deemed to disqualify me from eligibility. The company which employed me and contracted me to perform my duties at the Mount Nelson Hotel has since gone out of business and as it is more than 5 years there are no records available.

3. I have been a freelance Tourist Guide since April 2011 until the present date. Due to the Covid pandemic I have not had any business from March 2020 until the present date and I have also not received any benefit payment at all.

Based on the above I trust that you will make all efforts to review my qualification to receive relief funding. If you need any other information please use this Email address to contact me.

Sincerely
David C Smith

The above information was not taken into consideration and I have just been notified again that according to their records I am still employed and UIF contributions have been received in 2020.

I am not the only Tourist Guide to have been denied relief payment for the same reasons given by the UIF.

I trust that you will take this matter up most urgently and I look forward to your early response in this regard.

Sincerely
David C Smith