Dear Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour, I applied for my Uif unemployment at the boksburg branch, I signed on the 20th September 2024, which was also not a nice experience, apparently is today the 14th day and I am suppose to receive payment tomorrow, which I'm not sure I'm going to get , the online system has been offline since August and when we call they can only assist wit possibilities and nothing else. They can only refer you to the branch.

Do you know what unemployment is, it is when someone is at home , trying to find a job , failing because they not qualified, there's no money coming in , no money for groceries, rent, etc, remember labour department is not in the locations, it's in a town , just tell me , where exactly should that person get money for transport, if you walk, you don't know what dangers you face along the way.

Why does it take so long, you submit all the documents, they give you a sign date for the next month , you sign and still have to wat 15days, hoping you will get your money at the end, but instead you don't get it , and have to go back to labour to find out what's going on, do you know there are Facebook groups, where people have to communicate and share information, just to know what's going on at labour, some are signing and getting their money in 3 or 4 days , some wait for months , days, why, why can't the 20th get around the same time, why should 1 get their money and the others have to wait ( my ex colleague signed on the same day, she got hers 6 days ago, what makes us different, our surnames ).

People are starving waiting for the money that can be deducted to quickly of their salaries , but have to wait two months just to get something back, they have to starve, borrow money ( and when that uif finally come, the interest takes it all.

If I don't get my money tomorrow, I will go to the branch, but the better have my money waiting for me , or food for this weekend , because most of us have families and we don't know where our help will come from everyday, waiting for that money.