Dear Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour,

I'm outraged at the pathetic service, no clear turnaround times and lack of clear process.

I have submitted my UIF maternity claim on the 1st September 2022 through a third party company who are paid by my employer. I have followed the guidelines and re-submitted the documents after calling the contact centre to find out the status of my claim. Every-time I call, it's being escalated but I need to send the documents (that I have sent 3 times before!) I have emailed the escalations emails (employees of UIF) and only receive automated emails back. I have logged on to the UIF site to check daily if there is any movement on my status and nothing. It has been 4 months since lodging the claim.

I have worked hard these past two years to keep my credit record in good standing. Because of this non compliance and non payment, my credit profile has been impacted because I did not have a full salary and I am dependant on receiving my UIF maternity benefit funds.

I would like to get this resolved asap. I would like to see improved process. We need better accountability from these staff members because they are messing with people's livelihood!