Times Live reports that new mothers and heavily pregnant women on maternity leave are queuing for months and sometimes nearly a year after giving birth for financial assistance from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).  

This is even as the fund continues to swell, with R110-billion in surplus funds accumulated.  The fund provides short-term relief to workers when they are unemployed, or not working because of maternity or adoption leave, or illness.  It also gives relief to the dependants of dead contributors.  Though the fund prides itself on processing applications within weeks, an investigation by The Times established that some women go for months, and even up to a year, without receiving maternity benefits.  But UIF spokesman Makhosonke Buthelezi denied that there was a backlog and said claims were often delayed by the submission of incomplete documents and because employment records had not been updated by the employer.

• Read this report by Poppy Louw in full at TimesLive

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