SowetanLive reports that a retired bus driver was paid a R4.7m in Covid-19 relief funds meant for 1,000 of his former colleagues.  

The 65-year-old man, from Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, retired from Unitrans in December.  The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), which administers Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief scheme (Ters) payments to employers on behalf of employees, failed to explain how the money ended up in the individual's account when it was intended to be paid to a company.  The pensioner apparently thought the windfall was from the decades-long contributions to UIF during his working years.  The money was deposited into his bank account on 25 April as part of UIF payment for major bus operator Mega Coach, owned by Unitrans.  When the erroneous deposit was picked up following Mega Coach's enquiries with UIF over its application, the pensioner had already spent at least R100,000 of it.  When the UIF tracked him down, it was able to recover R4.6m.  This was the second such case where relief funds meant for workers were paid into individuals' accounts. The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that the Asset Forfeiture Unit had frozen 28 accounts after R5.6m meant for 200 employees was deposited in a bank account of one man.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Isaac Mahlangu at SowetanLive

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