News24 reports that the newly established relief fund to assist companies looted during the recent unrest has been infiltrated by fraudsters.

The Department of Employment and Labour's R5.3 billion Covid-19 relief fund is meant to assist businesses looted and destroyed during last month's unrest in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. The Unemployment Insurance Fund's (UIF’s) Mzie Yawa advised last week that of the 18,000 applications received by Wednesday, some 8,000 shared the same bank account. "Our systems have picked up fraudulent activities and have not paid them. They have wasted our energy, which could have been diverted elsewhere. Some applicants' bank accounts are non-existent," Yawa indicated. Yawa said they had also established the Workers Affected by Unrest relief fund, which was restricted to unrest in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal only. The burning of trucks is not included. Yawa explained further: "We don't want some employers who can pay their workers and claim from UIF. We want to assist those who can't earn a living. This is not a salary holiday. The fund is meant for bad days. The process is for affected businesses and workers. Employers must apply for their workers … Employers must first open a case with the police before claiming from the fund. We also want a report from insurance companies on behalf of companies that have lodged claims, and details of the employer and employees." Ultimately, the UIF will pay directly into workers' bank accounts.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Ntwaagae Seleka at News24

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