City Press reports that the company that manages the Kutama Sinthumule Correctional Centre, a private prison in Limpopo, is under investigation for allegedly claiming more than R6 million in Covid-19 relief funds on behalf of dismissed and retrenched employees.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has begun its probe into the matter and suspicious Covid-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) claims on behalf of two former employees have been uncovered. The R6,231.841 in claims suggests that there could be more employees whose names were illegally used in the scam. The facility is a privately managed prison in Louis Trichardt. It is managed by SA Custodial Management (SACM) on behalf of the department of correctional services. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the investigation was continuing, but could not say if the SIU expected to link more of the prison’s employees to the fraudulent claims. Meanwhile, the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has appointed forensic investigators as part of its Follow the Money Project to recover stolen funds. So far this year, the UIF has recovered R827.8 million and 17 people have been arrested. Their cases are currently before the courts. The project has been extended by a further 12 months. The UIF has paid more than R60 billion in relief funds to workers.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Sizwe Sama Yende at City Press (subscriber access only)
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