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The Citizen reports that Free State police on Thursday arrested a Bloemfontein Department of Employment and Labour (DEL) office manager, who is believed to be a key role player in facilitating an operation involving fraudulent Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) payments.
The 42 year old’s arrest followed an intense investigation by Crime Intelligence into allegations of fraud and corruption in the DEL. It formed part of a takedown operation executed in Bloemfontein, Bethlehem and Gauteng. Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said: “The starting point was at the Labour House in the Bloemfontein CBD where the arrest of one of the first persons of interest took place. This comes after months of meticulous investigation into a sophisticated scam involving the fraudulent claims of [UIF] payments.” Makhele said the masterminds behind the criminal activity recruited unsuspecting individuals and used their personal information to register fictitious companies. These companies then submitted false claims to the DEL. The fraudulently obtained funds were shared among the recruiters – or runners – and, in some cases, with the person whose identity was used in the company registration. Makhele said the takedown operation, which began early on Thursday morning, marked only the beginning, with arrests continuing in various towns across the Free State and at identified locations in Gauteng. Police expect to arrest 20 suspects through the operation. The DEL may have suffered a loss of more than R1.5 million. The suspects will appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on 8 July 2025.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Lesego Seokwang at The Citizen
- Read too, Labour Dept official among those arrested for fraudulent UIF claims, at SABC News
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page