UIF Covid-19 relief system down again due to ongoing glitch

The site for the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s (UIF) Covid-19 relief benefit system has been taken down again because it continues to show applicants’ confidential information.

The Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters), which has paid out R26bn to 5.8-million employees to date, has been hit by a technical issues, including problems with its registration system. 

Last week, the applications site for June had to be taken down when the system showed confidential information of employers, company names, bank account details and payroll information, which was accessible by applicants.

Business for SA’s Rob Legh confirmed that the site went live again at 10pm on Monday but that the same problem persisted and it had to be taken down once again. 

The UIF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

UIF commissioner Teboho Maruping said on Sunday that the glitch was found when the system opened up for the June applications. He said the UIF is not yet sure whether there was an attack from outside or whether it is an internal issue.

The Covid-19 Ters, which is administered by the UIF, was established in March to provide relief to those in formal employment and who are expected to lose their income due to the coronaivrus lockdown.

The benefit provides for a minimum payment of R3,500 a month and a maximum of R6,700, and is only available for three months, with June being the last. However, it has taken a lot of time for the benefits to be accessed by the intended beneficiaries, and some beneficiaries that applied in April have still not been paid.

Employment and labour minister Thulas Nxesi and the UIF have put some of the blame for the delay on employers.

In the public interest, most of our coronavirus news isn’t behind our paywall, and is free to read. To support our mission of delivering award-winning, independent local news, subscribe from as little as R45 per month by clicking here.