The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has processed and approved about 449 benefits claims for former teacher assistants who were employed under the Capricorn North and Mopani East Districts in Limpopo.
The claims were processed between November 14 to 17.
This is as the government fund embarks on a campaign to take its services to the doorsteps of former employees to enable them to easily apply for and claim benefits.
The education assistants were employed under the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI), a programme implemented as part of the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI) in South Africa.
The initiative was aimed at reducing youth unemployment across the country.
The fund dispatched a specialised team to render services at the Limpopo Department of Education’s Capricorn North district offices and Sebelaolo Primary School in the Mopani East District, respectively.
The services are expected to roll out between November 20 to 24 in the areas and expand to Waterberg and Vhembe districts in Limpopo.
The fund said the campaign was part of an ongoing “Taking Services to the People” outreach programme that aimed to take services closer to where people lived and ensure that the services of the Department and its entities were accessible and cost-free for clients.
Furthermore, it encouraged the public who wished to apply for benefits to bring their identity or passport documents, a fully charged smartphone with data, a black pen, and proof of valid banking details.
To increase the employment prospects of the former teacher assistants, UIF urged them to visit the Department of Employment and Labour’s website, https://essa.labour.gov.za/EssaOnline/WebBeans/ to register their CVs for future employment opportunities.
It added the Public Employment Services (PES), a unit in the department that will be on-site to assist unemployed people with services. “This service will be a standard feature throughout the campaign,” it said.
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