Criminals cash in on UIF drive
2003-04-29 09:24
Anesca Smith
Cape Town - Criminals have apparently found another way to make a fast buck - this time using the registration of domestic workers for the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
The department of labour has warned employers to be on the lookout for criminals posing as labour inspectors.
The warning comes after a robbery in Pretoria when a criminal entered a home posing as an inspector.
Snuki Zikalala, spokesperson for the department, says "several" complaints have been received.
Employers have until Thursday to register domestic workers for UIF purposes if they work for more than 24 hours a month.
A total of 1 300 labour inspectors will start checking from Thursday to ensure that employers have complied.
About 230 000 registrations had been received by Monday, while it's estimated there are about 800 000 domestic workers.
Zikalala says the inspectors will be in uniform and will wear the department's badge. They also have identity cards.
Zikalala denied newspaper reports which stated that employers would be notified in the media when inspectors were to visit their areas.
"We want to catch people who are acting illegally. Inspections will be useless if people are warned beforehand."
All the inspectors will be deployed in an area before moving to the next.
- Die Burger