{"id":266821,"date":"2025-11-27T05:20:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T06:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/?p=266821"},"modified":"2025-11-30T05:05:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T05:05:21","slug":"domestic-workers-fall-through-the-cracks-of-south-africas-broken-uif-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/builder\/domestic-workers-fall-through-the-cracks-of-south-africas-broken-uif-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Domestic workers fall through the cracks of South Africa\u2019s broken UIF system"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post<\/a> was originally published on this site<\/a><\/p>

<\/p>\n

South Africa is one of the most sophisticated countries on the continent when it comes <\/span>to digital finance. We file our taxes through Sars eFiling, register our companies <\/span>online, move money between banks and accounts in seconds, and pay for goods with <\/span>QR codes, tap-to-pay and banking apps. Yet when workers, in particular domestic staff <\/span>who are among the most vulnerable workers in the country, become unemployed, they <\/span>still have to jump through hoops, submit paper forms, stand in queues at Department of <\/span>Labour centres, and wait months for a Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) payment that might never come.<\/span><\/p>\n

Domestic work might be conducted in the private space, but it remains one of the most <\/span>essential and undervalued forms of labour in South Africa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweepsouth\u2019s 2025 Report on Domestic Worker Pay and Working Conditions shows <\/span>that domestic work comprises about 4.9% of total employment and 10.5% of women\u2019s <\/span>employment nationally. Among the surveyed workers, nearly two out of three domestic <\/span>workers in South Africa are Zimbabwean nationals, though the report notes this is not <\/span>necessarily representative of the wider sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many domestic workers are single mothers and sole breadwinners, so when they lose <\/span>their jobs, the system designed to protect them simply doesn\u2019t work. This, despite the <\/span>Unemployment Insurance Act (UIF) promising protection for anyone legally working <\/span>more than 24 hours a month.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past year, nearly one in five domestic workers in South Africa lost their jobs, <\/span>shows the report. Most of these losses were driven by household finances: around 16% <\/span>said their employers could no longer afford to pay them, while another 38% lost work <\/span>when employers moved \u2013 often abroad. When jobs vanish, the UIF\u2019s supposed safety <\/span>net shows just how many holes it still has, in an era when other public services have <\/span>gone online and done so effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only about 12% of domestic workers who lost their jobs were registered for UIF. A big <\/span>part of the reason is that employers struggle to register them and simply give up. UIF <\/span>registration should be simple: sign up, declare earnings, pay your contributions. Instead, <\/span>it\u2019s a tangle of outdated forms, rejected submissions, and system problems. As one <\/span>respondent told us: \u201cMy UIF application sat for months and then came back with errors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

These frustrations are echoed elsewhere. News24 says the UIF\u2019s 2024\/25 annual report <\/span>reveals it spent only 13% of its employability budget, despite record unemployment. The <\/span>fund is described as being weighed down by inefficiency and financial strain, where <\/span>eligible workers and employers face long delays, unanswered applications, and <\/span>repeated system crashes.<\/span><\/p>\n

And yet the UIF went digital in 2008, with the uFiling system. Theoretically, it would <\/span>make compliance easier for employers. During COVID-19, the UIF relied heavily on <\/span>uFiling to manage TERS (Temporary Employer\/Employee Relief Scheme) applications, <\/span>which exposed major technical and data issues. The system remains unstable, still <\/span>struggling with errors and outages that force people to resort to paper filing.<\/span><\/p>\n

This cumbersome system discourages compliance from otherwise law-abiding citizens <\/span>who want to do the right thing. Most employers aren\u2019t shirking their duties out of malice; <\/span>they\u2019re just worn down by the process. <\/span>We need the system to work. There\u2019s no reason social protection should lag behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

The UIF should be as intuitive as eFiling and as quick as an EFT. Registration must be <\/span>mobile-first, built in plain language, and backed by real-time feedback. Employers <\/span>should be able to link payments directly from their bank apps or payroll software.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fixing the UIF isn\u2019t something the Labour Department can do on its own. It will take <\/span>cooperation between the government, business, and technology experts to build a <\/span>system that actually works. Employers should be able to register workers and pay <\/span>contributions online, using the same kind of simple, secure tools that are already in use.<\/span><\/p>\n

Workers should be able to check, at any time, whether they\u2019re registered and what\u2019s <\/span>been paid over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the forms and systems are real people. When domestic workers lose their jobs <\/span>and find they\u2019re not registered for UIF, their family is without income, children are <\/span>missing meals and school, and rent is unpaid. Every delay in fixing the system pushes <\/span>more families closer to the edge, when even for those still employed, seven in ten say <\/span>they are in a financial crisis or unable to save each month.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Africa has the tools and the talent to fix this but we must treat this with urgency. A <\/span>country that can move money in seconds should be able to move protection just as fast. <\/span>The UIF doesn\u2019t need to be reinvented, it just needs to work as promised.<\/span><\/p>\n

CEO Lourandi Kriel of Sweepsouth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lourandi Kriel is the CEO of Sweepsouth.<\/em><\/p>\n

*** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or <\/span>IOL<\/span>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

BUSINESS REPORT<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

South Africa is one of the most sophisticated countries on the continent when it comes\u00a0to digital finance. We file our taxes through Sars eFiling, register our companies\u00a0online, move money between banks and accounts in seconds, and pay for goods with\u00a0QR codes, tap-to-pay and banking apps. Yet when workers, in particular domestic staff\u00a0who are among the most vulnerable workers in the country, become unemployed, they\u00a0still have to jump through hoops, submit paper forms, stand in queues at Department of\u00a0Labour centres, and wait months for a Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) payment that might never come.Domestic work might be conducted in the private space, but it remains one of the most\u00a0essential and undervalued forms of labour in South Africa.Sweepsouth\u2019s 2025 Report on Domestic Worker Pay and Working Conditions shows\u00a0that domestic work comprises about 4.9% of total employment and 10.5% of women\u2019s\u00a0employment nationally. Among the surveyed workers, nearly two out of three domestic\u00a0workers in South Africa are Zimbabwean nationals, though the report notes this is not\u00a0necessarily representative of the wider sector.Many domestic workers are single mothers and sole breadwinners, so when they lose\u00a0their jobs, the system designed to protect them simply doesn\u2019t work. This, despite the\u00a0Unemployment Insurance Act (UIF) promising protection for anyone legally working\u00a0more than 24 hours a month.In the past year, nearly one in five domestic workers in South Africa lost their jobs,\u00a0shows the report. Most of these losses were driven by household finances: around 16%\u00a0said their employers could no longer afford to pay them, while another 38% lost work\u00a0when employers moved \u2013 often abroad. When jobs vanish, the UIF\u2019s supposed safety\u00a0net shows just how many holes it still has, in an era when other public services have\u00a0gone online and done so effectively.Only about 12% of domestic workers who lost their jobs were registered for UIF. A big\u00a0part of the reason is that employers struggle to register them and simply give up. UIF\u00a0registration should be simple: sign up, declare earnings, pay your contributions. Instead,\u00a0it\u2019s a tangle of outdated forms, rejected submissions, and system problems. As one\u00a0respondent told us: \u201cMy UIF application sat for months and then came back with errors.\u201dThese frustrations are echoed elsewhere. News24 says the UIF\u2019s 2024\/25 annual report\u00a0reveals it spent only 13% of its employability budget, despite record unemployment. The\u00a0fund is described as being weighed down by inefficiency and financial strain, where\u00a0eligible workers and employers face long delays, unanswered applications, and\u00a0repeated system crashes.And yet the UIF went digital in 2008, with the uFiling system. Theoretically, it would\u00a0make compliance easier for employers. During COVID-19, the UIF relied heavily on\u00a0uFiling to manage TERS (Temporary Employer\/Employee Relief Scheme) applications,\u00a0which exposed major technical and data issues. The system remains unstable, still\u00a0struggling with errors and outages that force people to resort to paper filing.This cumbersome system discourages compliance from otherwise law-abiding citizens\u00a0who want to do the right thing. Most employers aren\u2019t shirking their duties out of malice;\u00a0they\u2019re just worn down by the process.\u00a0We need the system to work. There\u2019s no reason social protection should lag behind.The UIF should be as intuitive as eFiling and as quick as an EFT. Registration must be\u00a0mobile-first, built in plain language, and backed by real-time feedback. Employers\u00a0should be able to link payments directly from their bank apps or payroll software.Fixing the UIF isn\u2019t something the Labour Department can do on its own. It will take\u00a0cooperation between the government, business, and technology experts to build a\u00a0system that actually works. Employers should be able to register workers and pay\u00a0contributions online, using the same kind of simple, secure tools that are already in use.Workers should be able to check, at any time, whether they\u2019re registered and what\u2019s\u00a0been paid over.Behind the forms and systems are real people. When domestic workers lose their jobs\u00a0and find they\u2019re not registered for UIF, their family is without income, children are\u00a0missing meals and school, and rent is unpaid. Every delay in fixing the system pushes\u00a0more families closer to the edge, when even for those still employed, seven in ten say\u00a0they are in a financial crisis or unable to save each month.South Africa has the tools and the talent to fix this but we must treat this with urgency. A\u00a0country that can move money in seconds should be able to move protection just as fast.\u00a0The UIF doesn\u2019t need to be reinvented, it just needs to work as promised.CEO Lourandi Kriel of Sweepsouth.Lourandi Kriel is the CEO of Sweepsouth.*** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or\u00a0IOL.BUSINESS REPORT<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":266823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-builder"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266821"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266825,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266821\/revisions\/266825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premium-partners.net\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}