“The Serious Corruption Investigation [unit of the Hawks] in Pretoria was alerted of the theft and after conducting a thorough investigation, Modiba was arrested in Hammanskraal on Monday,” Mulamu said.Earlier this year, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi warned employers who have received UIF Covid-19 temporary employer/employee relief scheme benefits from government but are not passing on the money to workers.
“I want to categorically state that this is inhumane and employers who are withholding funds meant for workers must immediately release payments. We are in the midst of a global pandemic that has brought economies of countries to their knees,” Nxesi said. “Workers are the worst affected by this inevitable eventuality. The worst thing you can do as an employer is to withhold funds meant for workers.”
Nxesi described this practice as “callous and insensitive” to the needs of workers, especially when many people are facing financial distress due to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus in South Africa. The Department of Employment and Labour said the UIF has been inundated with calls from workers complaining that employers have not paid them their benefits despite having received funds on behalf of the employees.