The Minister of Employment and Labour, Mr Thulas Nxesim has welcomed the weekend arrests of suspects who are accused of being part of the enterprise that scammed R5.7-million from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) that was meant as relief for workers during the lockdown.
The five were arrested at the weekend by the South African Police Service’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks.
“We welcome the swift action by the members of the law enforcement agencies in apprehending the people who are suspected of having defrauded their employer as well the UIF when they allegedly changed the banking details into which the relief money was supposed to be paid to.
“As we have indicated before, we will follow every cent that we have spent during this period. Working together with our internal auditors, the office of the Auditor-General and our contracted forensic auditors as well as the law enforcement agencies, we are putting those who thought that the UIF was their source for easy money on notice. You will be found and you will be prosecuted,” said Minister Nxesi.
The National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit had already frozen funds after it applied for the order from the High Court.
The five are expected to appear in court on Monday 6 July, 2020.