Question NW2596 to the Minister of Employment and Labour

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13 November 2020 - NW2596

Profile picture: Ngwezi, Mr X

Ngwezi, Mr X to ask the Minister of Employment and Labour

Whether, with reference to students who have not been paid a salary of R3 500 per month since August 2019, but have been advised that as they are registered with a certain company (name furnished) and technically employed by his department under its skills development programme, they do not qualify for the COVID-19 relief fund, he will expedite the backpayment of COVID-19 relief grants in the sum of R350 per person, per month to the 490 Specialised Resource Management students currently undergoing skills development training with the specified company in KwaZulu-Natal; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the full, relevant details and (b) will he further investigate the specified matter and hold those implicated in the alleged corruptionliable?

Reply:

What we are picking up from our records thus far is that, the learners referred to, do not belong to the Labour Activation Programmes of the Unemployment Insurance Fund. We will continue to investigate this matter with a view to establish as to whether there any links that might be there with our LAP.

However, for information purposes, LAP learners who were active before the nationwide lockdown, supported by attendance registers, are paid Covid-19 lockdown stipends for the months of April, May and June 2020. They are not expected to claim any other grant by virtue of this payment. In cases where they have not yet received their payments, it means there might be other circumstances delaying the payments.

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