4 September 2020

The South African Communist Party welcomes the efforts adopted by the Minister of Employment and Labour to get to the bottom of the illegal payments of the coronavirus (Covid-19) impact Temporary Employer/Employee Relief (TER) from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the failures of the UIF system. On Tuesday, 2 September 2020 Minister Thulas Nxesi announced that he placed the UIF commissioner and management under precautionary suspension following a report of an investigation conducted by the Auditor-General into illegal TER payments and UIF failures. The SACP welcomes the fact that the Minister Nxesi has opened corruption and criminal cases. No stone must be left unturned to get to the bottom of matter. Those involved in corrupt acts and incompetence must be held accountable.

Corruption, incompetence and poor service adversely affect the working-class. Those who received TER payments while they do not deserve the funds must pay back the money - with immediate effect. If any of them is found after due process to have been involved in corruptly obtaining the payments they must be held accountable for their complicity in the wrongdoing.

The SACP is calling upon unorganised workers to organise into trade unions and upon trade unions to more decisively tackle corruption in the UIF and across the state and the entire economy. Corruption is a frontier of private wealth accumulation - a condition of existence and perpetuation of the exploitative capitalist system. All acts of corruption are rooted in private interests and both contradict and negate service to the people. The working-class should anchor the fight against corruption and capture of the state by private corporations, criminal networks and venal elements, in the struggle to end the exploitative system of capitalism. Building wider trade union and working-class unity is crucial towards victory. To that end, the SACP will therefore continue with its work to build popular Left and patriotic fronts in defence of our democracy.