With South Africa’s number of unemployed people increased by 301 000 in the first quarter of the year, chances are good that even more claims are submitted to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

According to the latest statistics released, South Africa’s unemployment rate rose to 32.7% in Quarter 1 of 2026 – an increase from 31.4% in Quarter 4 of 2025. Also, according to the annual UIF report, the fund paid R18 billion in benefits during the 2024-’25 financial year.

However, thousands of unemployed South Africans may be unknowingly submitting UIF claims through an outdated online system that accepts their applications, but in reality, processes nothing. This inactive site accepts your details and issues a reference number, but your application is never processed, causing months of frustrating delays.

This occurs because the UIF’s uFiling system was migrated to a new platform. But the old platform remains live, appears high up in online search results, and gives no indication that it is no longer valid for employees to submit claims.

Woman caught in system trap

As reported by GroundUp, this was the case with a 43-year-old woman from Roodepoort, who submitted a UIF application in February after losing her job. Throughout January she applied for several jobs without success. With no income coming in, she turned to UIF for financial support while continuing her job search.

Having contributed to UIF throughout her working life, she said she submitted her claim in good faith. “When you Google the [UIF] system online, you find it. So I submitted my claim. It accepted it,” she said.

She submitted all the required documents, including her UI-19 form and banking details, and received reference numbers confirming that her claim had been successfully submitted.

Months of delays and no response

“But I noticed there was no movement…T hen I sent emails with those reference numbers to so many people, and they didn’t even respond,” she told GroundUp.

When she finally reached a UIF official on the phone at the start of April, she was told “sorry, you put your claim through the wrong system”. On asking how that was possible as she received reference numbers, she was once again told it was the wrong platform.

She was sent a different link and told to start again. She says she was also told that she should have found out for herself that the old platform did not work.

Use the correct platform

Correct website: Access the official and current portal via uFiling.

• Mobile alternative: Use the data-free UIF mobile app, available on the Google Play Store or Apple Store.
• USSD string: Dial (*134*843#\) from your cell phone.
• In-person help: To be absolutely sure, visit your nearest Department of Employment and Labour office.