I came across this useful info about the benefits of UIF for employees, and how to go about claiming it on on www.capegateway.gov.za

HOW DOES THE FUND HELP EMPLOYEES?

Employees who are registered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and who have been paying contributions to the Fund, can claim from the Fund if they lose their jobs or cannot work.

There are five kinds of benefits covered by UIF:

* unemployment benefits
* illness benefits
* maternity benefits
* adoption benefits
* death benefits.

You can claim unemployment benefits if you have been dismissed or retrenched or if your contract has expired. You cannot claim if you have voluntarily resigned from your job.

You can claim illness benefits if you are off work due to illness for two weeks. Benefits are paid from the date on which you stopped working.

Maternity benefits can be claimed if you are pregnant and take maternity leave. You can take maternity leave at any time from four weeks before the expected date of birth and you may not work for six weeks after the birth.

You can claim adoption benefits if you legally adopt a child younger than two years old and you leave work to look after that child. Only one of the adopting parents can apply for benefits.

The wife/husband or minor child of someone who has died can claim death benefits if the deceased paid contributions to the Fund.

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN WORKERS CLAIM?

If you have been contributing to the Fund for four years or more, then you can claim for up to 238 days. If you have been contributing for a shorter period, then you can claim 1 day for every 6 days that you worked while you were contributing to the Fund.

If you take maternity leave, you can only claim up to 121 days.

The Fund pays a percentage of the wage/salary that you earned while you were contributing to the fund. The highest amount that can be paid is 58% of what you earned per day.

CAN YOU GET AN EXTENSION WHEN YOU HAVE USED UP YOUR BENEFITS?

If you have used up your benefits and you are still unemployed or you are still ill, you can apply to have the UIF benefits extended.

If you are still unemployed, you need to complete form UF139 listing all the places where you have tried to find work. This form must be submitted to the Department of Labour.

If you are still ill, you need to fill in form UF140. Your doctor will have to complete the medical certificate that forms part of this application.

If the Department of Labour thinks that there are good reasons for you to get more benefits, then they will approve the application, but this does not happen often.
It may help if you can show that:

* You are actively looking for work.
* You depend on the UIF benefits for necessities like rent, food and water.
* You had contributed to the fund for more than four years.

Full details on Cape Gateway
The article also goes on to explain exactly what you need to claim your UIF.