The Department of Employment and Labour is committed to secure payment methods to its beneficiaries.

The department has come out in defence of a recently issued notice by the Compensation Fund for comments regarding its proposed improved way of paying out beneficiaries.

In a statement on Thursday, the department said that an impression has been created that the notice which essentially calls for comments is designed to damage workers’ rights and harm medical service providers.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. The Compensation Fund continues to improve the way it pays out claims to beneficiaries in an efficient and effective manner. This means paying the right person the right amount as soon as it practical.

“The account verification system introduced by the Fund recently is designed to do just that. The notice published enables the Fund to obtain views from stakeholders as it continues to improve and strengthen systems of internal control,” Compensation Fund Commissioner Vuyo Mafata said.

The Commissioner added that these are the things that the Public Finance Management Act requires of the fund, that it improve internal controls and ensure the efficient and effective process for claims.

“We are doing just that and we would welcome views from all stakeholders hence we issued the notice,” Mafata said.

Source: South African Government News Agency