A very grumpy, sore and cold Claire - Excuse the horrid photo
Government institutions suck. Yesterday I spent my morning, from 5h30am till 8h30 am scrambling to be close to first in line.
I have been trying to claim my UIF (UIF is the government Unemployment Insurance Fund, which all employees pay for, and as long as you didn't quit on your own accord, they are obligated to pay you a portion of your salary for at least 6 months after your employment is terminated.) which I should have received a year ago. It's not much, but it would make a world of difference to me right now as I struggle - embarrassingly so, to make ends meet.
I had to really prep myself for going to the Labor Department yesterday. I know what the queues are like, I know how much standing is involved (which hurts like hell) and I know how annoyingly bureaucratic the process is.
I have spent the last year fighting with the online portal and phoning almost every week, sometimes several times a week, to find out what was going on. About a month ago, I tried logging into my Ufiling profile, only to discover that the site was "under maintenance."
I have been avoiding going in person like the plague. Once you are inside the building, it's ok, but it's necessary to show up really early if you want to be seen and get out as fast as possible. That means getting there really early and queuing on the pavement.
Goodwood is a shit part of Cape Town. It's better than going to the main Labour Department in Cape Town City Centre. I tried that years ago when I was still pregnant with Matthew. This satellite office is far more efficient. Queuing on the pavement, I realized for the fourth time now, it means you really need a chair. I sat on the pavement for a while until someone very kindly offered me their chair.
It was cold. I'd already been standing too long.
When I finally got seen to, and I must commend this center on their efficiency and genuine humanity - which is very difficult to find, especially in government departments - I was seen at around 08h15 and was out by 08h30.
While I was there I was informed that all the government funding online portals had been taken down on purpose due to the huge amount of fraudulent claims. That made sense because I couldn't apply for a disability grant either. Their website was broken too.
At the end of the day, this meant that all my phone calls and fighting with the online portal, and endless emails to and from the UIF help center were all in vain. I had to apply for my UIF from scratch. And thank God I went when I did because if it had been longer than a year since termination, they would not have opened a new case for me. So, this time I opened a new case and was actually provided with a certificate to say that I'd applied and I have to go back on the 6th of November. Please say a little prayer that all goes well and I finally get paid. Cumulatively, it's quite a lump sum they owe me.
Joy of all joys. Sigh... So wish me luck, please. And of course, thoughts and prayers are most welcome <3