How can I get my provident fund if the company I worked for has been sold to another group?

The long answer

As Sanlam points out, it is your employer’s duty to complete and submit the claim forms to the fund administrator. You are entitled to request copies of the documentation from your Human Resources (HR) office. Sanlam goes on to say that if your employer, for whatever reason, refuses or neglects to process your withdrawal documentation, you should contact the administrator’s client contact centre, or the Principal Officer of the fund or the Trustees directly. 

I searched for the provident fund the workers at your old company belonged to (we withheld the name of the company in this response). It seems the workers belonged to the Old Mutual Superfund Provident Fund. Other provident funds likely work similarly.

Old Mutual says after you have left the service of your employer you can contact the Old Mutual SuperFund Provident Fund service centre directly at 0860 20 30 40. They say you should make certified copies of your ID and bank statement and give these to the payroll administrator within 60 days of leaving your work – or again, you can contact the Old Mutual Superfund directly on the number above and make sure they have the right contact number for you.

In answer to the question of how long it takes for an Old Mutual fund take to pay out, Old Mutual says it can take as little as 15 days, if the claim has been submitted by your employer firstly, and if the fund administrator has received all the necessary documents including your tax clearance certificate and bank approval.

As you were dismissed before the new pension fund law came into effect on 1 September 2024, you should be able to access all the cash you had saved until your dismissal in May 2024.

As the company is not helping you, your best option would be to gather the documents mentioned above and contact the Old Mutual Superfund Provident Fund directly on the number given above. (If it is not the Old Mutual Superfund Provident Fund that you belonged to, you would need to contact the fund that you belonged to, with the same documentation. If you don’t know what the fund’s name is, you would need to get it from the HR department, plus the contact details to be able to contact the fund administrator.)  

If you still don’t get any answers, you should contact the Fund’s Trustees. Remember to keep a note of the names of those you speak to, and the dates.

If that doesn’t work and you can prove that you have tried to settle it with the provident or pension fund first, you can lay a complaint with the Pension Funds Adjudicator. 

Ms Muvhango Antoinette Lukhaimane is the current Pension Funds Adjudicator (OPFA). The OPFA is a tribunal that investigates and resolves complaints about pension funds, and makes final and binding decisions. 

Pension Funds Adjudicator contact details:

Tel: 012 748 4000 and 012 3461738.

Email: enquiries@pfa.org.za 

Wishing you the best,
Athalie