By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) announced on Tuesday that the total capped leave liability in the public sector reached R16.24 billion as of December 2023.
This liability encompasses 189,039 employees, accounting for approximately 14% of the public service workforce.
According to PSC Commissioner Anele Gxoyiya, this figure is expected to rise due to cost-of-living adjustments and promotions to higher positions.
Gxoyiya said the majority of employees holding capped leave are concentrated in the education and health sectors.
Most of them were also closer to retirement and according to the Commissioner, that raises concern about the potential future skills shortages in these critical areas if not proactively addressed.
In relation to study leave, which is a type of special leave, data from national departments indicates that 17 733 – 20 651 employees took study leave from 2020 to 2023,” he said.
At provincial level, 21 004 – 23 265 employees took study leave from 2020 to 2023.
“In some provinces, over 70% of these employees were from the Health and Education Departments. On average, study leave days ranged from five to eight days, with national departments having the highest average at 8.5 days. KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces followed with 7.4 and 6.5 days respectively,” he said.
The Commissioner further explained that special leave is a negotiated benefit in terms of the public service employment conditions.
“Prior to the adoption of the General Public Service Sector Bargaining Council Resolution 2 of 2024, departments operated under varied special leave policies, leading to a lack of uniformity across the public service.”
There was also a notable increase in sick leave usage observed in 2022, following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the return to full-time workplace operations.
With regard to the number of grievances handled by the PSC, Gxoyiya said that as at 31 March 2025, the PSC registered 439 grievances, including 85 cases carried-over from the previous financial year.
“Of the 439 grievances, 338 (77%) have been concluded and 101 (23%) remained pending as at end of 31 March 2025.
The Commission also expressed concern with the continued failure by some departments to conclude grievances within the timeframes prescribed in the bargained Resolution 14 of 2002 for grievances of employees on salaries level 2 to 12, and Chapter 10 of the SMS Handbook.