LEAVECTRL — SOUTH AFRICAN LEAVE POLICY STARTER Customisable starting template — not legal advice, a completed PAIA manual, or a guarantee of compliance. Complete every bracketed field and obtain appropriate review before adoption. Source snapshot: 6 October 2026. 1. Policy control Organisation: [Legal name] Policy owner: [Name / role] Version: [Version] Approval date: [Date] Effective date: [Date] Last legal review: [Date] Next review: [Date] Approved by: [Authorised decision-maker] 2. Purpose and scope This policy sets out how [Organisation] administers leave and considers its timing. It applies to [employee categories / locations]. Identify applicable bargaining-council rules, collective agreements and employment terms here: [Details]. Verify which statutory provisions apply to each category before adoption. 3. Leave types and entitlement schedule Complete a schedule for each employee group and leave type: [Type] | [Statutory minimum / company benefit] | [Entitlement] | [Cycle] | [Calculation method] | [Payment position] | [Evidence / approval]. Identify annual, sick, family responsibility, parental, unpaid, study and additional company leave separately. More favourable benefits must be recorded accurately. 4. Annual leave Annual allocation for each working pattern: [Details]. Statutory annual leave is at least 21 consecutive days per cycle, or the applicable agreed 1-in-17 days/hours method. Do not apply 15 working days universally. Cycle basis: [Details]. Accrual / allocation convention: [Details]. Leave is scheduled by agreement; where no agreement exists, the employer determines timing, subject to the obligation to grant statutory leave within the applicable period. Record public-holiday treatment and notice-period restrictions after review. 5. Balances, carry-over and termination Displayed balance means: [Accrued unused / approved future commitments / uncommitted]. Explain future entitlement separately. Verified opening balances: [Process]. Distinguish statutory and additional contractual leave. Carry-over / forfeiture provisions: [Reviewed provisions; do not assume all leave automatically expires]. Termination calculations: [Reviewed procedure / payroll owner]. 6. Requests and decisions Requests are submitted through [Channel] with [Normal notice expectation]. Decisions are made by [Role] within [Organisation's chosen process]. Managers consider entitlement, applicable policy, existing approved leave, pending requests, critical skills and staffing needs. Decisions and reasons are communicated through [Channel]. Alternative dates and escalation: [Procedure]. Operational requirements must not deprive employees indefinitely of statutory leave. 7. Sick leave Specify the 36-month cycle and the entitlement based on six normal working weeks. During the first six months, one paid sick-leave day accrues per 26 days actually worked. Notification procedure: [Details]. Evidence requests must reflect BCEA section 23, including more than two consecutive days or more than two occasions in eight weeks. Certificate access: [Authorised roles]. Do not routinely require unnecessary diagnosis details. Address occupational injury / disability / accommodation through the relevant separate process. 8. Family responsibility leave Verify eligibility and the circumstances covered by BCEA section 27. Qualifying employees generally receive three paid days per annual cycle. Do not retain birth-related wording from old family responsibility templates: the 2018 amendment's relevant provisions commenced on 1 January 2020. Notification and reasonable evidence procedure: [Details]. 9. Parental leave Obtain review against the operative Van Wyk [2025] ZACC 20 order and subsequent law before adoption. Under the interim order, a single or sole employed parent has at least four consecutive months; two employed parents share four months and ten days, subject to the order's protections, allocation and timing provisions. Confirm biological, adoption and commissioning-parent treatment. Leave entitlement and UIF benefits are separate questions. Company-paid benefit: [If any]. Supporting notice / allocation process: [Reviewed procedure]. Do not treat the 2026 draft amendments or forecast 2028 horizon as enacted commencement dates. 10. Coverage and peak periods Critical functions: [List]. Minimum staffing / skills: [Details]. Peak-period request dates: [Dates]. Criteria for competing requests: [Transparent criteria, rotation / history where appropriate]. Pending requests remain distinct from approved absence. Coverage warnings support managerial judgment; they do not automatically reject leave. December–January planning and shutdown arrangements: [Reviewed details]. 11. Corrections, cancellations and adjustments Employees request corrections through [Channel]. Authorised adjustment roles: [Roles]. Every adjustment records the reason, date, actor and balance impact. Cancellation / date-change procedure: [Details]. Changes in work pattern: [Process]. Preserve the history of earlier effective rules rather than silently rewriting it. 12. Personal information and documents Access permissions: [Roles and scope]. Required supporting information: [Categories / justification]. Storage and service providers: [Verified arrangements]. Retention periods / criteria: [Approved schedule]. Deletion and incident reporting: [Procedure]. Medical documents are handled confidentially with access limited to authorised roles. Do not copy unverified security or compliance guarantees into this policy. 13. Records and audit history Maintain the request, decision, supporting evidence where appropriate, adjustment reason and balance impact. Record policy/rule version and effective date. Reconciliation owner and frequency: [Details]. Export / payroll reconciliation process: [Details]. 14. Communication, review and acknowledgement Publish the approved policy through [Channel]. Train employees and managers. Review after material legal or organisational changes, especially parental-leave developments. Employee acknowledgement process: [Details]. Escalation contact: [Name / role / monitored email]. This starter is not adopted until all choices are completed, reviewed and approved. Sources: https://www.gov.za/documents/basic-conditions-employment-act https://www.gov.za/documents/acts/labour-laws-amendment-act-10-2018-english-afrikaans-27-nov-2018 https://www.concourt.org.za/index.php/judgement/617-a-werner-van-wyk-and-others-v-minister-of-employment-and-labour-b-commission-for-gender-equality-and-another-v-minister-of-employment-and-labour-and-others Read legislation with amendments and the operative court order.