1 (a) The number of employees on incapacity leave since 1 January 2016 per province is depicted in the table below:
Implementation Area |
Number of employees on incapacity leave |
Eastern Cape Provincial Administration |
1 069 |
Free State Provincial Administration |
1 274 |
Gauteng Provincial Administration |
2 756 |
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration |
2 150 |
Limpopo Provincial Administration |
866 |
Mpumalanga Provincial Administration |
150 |
North West Provincial Administration |
329 |
Northern Cape Provincial Administration |
188 |
Western Cape Provincial Administration |
2 351 |
National Departments |
7 820 |
Grand Total |
18 953 |
(Source: PERSAL)
1 (b) The total cost to company resulting from the number of employees who utilised incapacity leave since 1 January 2016 is depicted in the table below:
Implementation Area |
Total Costs of Incapacity Leave |
Eastern Cape Provincial Administration |
R 23 246 279 |
Free State Provincial Administration |
R 24 268 809 |
Gauteng Provincial Administration |
R 41 178 738 |
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration |
R 31 424 487 |
Limpopo Provincial Administration |
R 17 596 436 |
Mpumalanga Provincial Administration |
R 3 727 231 |
North West Provincial Administration |
R 6 526 933 |
Northern Cape Provincial Administration |
R 3 641 157 |
Western Cape Provincial Administration |
R 38 827 877 |
National Departments |
R 137 194 687 |
Grand Total |
R 327 632 634 |
(Source: PERSAL)
1 (c) The appointment of temporary employees to serve as replacements for employees who is absent on temporary incapacity leave occur only in the case of School Based Educators and as such the Department of Basic Education is in the best position to provide statistics in this regard.
2 (a) The number of employees who’s temporary incapacity leave applications have not been approved since 1 January 2016 is depicted in the table below:
Implementation Area |
Total Applications rejected |
Eastern Cape Provincial Administration |
2 666 |
Free State Provincial Administration |
2 333 |
Gauteng Provincial Administration |
3 229 |
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration |
15 810 |
Limpopo Provincial Administration |
285 |
Mpumalanga Provincial Administration |
301 |
North West Provincial Administration |
2 822 |
Northern Cape Provincial Administration |
59 |
Western Cape Provincial Administration |
12 803 |
National Departments |
16 720 |
Grand Total |
57 028 |
(Source: PERSAL)
2 (b) The cost of temporary incapacity leave applications that have not been approved since 1 January 2016 is depicted in the table below:
Implementation Area |
Total Costs of Applications rejected |
Eastern Cape Provincial Administration |
R 1 683 974 |
Free State Provincial Administration |
R 1 524 799 |
Gauteng Provincial Administration |
R 2 506 900 |
KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Administration |
R 10 489 582 |
Limpopo Provincial Administration |
R 133 871 |
Mpumalanga Provincial Administration |
R 334 633 |
North West Provincial Administration |
R 1 648 927 |
Northern Cape Provincial Administration |
R 18 335 |
Western Cape Provincial Administration |
R 9 299 237 |
National Departments |
R 10 473 443 |
Grand Total |
R 38 113 701 |
(Source: PERSAL)
3 The Department of Public Service and Administration is complying with the turnaround time. The Department however had two temporary incapacity leave cases which were submitted in January 2017 that were not returned to the Department from the Health Risk Manager, within the set time frames. The cases required investigations due to the complicated nature of illnesses.
4 (a) In the event of an employee’s application for temporary incapacity leave being declined the employee may choose to have the absence covered by available annual leave and/or unpaid leave if insufficient annual leave credits are available. The repayment of salary thus only arises when unpaid leave is granted in these circumstances. The total amount liable by employees in instances where unpaid leave was granted in respect of temporary incapacity leave being declined amounts to R 24 984 349.
4 (b) The DPSA is not in a position to report on or account whether monies have been paid back as yet since the recovery of salaries as a result of the implementation of unpaid leave in respect of temporary incapacity leave being declined is a competence that resides with the individual departments and are done within the legislative framework governing salary overpayments and is an ongoing process.
4 (c) The outstanding amount with regard to salary overpayments as a result of temporary incapacity leave being declined is not available as the information resides with the individual departments.
END