1. All employees should be aware that any absence from duty must be covered by the granting of leave of whatever nature.

2. To improve the administration of leave, the following important points must be noted:
2.1 An employee who wishes to take leave must as far as possible submit his/her application for leave well in advance.
2.2 The completion and submission of leave forms to the supervisor remains the responsibility of the applicant (see paragraph 2.3 of Circular 5 of 2012 dated 10 February 2012).
2.3 For ease of reference and to further enhance the administration process, employees and supervisors/managers must please indicate the name of the school/institution/office as well as the relevant education district on the leave form.
2.4 The completed leave application form (Z1 form) must be submitted to the supervisor for consideration.

Note:

  1. No employee may recommend his/her own leave, e.g. a principal or director may not apply for leave and then recommend his/her own application for leave.

  2. School principals must submit their applications for leave to their IMG manager for recommendation, and not to the chairperson of the school governing body.
2.5 The supervisor, after taking into consideration such matters as operational requirements and whether the applicant complies with the requirements for the type of leave applied for, will make a recommendation to the next level in the official structures.
2.6 The completed leave form, together with the supervisor’s recommendation, must be submitted to the Head Office of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) within 14 days after receipt of the application for leave (See Circular 5 of 2012, dated 10 February 2012).

Note:
Principals, managers and supervisors must bear in mind that submitting leave forms only once during a school term or only at the end of a school term is not acceptable, and they must refrain from this practice. The timeous submission of leave applications to the WCED is audited by the Auditor-General’s office annually, and any delays in their submission have a negative effect on the auditing of the WCED. It is, therefore, imperative that principals, managers and supervisors adhere to the requirement that each application for leave be submitted to the Head Office of the WCED within 14 days after its receipt (see Circular 5 of 2012 dated 10 February 2012).
2.7 The authority to approve leave is vested in the relevant Human Resource officials at Head Office.

3. In cases of special leave (overseas trips, etc.), it is vital that the application be submitted well in advance so as to enable the Head Office to consider it before the period of leave commences.

4. Please ensure that this circular is brought to the attention of all staff under your supervision.


SIGNED: PA VINJEVOLD
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2014:06:11