1. Managers/supervisors and principals are reminded that they are required to submit leave forms within 14 days after the utilisation of the leave, in line of the provisions of Circulars 0005/2012 and 0024/2014, dated 10 February 2012 and 11 June 2014 respectively. This communiqué serves to reiterate and enforce the provisions of these circulars.

2. The Department is inundated with queries from employees seeking reasons for salary deductions instituted for leave without pay, long after the utilisation of the leave. In most such cases the leave application was not recommended by the manager/supervisor or principal for various reasons, the employee had insufficient leave credits, the 8-week rule applied, or there was lack of evidence to support the leave application. In addition, there are also queries where the salaries of employees who applied for unpaid leave on short notice could not be frozen, which lead to a salary overpayment instead of receiving leave without pay.

3. In compliance with Treasury Regulation requiring the recovery of salary overpayments within the prescribed time frames and to strengthen the process and in an effort to recover salary overpayments within the prescribed time period, the attention of managers/supervisors and principals is drawn to the following process:
3.1 Any leave application that is not recommended for approval must, as a matter of urgency, be submitted to the Department as soon as it becomes available, but not later than the prescribed 14 days in the circulars mentioned above. It is the responsibility of the manager/supervisor or principal to inform the employee if leave is not recommended and the reasons for it. Moreover, managers/supervisors and principals are requested to provide the Department with the contact details of the employee concerned (email address and cellphone number).
3.2 This will enable the Department to implement leave without pay without any delay and make arrangements for the recovery thereof.
3.3 If the employee has insufficient leave credits, has transgressed the 8-week rule and/or if there is a lack of evidence, leave without pay will immediately be implemented on PERSAL in order to arrange for the recovery of the salary overpayment.
3.4 With regard to applications for unpaid leave for long periods (e.g. unpaid study leave, overseas visits, extensions of maternity leave etc.) such leave will only be considered if the application is made three months in advance, so as to enable the WCED to timeously arrange for leave without pay for the period applied for.
3.5 Similarly, any temporary incapacity leave that has been disapproved by the Department, irrespective of whether it is for a short or long period, will be implemented on PERSAL in order to arrange for the recovery of the salary overpayment within the timeframes as outlined in the Policy on Incapacity Leave and Ill-Health Retirement (PILIR).
3.6 Employees will be informed of leave granted without pay (all categories) by the Directorate: Service Benefits and a follow-up letter will be issued by the Directorate: Financial Accounting informing them of the amount of the salary overpayment and details for the recovery thereof. Employees are afforded an opportunity after each letter (five days after the letter from the Directorate: Service Benefits and 30 days after the letter from the Directorate: Financial Accounting) to raise their concerns.

4. The contents of this circular must please be brought to the attention of all concerned.


SIGNED: BK SCHREUDER
HEAD: EDUCATION
DATE: 2017:07:11