# The Public Service Commission has recommended that all government departments audit sick leave records annually, to identify incidents of excessive use and misuse by employees. According to a report by the commission, sick leave in the public sector skyrocketed from eight-billion-rand in 2020 to 10.1-billion-rand in 2023. Gauteng had the largest sick leave costs with 1.4-billion-rand followed closely by KwaZulu-Natal with 1.3-billion-rand. The commission says there is a correlation between leave expenditure and the proportion of employees at national and provincial departments.
Sick leave in the public sector skyrocketed from R8-billion in 2020 to R10.1-billion in 2023