Traditional healers could soon be writing sick leave notes

Employers in South Africa may soon have to accept notes from traditional healers when their employees have been off work due to illness. The Traditional Health Practitioners Act, which was passed earlier this year, paves the way for employees to submit sick notes from traditional practitioners to their employers. Reports states that this has fuelled fierce debate with regard to the related costs to employers. A survey conducted by Lekana Employee Benefit Solutions across all work sectors last year showed that sick leave costs employers around 642-million rand a year. This figure does not include lost productivity. The Act will be implemented once the Traditional Healers' Council is formed and registered with the Department of Health.