Dismissal letter plus certificate of service — the written termination notice required by s.37(4) BCEA and the certificate of service required on any termination by s.42 BCEA.
⚠️ This is a blank template, not legal advice: check the wording with a lawyer and adapt it to your jurisdiction and your case.
This template has no optional clauses: the text is the same for everyone. Field placeholders are shown as labels — on the site the template is read-only, values are entered inside the system.
DISMISSAL LETTER AND CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
PART A — LETTER OF DISMISSAL
To: Employee name, Job title From: Employer name
This letter confirms the termination of your employment, following a disciplinary hearing (or, for operational requirements, a consultation process), as required in writing by s.37(4) of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 ("BCEA").
1. GROUND FOR DISMISSAL 1.1. Ground: Ground for dismissal.
2. REFERENCE TO HEARING / PROCESS 2.1. Reference to hearing / process and outcome
3. LAST WORKING DAY AND NOTICE 3.1. Your last working day is Last working day. 3.2. Notice: Notice. Where payment is made in lieu of notice, the amount is Payment in lieu of notice (amount, if applicable).
4. FINAL PAYMENTS 4.1. Payment for accrued but untaken annual leave: Payment for accrued leave. 4.2. You will also be issued with a UI-19 form to enable you to claim from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), if applicable.
5. RIGHT TO REFER A DISPUTE 5.1. Notice of right to refer a dispute 5.2. If you believe this dismissal is unfair, you may refer a dispute to the CCMA (or, if a bargaining council has jurisdiction, to that council) within 30 days of the date of dismissal.
⚠️ Where the Employee cannot read, this letter must also be explained to them orally, as required by s.37(5) BCEA. Dismissal without notice ("summary dismissal") is lawful only for serious misconduct, following a fair hearing.
Issued by: ______________ on behalf of Employer name
PART B — CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE (Section 42, BCEA — issued on termination of employment for ANY reason, including resignation)
This is to certify that: Employee: Employee name Employer: Employer name Job title / description of work: Job title Period of employment: from Employment start date (for certificate) to Employment end date (for certificate) Remuneration at date of termination: Remuneration at date of termination
The reason for termination is stated on this certificate only where the Employee has requested that it be included; it is otherwise omitted.
SIGNATURES Employer representative ______________ / on behalf of Employer name / Date: ______________
— — — ⚠️ This is a boilerplate template, not legal advice. Employment, consumer-protection, data protection, and food-safety law in South Africa is detailed and fact-specific (BCEA, LRA, POPIA, PAIA, CPA, ECTA, R638) — have this document reviewed and adapted by a labour/commercial lawyer, and where relevant checked against current CCMA and Information Regulator guidance, before use.
Fields that belong to a switched-off clause are dimmed — they are not asked for.
Right to refer an unfair dismissal dispute to the CCMA within 30 days of dismissal
3 of 13 fields are taken from the company, employee or counterparty record, the questionnaire can be dictated to the AI, and the finished document comes with a number, a PDF and an acknowledgement record.