You've just been handed a CCMA document.
Here is exactly what it means.
South African CCMA documents carry strict legal deadlines — often just 30 days. Missing them permanently closes legal doors. SmartDocAI tells you exactly what your document says, what you must do, and how long you have to do it — in plain English, grounded in South African labour law.
If you have just been dismissed — read this first.
The 30-day clock started on the day you were dismissed. Not the day you got the letter. Not the day you decided to do something. The day you were dismissed. If you are reading this and that was more than a few weeks ago, you need to check your document today. Upload it now. Find out exactly where you stand.
SmartDocAI does not advise whether your dismissal was fair or unfair. It tells you exactly what your document says and what the law requires. For CCMA representation, a labour attorney or union representative can assist.
CCMA deadlines are not like other deadlines.
Missing the 30-day referral deadline is not a setback. It is a permanent closure. Here is what that means for you.
Unfair Dismissal — 30 Days
You have exactly 30 days from the date of your dismissal to refer your dispute to the CCMA using Form 7.11. Not 31. Not 35. 30. After that, you must apply for condonation — a discretionary process that CCMA commissioners regularly refuse. Your right to challenge your dismissal may be gone forever.
Section 191(1)(b)(i) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
Unfair Labour Practice — 90 Days
If you were not dismissed but your employer treated you unfairly — unfair suspension, failure to promote, withheld benefit — you have 90 days from the date of the unfair act to refer the dispute. This is longer than the dismissal deadline, but it is still absolute. After 90 days, condonation is required.
Section 191(2) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
Arbitration Award — 6 Weeks
If a CCMA commissioner has issued an award against you, you have 6 weeks from the date of the award to apply for review in the Labour Court. After 6 weeks, the award can be certified and enforced against you — including by a Sheriff attaching your property.
Section 145(1)(a) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
SmartDocAI calculates the exact calendar deadline from the document you upload. Not a range. Not an estimate. The date.
This is for you — wherever you are in the process.
You've just been dismissed
You received a dismissal letter, a Form 7.11, or a Notice to Attend Conciliation — and you don't fully understand what it says or what you need to do next. You know there is a deadline but you don't know exactly when it is.
- Calculate the exact date by which you must act
- Tell you what the document requires in plain English
- Explain what happens if you miss the deadline
- Identify whether the document indicates a procedurally unfair process
- Show you the relevant LRA and BCEA sections that apply
You've received a CCMA notice
The company has received a Form 7.11 referral or a Notice to Attend Conciliation. You need to understand what the employee is claiming, when you need to respond, and what your obligations are.
- Confirm the nature of the dispute and what is being claimed
- Calculate your response deadline
- Identify the required action (attend, respond in writing, or both)
- Flag any procedural issues in the referral
- Summarise the applicable LRA provisions
You've received a Section 189 letter
Your employer has sent you a notice about possible retrenchment. You need to understand whether the consultation process is being followed correctly, what your severance entitlements are, and what your rights are.
- Verify all 7 Section 189(3) legally required disclosures
- Calculate the minimum consultation period
- Flag missing or legally inadequate elements
- Explain your right to propose alternatives to retrenchment
- Confirm your minimum severance pay under Section 41 BCEA
The Complete CCMA Process — A to Z
Five stages. From dismissal to enforcement. Understand where your document fits before you act.
Seven CCMA and labour dispute documents. Every one analysed in full.
Every document below carries legal obligations, statutory deadlines, or financial consequences. SmartDocAI reads all of them.
Seven structured outputs. Every time.
Every CCMA document analysis delivers these outputs. Not a summary. Not a probability score. Structured, specific, grounded in SA labour law.
Document Classification
Document type, CCMA phase, confidence score, and issuing authority identified automatically.
Deadline Calculator
The exact deadline date — statutory or explicit — and the number of days remaining. Colour-coded by urgency.
Required Action
What you must do, by when, and who must do it. Employee, employer, or both — stated plainly.
Consequence of Inaction
What happens if nothing is done. Severity classification and legal basis. Never hidden.
SA Law Context
Applicable LRA and BCEA sections cited by number. Relevant SA case law where it applies — Sidumo, Edcon v Pillemer.
Plain Language Summary
4 to 6 sentences summarising the entire document in plain English. What it is, what it means, what to do next.
Ask the Document
Ask any question about your specific uploaded document. The AI answers using the document's content and SA labour law as context.
What SmartDocAI does not do
SmartDocAI tells you what your document says and what the law requires. It does not advise whether your dismissal was fair or unfair, does not assess your prospects of success, does not draft any CCMA forms on your behalf, and does not recommend settlement amounts. This limitation is visible in every analysis result.
Your uploaded document answers your questions.
Ask the Document is an AI chat interface that lets you ask questions about your specific uploaded document in plain English. It uses South African labour law as context — not generic answers.
- Ask about deadlines specific to your document
- Ask about your rights under the LRA and BCEA
- Ask what a specific section means
- Ask what happens next in the process
Ask the Document uses the content of YOUR uploaded document — not generic information. Available on all tiers. Number of questions per session varies by tier.
These mistakes happen every day at the CCMA.
SmartDocAI flags every one of them automatically in every analysis.
The Day 31 Referral
The Section 189 Letter Missing Three Disclosures
The Compliance Order That Became a Court Judgment
Three Acts. One set of rights. Know them.
Every CCMA analysis SmartDocAI produces is grounded in these three pieces of legislation. Not generic templates.
Labour Relations Act
Governs all dismissal disputes, the CCMA, conciliation, arbitration, review, and enforcement. The primary Act for all CCMA matters.
- Section 188 — Substantive and procedural fairness for dismissal
- Section 191 — Referral deadlines (30 days dismissal / 90 days ULP)
- Section 145 — Review applications and the 6-week deadline
- Section 189 — Individual/small-scale retrenchment consultation
- Section 189A — Large-scale retrenchments
- Schedule 8 — Code of Good Practice: Dismissal
Basic Conditions of Employment Act
Sets minimum conditions every employee is entitled to — regardless of what any employment contract says. The BCEA floor cannot be contracted out of.
- Section 41 — Severance pay (1 week per completed year)
- Section 37 — Pay slips (mandatory)
- Section 9 — Ordinary hours (max 45 hours/week)
- Section 20 & 22 — Annual and sick leave
- Section 38 — Compliance orders and enforcement
Employment Equity Act
Prohibits unfair discrimination in the workplace on any of the listed grounds. Relevant when a dismissal or unfair labour practice has a discriminatory element.
- Section 6 — Prohibition of unfair discrimination
- Section 9 — Burden of proof in discrimination disputes
- Section 10 — Sexual harassment as unfair discrimination
- Section 11 — Automatically unfair dismissal on Section 187 grounds
You do not have to face this alone — and you do not have to pay a lawyer to find out where you stand.
CCMA National Helpline
0861 16 2622
General process information, case status checks, office directions
Department of Employment and Labour
0800 601 011
BCEA complaints, UIF queries, wage disputes, labour inspector referrals
Legal Aid South Africa
0800 110 110
Free legal assistance for qualifying individuals; can provide CCMA representation in appropriate cases
South African Human Rights Commission
011 877 3600
Employment discrimination and EEA complaints
CCMA Website
www.ccma.org.za
All forms (7.11 and 7.13), all CCMA Rules, office addresses and hours, user guides
SmartDocAI is a complement to these resources — not a replacement. Use the CCMA helpline to understand the process. Use SmartDocAI to understand your specific document.
Start with one document. No subscription required.
Credits work across all SmartDocAI modules — Business, Estate, and CCMA. Credits never expire.
The kit guides you through the process. The analysis credits are for analysing YOUR specific documents — not the kit files.
Dismissal Dispute Kit
For employees who have been dismissed and need to understand the CCMA referral process, conciliation, and arbitration — and for employers who have received a Form 7.11.
Credits are for analysing your own CCMA documents — not kit files.
Files delivered by email immediately after payment. Valid download links regenerated any time from your billing page.
Retrenchment Rights Kit
For employees and employers involved in a Section 189 or Section 189A retrenchment process — covering the legal requirements, mandatory disclosures, minimum severance pay, and the right to refer a dispute.
Credits are for analysing your own CCMA documents — not kit files.
Files delivered by email immediately after payment. Valid download links regenerated any time from your billing page.
Wage & Unfair Labour Practice Kit
For workers who have not been paid what the law requires, or who have experienced an unfair labour practice as defined in Section 186(2) of the LRA — covering BCEA minimum entitlements, ULP categories, and CCMA referral.
Credits are for analysing your own CCMA documents — not kit files.
Files delivered by email immediately after payment. Valid download links regenerated any time from your billing page.
Which kit do I need?
SmartDocAI provides factual information and document analysis — not legal advice. These kits explain what the law requires and how CCMA processes work. For legal advice or representation at the CCMA, consult a qualified labour attorney or your trade union.
Your documents are private. Always.
CCMA documents contain employment history, income details, and reasons for dismissal. Here is exactly how we protect them.
Your uploaded document is encrypted in transit and at rest. AES-256 encryption. Your document never leaves our secure infrastructure unencrypted.
Your documents are never shared with any third party. They are not used to train AI models. They are not reviewed by human employees.
You can delete any document or analysis at any time from your dashboard. Deletion is permanent and immediate — POPIA compliance built in.
We comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Your personal information is processed only for the purpose of the analysis you requested.
Common questions about SmartDocAI and CCMA documents.
Yes. Our classifier automatically identifies the document type from its content. Upload the document as-is and select 'Auto-detect' — the classifier will identify it and run the most relevant analysis pipeline. If the document type is not one of the seven CCMA types we currently analyse, we will tell you clearly and not deduct a credit.
The deadline doesn't wait.
But now you know exactly where you stand.
R199 for your first document analysis. No subscription. No commitment. Just clarity.
SmartDocAI provides information and analysis — not legal advice. CenturionAI (Pty) Ltd. smartdocai.co.za