The correct name is the Compensation Fund, and it is run by the Compensation Commissioner within the Department of Employment and Labour. “Workmen’s compensation” is the older name and is still widely used.
A claim for injury or illness at work is lodged by the employer, not by the employee. That is the single most important structural fact about this fund. If the employer will not lodge, you may report the failure to the Department of Employment and Labour, and an employer who fails to report an injury commits an offence.
Report the injury to your employer in writing, immediately. Compensation claims turn on the record made at the time: the date, what happened, who saw it and what medical treatment followed. A claim reconstructed months later is far harder to prove.
This page covers how to contact the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration in South Africa. The details below were taken from the official Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration contact page rather than from any third-party directory.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel quickly.
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration contact numbers
The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration does not publish a contact telephone number on its official website. We checked on 22 August 2026 and the site carries no telephone number we could pass on. The official site at ccma.org.za is the route to use.
We have deliberately not published a number here. An unverified number is worse than none: it sends people to whoever happens to answer it, which is exactly the mechanism behind contact-detail scams.
The CCMA is free to employees and you do not need a lawyer. Legal representation is in fact restricted at conciliation. The deadlines are strict: a dismissal must be referred within 30 days of the dismissal date and an unfair labour practice within 90 days. A late referral needs condonation, which is granted at the CCMA’s discretion and not automatically.
Self-service options before you call
- Check the official site at ccma.org.za, which carries the current contact details and any online enquiry form.
- WhatsApp on 060 224 2437, which works over wifi and leaves you a written record.
- Email to [email protected], which gives you a written record of what you asked and when.
- Calling outside peak times. Monday mornings and the hour after 17:00 are usually the worst for South African contact centres.
What to have ready before you call
- A clear one line summary of what you need resolved.
- Your account, order or reference number if you already have one.
- The identity document or account holder details, since most South African providers verify who you are before discussing an account.
- Dates, amounts and any error message exactly as it appeared.
- A pen and paper for the reference number. Ask for one every time, because without it a follow up call starts from nothing.
Claiming from the Compensation Fund
- The employer lodges the claim, not the employee. That is the structural fact that surprises most claimants, and an employer who fails to report an injury commits an offence.
- Report the injury to your employer in writing, immediately. Claims turn on the record made at the time: the date, what happened, who saw it, and what treatment followed.
- An unregistered employer does not defeat your claim. The fund still pays and recovers from the employer, so do not accept being told there is no claim because the business is not registered.
- Medical costs, temporary disability, permanent disability and dependants’ benefits are all covered, and treatment for a work injury should not be paid for out of your own pocket.
- You cannot sue your employer for a covered injury, which is the trade-off for no-fault compensation. A third party who caused the injury can still be sued.
Occupational diseases are covered as well as accidents, and some, such as noise-induced hearing loss, appear years later. A late diagnosis does not automatically defeat a claim, but the employment record must be traceable.
Complaints and escalation
If a first call does not resolve the matter, escalate through the labour centre where the claim was registered, in writing, since that office holds the file. Unresolved claims escalate within the Department of Employment and Labour to the provincial office. Disputes about dismissal or unpaid wages are a different route entirely and go to the CCMA on 0861 16 16 16.
Keep a short written log of each contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the agent and the reference number. Most employment complaint processes ask for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
Avoiding fake Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration contact numbers
Contact details for well known South African brands are a common target for impersonation. Numbers that look official appear in search ads, social media replies and cloned websites, and the person answering is not the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.
- Reach Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration through the official site at ccma.org.za rather than through a number in a search advert or a social media reply.
- The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration will never ask you for your full card number, PIN, CVV, online banking password or a one time PIN. Nobody legitimate needs those to help you.
- Treat any caller who creates urgency, asks you to install remote access software, or asks you to move money to a safe account as fraudulent, and end the call.
- If you are unsure whether a call was genuine, hang up and dial the official number yourself rather than calling back a number the caller gave you.
Related contact pages
Frequently asked questions
What is the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration contact number?
We do not publish one, because we could not confirm a number on an official source. Numbers do circulate on directory sites, and we do not republish those.
How do I know a Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration number is genuine?
Check it against the official site at ccma.org.za. A number that only appears in a search advert, a social media reply or a third-party directory should not be trusted for anything involving your account, your money or your identity document.
What should I do if nobody resolves my query?
Ask for the complaint reference and the escalation path on your first call, then follow the escalation route described above. Keep the dates, agent names and reference numbers, because every formal complaint process will ask for them.
Can ContactDetails.co.za resolve this for me?
No. We are an independent directory, not the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, and we have no access to your account. Everything here is a routing aid so that you reach the correct official channel with the right information in hand.
Is there a cost to calling these numbers?
South African 0860 and 0861 numbers are charged at a share-call or standard rate depending on your provider, and 0800 numbers are toll free from a landline. Calls from a mobile are billed at your own operator’s rate, so check your plan if cost matters.
Contact routes on this page were checked against the official Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration source on 22 August 2026. If you find a detail that has changed, the official source is always the authority.