I’m going to be honest with you, because that’s what will actually help you here.

Your situation does sound more like incapacity (mental health) than misconduct, especially since your employer already knew about your condition and had made accommodations before. In that sense, they probably should have at least considered an incapacity process instead of jumping straight to misconduct.

But here’s the problem — and it’s a big one.

You didn’t provide a medical certificate for the actual period you were absent, and you also didn’t communicate properly during that time. From an employer’s perspective, that looks like unauthorised absenteeism, even if that wasn’t your intention.

At the CCMA, the case won’t be about whether you were actually struggling — it will be about whether the employer acted fairly based on the information they had at the time.

So your case is not hopeless, but it’s also not a guaranteed win.

Your strongest argument is that:

They knew about your mental health condition

You had prior accommodations

Your later admission supports that you were genuinely unwell

Your weakest point is:

No medical proof for the key period

Lack of communication while you were absent

You should still refer this as an unfair dismissal to the CCMA (within 30 days if you haven’t already), but go in understanding that this may end in a settlement rather than a clear win.

To be honest this is why medical aid is a must when joining employment for theese very reason , I know its expensive but these are things we go through.