What is the DPSA circular?
It is the list of every government job in South Africa, published as one PDF every Friday. Three to six hundred pages, no search, no filter, and close to unusable on a phone. That is how most people meet it.
We read each circular as it is published and split it into one page per post, so you can search it. 1 174 posts are open right now across 9 provinces and 33 departments. Updated 30 July 2026.
How a post is laid out
Every post follows the same shape. Reading it in this order tells you, in about thirty seconds, whether it is worth applying for.
- POST 26/01
- The post number. Quote it only if the advert asks for it.
- REF NO
- The reference number, and the single most important thing to copy correctly. One job advertised in six towns has six references, one per town.
- SALARY
- The annual package and its level. Government salaries are public and fixed by level, so a figure well outside the band is a warning sign.
- CENTRE
- Where the job actually is. A department may list several centres under one post.
- REQUIREMENTS
- The qualifications and experience you must already have. These are applied strictly.
- DUTIES
- What the work involves day to day.
- ENQUIRIES
- A name and a telephone number at the department. You may phone them.
- APPLICATIONS
- Where to send it. Some departments give each post its own address or portal, so read this per post rather than per department.
- CLOSING DATE
- Applications after this are not considered. It is stated per post or once for the whole department.
Common questions
What is the DPSA circular?
The Public Service Vacancy Circular is a document the Department of Public Service and Administration publishes every Friday. It lists every vacancy across national and provincial government in one PDF, usually three to six hundred pages. It is the official source: if a government post is real, it is in the circular or on the department’s own site.
How often is the circular published?
Weekly, on a Friday. Each one is numbered in sequence through the year, so Circular 26 of 2026 is the twenty-sixth of that year. Posts usually stay open for two to four weeks from the date the circular is issued, and the closing date is stated per post or per department.
How do I read a post in the circular?
Each post has a number like POST 26/01, then a job title and a reference number, then SALARY, CENTRE, REQUIREMENTS, DUTIES, ENQUIRIES and APPLICATIONS. The reference number and the centre are the two you must copy exactly onto your Z83: a department advertising the same job in six towns gives each one its own reference, and quoting the wrong one applies you to a post in another province.
Do I need a Z83 form?
Yes. Every national and provincial post requires the official Z83 Application for Employment form, and an application on the old pre-2021 version can be disqualified. You can fill in the current gazetted form on this site and download it completed.
Do I need to register with DPSA?
No. There is no DPSA register, database or membership. You apply to each post individually, at the address given on that post. Anyone charging you to register for government jobs, or to place you on a list, is selling something that does not exist.
Are learnerships in the DPSA circular?
No. The circular carries permanent posts and internships, and no learnerships at all: there were none across eight hundred and sixty-four posts in the circulars we last read. Learnerships are run by the Sector Education and Training Authorities, the SETAs, and advertised on each SETA’s own site and by the employers hosting them. If a page claims to list government learnerships from the circular, it is not reading the circular.
Where do I download the circular PDF?
From dpsa.gov.za, under the newsroom. Every vacancy on this site links back to the exact circular it came from, so you can open the government PDF and check the post against the original.
Applying for a government job is free. No department charges an application, registration or "background check" fee, and none of them recruit through WhatsApp. If a message about a government post asks you for money, check it here first.