Government job vacancies are available in sectors such as Education, Health, Labour, Public Administration, Law Enforcement, Environmental Protection, among others. These positions not only offer competitive salaries but also come with essential benefits and job security.
Working in a government post means you are providing a public service for the benefit of the community at large and making a difference in the lives of your fellow South Africans and how they perceive the efficiency of their country.
South Africa's Government sector offers a wide array of employment opportunities to its citizens, within each of the nine provinces.
What Are Some Government Job Examples?
Working in government can mean having a job ranging from within Parliament to being a police officer. Here are a few examples of careers that fall under the Government Jobs category:
- Parliament
- Police Officer (SAPS), firefighters and traffic officers
- Working within/for a local municipality (mayors, secretaries, etc.)
- Working within/for one of the Departments of the South African government
- Teaching (under the Department of Education)
- Public Health (doctors, nurses, paramedics, mental health professionals, etc.)
- Law
What Are The Benefits That Come With Government Employment?
While for some government job positions, there might be more competitive salaries out there. Therefore, you need to factor in the benefits alongside the salary, before making the final decision to start a government job.
Government Employees Medical Scheme
One benefit that comes with government posts is their contribution to your Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) medical aid plan.
Not only will you qualify for comprehensive government-grade medical aid but, when you read your government contract, you’ll see that they also make a decent contribution to your monthly medical aid fee as well. This can be around 75% for some government positions.
Any contribution will make all the difference for your medical aid plan and then, when it comes to adding family members and dependents to the medical aid, you need only cover their additional adult or child fee.
This makes medical aid (a necessity in every person’s life) accessible and, more importantly, affordable.
Pension fund
Another benefit to your government employment salary is the Government Employee Pension Fund. You will be working for an entity that contributes to your wellbeing, as well as your future.
Pension funds are there to take care of us after we retire, as much as they are there to protect our families and loved ones should anything happen to us.
The government understands the importance of this fund and, therefore, provides their employees with a pension fund option as part of their employment contract.
Housing fund
Many government posts also offer a housing fund benefit. With the Government Employees Housing Scheme benefit, they pay a contribution towards your home loan services, in order to ensure you are able to afford adequate housing.
13th Paycheque
Basic starting out salaries for many specialised government positions are decent enough to live on. Depending on the government department within which you work, you could earn up to R25 000 as a starting salary, right out of university (in the Department of Health, for example).
Government posts offer a 13th cheque or bonus that is paid on the month of the employees’ choice (birthday months and December are quite popular months to receive a bonus paycheque).
The bottom line of benefits for working in a government post is that you will most certainly be taken care of.
Having the benefits of medical aid, housing and pension fund contributions are generous offers to consider when planning for your future and deciding on how you want to start your career.
How To Get A Government Job
If you're interested in pursuing a job within the South African Government, here's how to go about doing so.
To apply for a government job, you will be required to complete and submit a Z83 form. Government vacancies are advertised on their respective National Government Department websites and on the Public Service Vacancy Circular.
Once you’ve applied for a government job, you may be invited for an interview. Oftentimes, your chances of getting a job hinges on how you answer interview questions so remember to prepare, as it is key to a successful interview.
