What is in this circular
DPSA Circular 33 of 2026 was issued on 11 September 2026 and runs to 217 pages, carrying posts from 14 national departments and six provincial administrations. Most posts close on 28 September 2026 at 16:00.
The Department of Public Service and Administration publishes the circular weekly, except in December. It issues the document but is not responsible for the content of the adverts, and will not answer questions about individual posts. Those go to the advertising department.
National departments in this edition are Agriculture, Defence, Employment and Labour, the Government Technical Advisory Centre, Higher Education and Training, Home Affairs, Land Reform and Rural Development, the Office of the Chief Justice, the South African Police Service, Tourism, Transport, Treasury, Water and Sanitation, and Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
Six provinces advertised: Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West and Western Cape. Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Northern Cape placed none.
The volume is uneven, which matters when deciding where to spend your time.
| Section | Pages in the circular |
|---|---|
| KwaZulu-Natal | 113 to 165 |
| Western Cape | 182 to 217 |
| Higher Education and Training | 23 to 51 |
| Free State | 99 to 108 |
| Employment and Labour | 9 to 19 |
| Home Affairs | 52 to 54 |
| South African Police Service | 77 to 78 |
Salaries in this edition run from R237 453 a year for clerk and administrative posts to R1 885 710 for the Deputy Director-General: Corporate Services post at Higher Education and Training.
Closing dates are not all the same
| Department | Closing date |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | 28 September 2026 at 16:00 |
| Defence | 28 September 2026 at 16:00 |
| Employment and Labour | 28 September 2026, 16:00 for walk-in and 23:59 for online |
| Government Technical Advisory Centre | 28 September 2026 at 12:00 |
| Higher Education and Training, several TVET colleges | 30 September 2026 |
Check the date printed above the post you are applying for. Departments set their own, and the twelve noon cut-off at the Government Technical Advisory Centre is four hours earlier than most.
The Z83 rules that disqualify applications
Nearly every rejection at the first hurdle comes down to the form.
Use the Z83 that took effect on 1 January 2021. Departments state plainly that an application on the wrong form will be disqualified. The form must be originally signed and dated by the applicant.
Sections A, B, C and D must be completed in full. For Sections E, F and G, departments accept a reference to the attached CV because of the limited space on the form, but the question in Part F about conditions that prevent re-appointment must be answered and the declaration must be signed.
One post, one form. If you apply for more than one post, submit a separate Z83 and CV for each. Where an applicant lists more than one post on a single form, the application is considered only for the post listed first.
Quote the reference number of the vacancy, use the exact email address given for that post, and put the job title and reference in the subject line where asked.
Watch the file size. The Department of Agriculture caps the CV at a 10 megabyte PDF and says late applications caused by technical problems will not be considered.
Certified copies come later
Do not attach certified copies to the application. Only shortlisted candidates are required to submit certified copies of qualifications and other documents, on or before the day of the interview. The Department of Defence adds that certified copies must not be older than six months.
Foreign qualifications need a South African Qualifications Authority evaluation report, also only when shortlisted.
All shortlisted candidates, including senior management, also undertake two pre-entry assessments: a practical exercise on the technical and generic requirements of the post, and an integrity or ethical conduct assessment. Personnel suitability checks now routinely include social media profile checks. On senior management posts, the Nyukela pre-entry certificate from the National School of Government is required before appointment, at the applicant’s own cost.
A blunt warning appears in several sections. False or fraudulent qualifications will be reported to the South African Police Service and a criminal case will be opened, in terms of section 32B(3) of the National Qualifications Framework Act 67 of 2008.
Corrections carried in this edition
Two changes affect people who already applied through earlier circulars.
The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure corrected the job title for Director: User Demand Management, reference 2026/308B, advertised in Circular 29. Applications submitted under the old title will still be considered, and the closing date has been extended to 9 October 2026.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the Department of Transport withdrew the Engineering Technician Production Grade A-C post for Ground Survey Empangeni, reference DOT 156/2026, and the Tradesman Aid post, reference DOT 451/2025.
There is no circular on 25 September
The next edition, Circular 34, appears on 18 September 2026. After that there is a gap. No circular is published on 25 September because of the Heritage Day public holiday on 24 September, so Circular 35 only appears on 2 October 2026.
That break is worth planning around. The fortnight from 18 September brings nothing new, and the 28 and 30 September closing dates fall inside it.
Do not wait for a reply. Departments say they will not acknowledge receipt, and that you should treat an application as unsuccessful if you have not been contacted within periods ranging from eight weeks to six months.
The wider picture behind the queues is set out in our report on the unemployment rate for the second quarter of 2026. If you are offered a post, our guide on what must be in a written employment contract covers your rights, and if a Grade 12 pass is the thing standing in your way, the matric rewrite options guide explains the Second Chance programme.
Where to check
The Department of Public Service and Administration publishes every circular free at dpsa.gov.za under Newsroom, Public service vacancy circular. Each edition is available as one full PDF and as separate PDFs per department and province, and the department also runs a WhatsApp channel for circular alerts. The Z83 form is available from any public service department office and at gov.za/documents. Never pay anyone for the circular, for the Z83, or for help submitting an application.
