Ramaphosa puts an end to certified documents period for public service jobseekers

20 November 2019 - 11:42 By Unathi Nkanjeni
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Document certification has been made easier for public service job applicants.
Document certification has been made easier for public service job applicants.
Image: 123RF/kritchanut

The government has announced it will lessen the financial burden on prospective employees who seek work opportunities in the public sector.

Here is what you need to know:

End to three-month certified documents period

After numerous complaints on social media from people who have been denied employment in the public service sector due to certified documents that are more than three months' old, President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a notice for government departments to stop the practice.

“Effective immediately, all national departments, provincial departments and government components are to stop the practice of requiring certified copies of documents not older than three months to accompany applications for employment.

“Government has recognised that the practice to date impacts negatively on job seekers in the current economic climate in SA, and that there is a need to reduce the burden on job seekers to submit — with each separate job application — certified copies of supporting documents (such as academic qualifications, which are not older than three months)," said presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko.

New extended period for documents

The presidency advised departments to at least accept certified copies of documents submitted with an application for employment that are up to six months old.

“This change will also reduce the workload that the certification of documents creates for the police, who will now be able to devote more time to their core function of ensuring that South Africans are and feel safe,” said Diko

“As part of addressing the urgent need to expand employment, government encourages the private sector to similarly assess processes and procedures that may, to varying degrees, impact negatively on getting South Africans into employment as expeditiously as possible.”

Change does not replace suitability checks

Diko said the change does not, however, replace the personnel suitability checks set out in the Public Service Regulations of 2016.

“The regulations state that the executive authority shall satisfy himself/herself that the candidate qualifies in all respects for the post and that his/her claims in his/her application have been verified.

“This requirement is in line with good practice to ensure that good quality candidates are recruited and appointed, and also serves as a deterrent to applicants from submitting false or incorrect information when applying for posts,” she said.


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