Attempts by TimesLIVE to get further comment from the department on the scam were unsuccessful at the time of publishing this story. Any comment will be included once received.
Last week, the labour department issued a warning to desperate job seekers about a fake learnership advertisement that promised applicants a stipend of R5,000.
The department's Public Employment Service chief director of employment services, Esther Tloane, cautioned job seekers against responding to any “opportunities” that ask them to make any payments.
“The department uses its online job-matching platform called the Employment Services of SA (Essa), in which job seekers register their CVs, while employers place job opportunities for matching purposes,” she said.
The SA Social Security Agency also warned about a “government phase 4 Covid-19 relief fund grant”. The fake poster, which included a link for applicants to apply, started circulating online after President Cyril Ramaphosa's announcement that SA would go into alert level 4 lockdown.