The DPSA (Department of Public Service and Administration) portal is where a significant portion of South African government vacancies are officially listed. It is also not the most intuitive system to navigate, and understanding what the salary levels and post descriptions actually mean takes some learning. This guide breaks it down.
The DPSA portal and the PSC Circular system are two separate but related channels for government job vacancies, and they are often confused.
The PSC Circular is a weekly document published by the Public Service Commission that compiles vacancies submitted by various departments. It is released every Friday and is available as a downloadable PDF. Most national and provincial government vacancies appear here first.
The DPSA portal (dpsa.gov.za) hosts vacancies that are advertised directly by the Department of Public Service and Administration and some other departments that use the portal as their primary channel. It also provides access to some positions that do not appear in the PSC Circular. The two systems partially overlap but are not identical — some posts appear in both, some only in one.
To be thorough in your government job search, you need to check both. NewGenJobs pulls from both sources and surfaces them in one place, so you do not have to track two separate systems manually.
Government posts in South Africa are graded on a salary level system from 1 to 16, with most advertised positions falling between level 5 and level 14. Each level corresponds to a salary band with multiple steps (called "notches"), and annual salary progression happens by moving up one notch within your level — not by changing levels.
Level 5 and 6 posts are clerical and admin roles. Level 7 and 8 are senior clerical or junior supervisory. Level 9 and 10 are the entry point for professional and managerial roles — assistant directors and senior professionals sit here. Level 11 and 12 are deputy directors. Level 13 and 14 are directors and chief directors. Level 15 and 16 are for head of department and deputy director-general level posts.
The minimum qualifications required typically scale with level. A level 5 post might require a Grade 12 certificate plus relevant experience. A level 9 post usually requires a relevant three-year degree or equivalent qualification plus several years of experience. A level 13 post will require a relevant degree plus substantial managerial experience.
When reading a job advert, the salary range shown is the full band for that level — it does not mean all candidates start at the bottom. Where you enter within the band depends on your existing salary if you are transferring from within the public service, or on negotiation at the bottom of the band for external appointments.
Each vacancy in the PSC Circular or on the DPSA portal follows a standardised format. The key fields are: the post title, the reference number, the salary level and range, the centre (location), the minimum requirements, the duties, and the contact person for enquiries.
The minimum requirements section lists what you must have to be considered. This is a filter, not a preference. If the advert says "an appropriate three-year degree or equivalent qualification" and "a minimum of three years relevant experience," those are both required. You cannot substitute extra experience for the qualification unless the advert explicitly says you can.
The duties section describes what the post involves. Read this carefully. A post titled "Deputy Director: Communication" could mean corporate communications, stakeholder management, media liaison, or internal communications depending on the department. The duties section tells you which.
The contact person listed in the advert is for enquiries about the post — to clarify what the role involves or ask a specific question about the requirements. They cannot tell you whether your application was received or give you feedback on your CV. For application tracking and submission enquiries, you contact the HR contact listed separately.
Some government posts — primarily nurses, doctors, social workers, engineers, and legal professionals — fall under Occupation Specific Dispensations. These are separate salary structures negotiated for specific professions that operate outside the general salary level system.
An OSD post will be identified in the advert and the salary cited will be different from a comparable general salary level post. OSD salaries are typically linked to professional registration, years of post-registration experience, and specialisation. A professional nurse on the OSD scale progresses differently than a nurse who entered government employment through the general administrative salary scale.
If you are a regulated professional — a nurse, engineer, social worker, pharmacist, or legal practitioner — look specifically for posts advertised under the relevant OSD. These are the posts where your professional registration is the core qualification and where the salary structure is most appropriate to your training.
Most DPSA and PSC Circular applications are submitted by email to a specific HR address in each department. The advert will specify exactly where to send your application — do not assume all applications go to a central DPSA address. Each department manages its own recruitment.
When submitting by email: put the reference number in your email subject line. Attach your Z83 form and your CV as PDFs. Name your files clearly — your surname, initials, and the reference number. Keep the total attachment size under 5MB. Send from a professional email address.
Save the advert. Download or screenshot the full vacancy listing before the closing date. DPSA adverts come down after they close, and if you need to refer back to what you applied for — for a future interview or to check the reference number — you need your own copy.
Government jobs on NewGenJobs
NewGenJobs aggregates positions from the PSC Circular, the DPSA portal, and individual department websites weekly. You can browse government vacancies, filter by province and salary level, and apply with your saved Z83 profile without re-entering your details each time. Browse current government posts here.