The short answer
SAPS and Correctional Services recruit through their own official adverts, and applying is free: no post or learnership is for sale. SAPS police trainees apply on erecruitment.saps.gov.za. Anyone on WhatsApp or Facebook asking for money to secure a place is a scammer.
Police and correctional officer posts are some of the most sought-after entry-level jobs in South Africa, and that makes them a favourite of scammers. Fake "recruitment drives" on Facebook and WhatsApp ask for an application fee, an "admin" payment or money for a uniform. The real processes are free and run through official channels only. Here is how each one works.
SAPS: the police trainee intake
The South African Police Service recruits entry-level police trainees in intakes, announced on its website, its social media and through government news. For 2026/2027, SAPS opened 5,500 trainee posts on 21 October 2026, closing on 13 November 2026.
Who can apply
As announced for the 2026/2027 intake (the advert on the SAPS website has the full list):
- Aged 18 to 35. The advert sets the exact cut-off on the closing date.
- No criminal record and no pending criminal cases.
- Willing to undergo fitness, psychometric and integrity testing, a medical evaluation and an interview.
- The advert also sets education, citizenship and language requirements. Read it in full before you apply.
How to apply
- Go to the SAPS e-Recruitment portal, erecruitment.saps.gov.za. Type the address yourself rather than following a link in a message.
- Create a profile and verify your account with the code sent to your email.
- Apply for the police trainee post before the closing date.
Training and pay
Trainees go to a SAPS academy for basic training: six months for recruits with a relevant qualification at NQF level 6 or higher, and nine months for everyone else. SAPS announced a stipend of R5,000 a month during training for this intake. Graduates in fields such as law, policing, criminology, forensic investigation or IT may be considered for the Hawks (DPCI), detective and forensic services or crime intelligence.
SAPS says plainly that applications are free, that no police trainee position is for sale, and that applicants should rely only on official SAPS channels and beware of anyone who promises to influence the process.
Correctional Services: learnerships and posts
The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) trains new correctional officers through its learnership programme, and advertises other posts like any department, on its website and in the DPSA's Public Service Vacancy Circular. When a learnership intake opens, the advert says who qualifies, where to get the form and where to submit it. Learnerships in general are explained in our learnerships and internships guide.
DCS has repeatedly warned about scams around its intakes:
- It appoints no agents, third parties or middle persons to recruit or process applications. "There are no short-cuts."
- Learnership forms are free. In January 2023 the National Commissioner called paying for learnership application forms unlawful, and an official was arrested for selling them.
- Scammers have contacted past applicants and their referees with detailed personal information, told them to travel to a correctional centre, and then asked them to transfer money. Never pay money for a learnership placement or a job.
How to spot a fake recruitment drive
- Any payment: an application fee, "admin", a uniform, training, a medical or a "guaranteed placement".
- A link that isn't a government address. Real SAPS applications go through erecruitment.saps.gov.za; DCS uses dcs.gov.za. Look-alike sites and Google Forms are fakes.
- Contact only by WhatsApp or a personal cellphone number, or a Facebook page with a slightly wrong name.
- Someone who "knows people inside" and can push your application through.
- A drive nobody official mentions. Real intakes are announced by SAPS or DCS and reported by government news (SAnews). If you can't find it there, treat it as fake.
If you've paid or shared your ID or bank details, act quickly: see what to do if you've been scammed.
Other government posts
Many other public service posts, from admin clerks to nurses, are advertised in the DPSA circular. See how to apply for government jobs, and browse checked vacancies on Honde, which lists government posts from the circular and departments' own sites and never asks you to pay an employer.
Questions people ask
Does it cost anything to apply to SAPS?
No. SAPS says applications are free and that no police trainee position is for sale.
Where do I apply for the SAPS police trainee intake?
Online, on the SAPS e-Recruitment portal at erecruitment.saps.gov.za, where you create a profile, verify it with a code sent by email, and apply for the trainee post.
When does the 2026/2027 SAPS intake close?
SAPS announced 5,500 police trainee posts on 21 October 2026, closing on 13 November 2026. Check the SAPS website for any change.
Does Correctional Services use agents to recruit?
No. The department has said it uses no agents, third parties or middle persons to recruit or process applications.
Someone wants money for a learnership at Correctional Services. What do I do?
Don't pay. Report the person at your nearest police station, and to the department's call centre at enquiry.complaints@dcs.gov.za or 0860 000 327.
Sources this guide was checked against
- SAnews: young South Africans encouraged to join the police service, 21 October 2026 (sanews.gov.za)
- SAnews: SAPS receives more than 300 000 applications for police trainees, 26 October 2026 (sanews.gov.za)
- SAPS: e-Recruitment portal (erecruitment.saps.gov.za)
- Department of Correctional Services: warning against learnership scams, 15 February 2023 (gov.za)
- SAnews: 'Learnership application forms not for sale', Correctional Services, 20 January 2023 (sanews.gov.za)
- Parliament: Correctional Services committee updated on the learnership programme (parliament.gov.za)
- Department of Correctional Services (dcs.gov.za)
Rules and forms change. If an advert or tender document says something different, follow it.