If you want to perform policing activities for the South African Police Service (SAPS) on a voluntary basis, you must apply to become a police reservist.

A police reservist is a member of the community who performs part-time policing functions or activities for SAPS on a voluntary basis without being paid.

You cannot be appointed as a reservist if you:

have been discharged as medically unfit from a previous employer
are a former member of the SAPS whose application for re-enlistment was rejected
hold any post or office in a political party
are a full-time journalist or media representative
are a scholar
are a security officer
are a member of a municipal police service.
The full list of conditions is available on the SAPS website.

To become a reservist you must:

have permanent residence in the Republic of South Africa
be at least be 25 years old and under 40 years of age
have no any mental defect, disease or infirmity which may interfere with the proper execution of your duties be of good character
successfully complete psychometric tests as may be determined by the national commissioner
have at least a senior certificate or equivalent qualification of which you must provide documentary proof
be able to speak, read and write at least two official languages, of which one must be English
allow your fingerprints to be taken
not have been found guilty of an offence or be under prosecution of an offence
be prepared to undergo training
take the oath of office
have no visible tattoos when wearing a uniform.
The full list of conditions is available on the SAPS website.

Possessing a driver’s licence is a recommendation but not a prerequisite for reservist.

Vacancies in national and provincial departments are filled by recruiting serving employees or by inviting applications from those who are not employed in the Public Service. Vacancies in senior positions, i. e. the senior management service, must be advertised nationally for recruitment from within and from outside the Public Service.

As a rule vacancies are advertised in a Public Service Vacancy Circular compiled and issued weekly by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA).

The Public Service Vacancy Circular informs public servants about vacancies within the Public Service. Persons who are not Public Service employees but interested in the positions advertised should first establish from the advertising department if they can apply. The contact details of the advertising departments are provided in the Circular.

Some departments such as Defence may ask you to take a medical examination before considering your application.
What you should do

Download and complete Form Z83 (Application for Employment). You can also get the form from any national or provincial department.
Attach your curriculum vitae (CV). The department may also ask you to attach certified copies of your educational qualifications, identity document and other personal documents. Please read the advertisement carefully to see what you should attach.
Submit your completed Z83 form and all the required documents to the address listed in the advertisement.
You may, depending on the approach followed by the relevant department, receive an acknowledgement letter.
How long does it take

The recruitment and selection process varies among departments, but the aim is to complete the process in the shortest time possible.

Registration with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is a pre-requisite for professional practice, and it is also a legal requirement to keep all personal details up to date at all times.

You must pay an annual fee for this registration and failure to pay this fee could result in suspension from the register. If for some reason you are suspended from the register, you can redeem yourself by applying for restoration and paying the restoration fee.

Voluntary erasure from the register is possible if you do not intend to practice your profession in South Africa for a given period of time. Submit a written request before 31 March of the year for voluntary erasure.

There are six main registration categories (not all categories apply to all professions), namely:
Student Registration
Intern Registration
Community Service
Independent Practice (including Registrars who are training in a specific speciality)
Other categories for temporary or restricted registration include:

Education
Post Graduate
Volunteer
The registration guidelines vary from one professional board to another. A detailed reference guide is available for the registration requirements for each of the 12 professional boards:

Dental therapy and oral hygiene

Dietetics and nutrition
Emergency care
Environmental health
Medical and dental
Medical technology
Occupational therapy, medical orthotics / prosthetics and arts therapy
Optometry and dispensing opticians
Physiotherapy, podiatry and biokinetics
Psychology
Radiography and clinical technology
Speech, language and hearing professions

Registration as a professional engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) is a statutory requirement if you:

Perform consulting engineering work
Take responsibility for the performance of engineering work
Perform functions as laid down in certain statutes (e.g. the National building Regulations)
Wish to become a full member of some recognised institutes.
You can apply for registration as a candidate engineer when you have completed a recognised or accredited academic qualification such as B.Sc (Eng), B.Eng, or a National Diploma in Engineering. If you have a foreign qualification, you must submit a copy of the qualification certificate as well as an academic record reflecting all subjects taken and passed during the years of study.

After obtaining a qualification and a minimum of three years experience you may be registered as an engineering practitioner in the following professional registration categories:

Professional Engineer (Pr Eng)
Professional Engineering Technologist (Pr Tech Eng)
Professional Certificated Engineer (Pr Cert Eng)
Professional Engineering Technician (Pr Eng Techni)
Application forms and more information are available from the ECSA offices, on its website www.ecsa.co.za or per request via e-mail, engineer@ecsa.co.za.

Registration as a professional natural scientist means you are regarded by your peers and by potential employers as highly skilled and having good technical knowledge and competence. Anyone employed as a natural scientist, be it academia, business, industry or consulting, must be registered with the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions (SACNASP).

The natural sciences encompass a wide range of scientific fields covering all of the basic sciences and many of their applied derivatives.

You can be registered as a

Professional Natural Scientist
Candidate Natural Scientist
Certificated Natural Scientist.
Find more information on the requirements, fees and registration process on the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions website or contact the Council at tel +27 (12) 748 6509 or e-mail sacnasp@sacnasp.org.za