The City of Cape Town has issued a strong warning to residents following reports of a jobseekers registration scam.
According to a City statement, some opportunists are illegally charging fees for registration onto the City’s Jobseekers Database.
The database is an essential tool in the recruitment process for temporary jobs under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
“We wish to remind the public that registering on the Jobseekers Database, as well as receiving any related EPWP work opportunities from the City, is entirely free,” the statement read.
“No payment is required at any stage of the process.”
The City’s EPWP Department recently became aware of incidents in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay, where some residents have been misled into paying R5 for a registration form and R2 for a proof of address.
What is Cape Town’s Jobseekers Database?
Every year the City of Cape Town creates work for about 40 000unemployed Capetonians via the EPWP.
EPWP offers short-term and medium-term work opportunities for those who are unemployed or under-skilled.
The program forms part of the City’s committment to equitable employment practices and an effective rollout of public works programmes.
The Jobseekers Database is thus an electronic registry designed to facilitate the fair and transparent recruitment of unemployed individuals for these temporary work opportunities.
Selection for employment is conducted through a random selection process from this database.
How can residents register?
To join the database, unemployed residents are encouraged to register their details, including qualifications and skills, at their local sub-council office.
Jobseekers need to bring a copy of their CV, their ID or a valid South African work permit.
“Don’t get exploited by opportunists,” Alderman Grant Twigg, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, told jobseekers.
“The City does not charge residents a cent for registering or receiving EPWP short-term work opportunities.”
What type of work is available?
If you work on EPWP projects, you will receive on-the-job training that can be formal, accredited skills programmes and learnerships.
The programme creates work opportunities across these major sectors:
- Infrastructure (labour intensive or maintenance)
- Social (early childhood development and home-based care)
- Environmental and culture (environmental improvement and cleaning)
“Opportunists soliciting money from individuals seeking job opportunities are committing a criminal offence and should be reported immediately to authorities for investigation,” Twigg added.
Residents are requested to report any suspicious behaviour to the City’s Fraud Hotline on 0800 323 130.
Have you found work through the Jobseekers Database?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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