Unemployment continues to weigh heavily on South African households, with the country’s official unemployment rate increasing from 31.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025 to 32.7% in the first quarter of 2026. As more people search for employment opportunities, scammers are becoming increasingly bold, targeting vulnerable job seekers with false promises of work.
In Mogale City, job-related scams became more noticeable during the Covid-19 lockdown period, when many residents lost jobs due to the economic impact of the pandemic and national restrictions. Since then, the municipality has seen a steady rise in scams involving individuals falsely posing as municipal officials or representatives.
Tactics used by scammers
Scammers often contact job seekers via SMS, phone calls, or WhatsApp messages, falsely inviting them for interviews or requesting payment for medical assessments, training, or administration fees. The municipality is continuing investigations aimed at identifying and exposing those behind these scams. In the meantime, residents are urged to remain vigilant and remember the following:
- The municipality will never request any payments or banking details for employment opportunities.
- No municipal official is permitted to request any payment be it via phone call, SMS, or WhatsApp.
- The municipality does not charge fees for job applications, interviews, credit and medical health checks, or recruitment processes.
- All legitimate vacancies are advertised through official municipal communication channels, including the municipal website, official social media platforms, and recognised national newspapers.
- No municipal official, service provider, or contractor can bypass recruitment processes or guarantee employment opportunities.
With that said, residents are encouraged to ignore suspicious recruitment messages or verify their legitimacy by consulting official municipal platforms. Suspected cases involving municipal employees soliciting money for job opportunities should be reported confidentially via email to mzothando.makanjana@mogalecity.gov.za or in person at the Corporate Ethics Office, located at President Building on President Street in the Krugersdorp CBD.
Recognise and avoid job scams.