How to spot government tender and job scams
What government departments have warned about fake jobs, fake tenders and fake requests for quotation, how to check that an opportunity is real, and where to report fraud.
Checked against the official sources listed below on 11 October 2026.
Government jobs are not for sale
Departments warn again and again that nobody can sell you a public service job. The Department of Public Service and Administration has stated that government jobs are not for sale, the Department of Correctional Services warns that paying for a government job is unlawful, and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure says it will never ask for payment for any job it advertises. Anyone who asks you to pay for a government job is not acting for government.
Nobody can sell you a tender
Organs of state warn about people who pose as their officials to sell tenders or take deposits. The Department of Employment and Labour states that government will never ask you to deposit funds for any business transaction, and Polokwane Municipality that it never demands payment from bidders to secure a tender. The Department of Employment and Labour's advice, if you are asked for a deposit to make a bid, is to contact the department's supply chain management unit and ask whether the request is genuine.
Fake requests for quotation and orders
A common scam sends a supplier a request for quotation or an "order" on a department's letterhead. The Department of Employment and Labour describes such letters naming a real official but giving contact details that are not the department's, and asking for payment into an account in a private person's name. Warning signs:
- an email address that does not end in gov.za — the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure points out that its website, application links and email addresses always do;
- contact details that differ from those on the organ of state's own website;
- a request to pay money into an account in a person's name;
- a link that claims to be a Central Supplier Database request: National Treasury's fact sheet says genuine CSD requests for quotation appear under the My RFQ menu on the CSD, and that the CSD does not send links.
Check before you act
- Look for the tender on the eTender Publication Portal or on the organ of state's own website.
- Call or email the organ of state's supply chain management unit using contact details from its official website — the Department of Employment and Labour advises not to use the contact details on the tender document itself, as they may be fraudulent.
- Never pay a person, or an account in a person's name, to get a job or a contract.
Report it
Report fraud or corruption to the National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701 (toll free) — you do not have to give your name — or to your nearest police station.
Where Govermate fits
Govermate is an independent information service, not part of government. It lists opportunities that government bodies publish; you apply or bid directly to the organ of state, through the method its official notice states.
Official sources
- Tender and RFQ scam alert(opens the official page in a new tab)Department of Employment and Labour
- Public notice: beware of job and tender scams using Polokwane Municipality's name(opens the official page in a new tab)Polokwane Municipality
- Correctional Services fake jobs scam warning(opens the official page in a new tab)Department of Correctional Services
- Public Works and Infrastructure warns of jobs scam(opens the official page in a new tab)Department of Public Works and Infrastructure
- Request for quotations (RFQs) online evaluation overview: for suppliers (fact sheet, 2026)(opens the official page in a new tab)National Treasury
- How do I report fraud or corruption in a state department or state institution?(opens the official page in a new tab)South African Government
- DPSA cautions public against job scam(opens the official page in a new tab)Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA)