South Africa: Scam - 'Correctional Services Learnership 2026' Debunked By South African Government Department

25 June 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Taryn Khourie

SCAM: 'Correctional services learnership 2026' debunked by South African government department

IN SHORT: South Africa's department of correctional services has debunked social media posts offering "correctional services learnership 2026" as scams, warning jobseekers to look for opportunities on verified platforms.

"Correctional services learnership 2026 intake," starts several Facebook posts doing the rounds in South Africa.

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

The posts claim that people can apply for the learnership by clicking the attached links. Some posts also include a phone number where users are told to send a WhatsApp message to apply.

The requirements include having a grade 10 to 12 and no criminal record, being physically fit and available immediately.

Most of these job adverts include official-looking graphics to make the job advert seem legit; others are videos making the same claim.

We've seen plenty of false job adverts doing the rounds in 2026, trying to scam social media users out of their money or personal information.

So what's going on here and how can you keep safe online?

Claim debunked several times by department of correctional services

The posts have several red flags of a scam. First, they include links that do not lead to the official department of correctional services (DCS) website. Second, requesting information via WhatsApp could lead to phishing.

The posts also offer minimal requirements for and information about the learnership. A lack of concrete and expected detail is something we see frequently in the scams we debunk.

But the biggest giveaway that this is a scam is that posts offering correctional services learnerships have been debunked several times in 2026 by the DCS.

"Fake learnership posts circulating on social media are SCAMS and are NOT issued by DCS," one post says.

In another post, the DCS warns that genuine opportunities are only advertised on its official website and social media pages and the department of public service and administration website.

Tips for jobseekers

Jobseeking in 2026 is not easy because of high unemployment rates and various scam tactics. We have some tips for jobseekers:

  • Look out for dodgy websites: Most job scams link to simple-looking, unofficial websites that aim to generate revenue from traffic or steal people's personal information. There is usually no real job available.
  • Stick to verified social media profiles: On Facebook, verified pages will display a blue check mark, which makes it more likely that the page is authentic.
  • Let us debunk the scams: If you're not sure whether a job opportunity on social media is legitimate, send it to Africa Check on our WhatsApp lines and we'll help you sort fact from fiction.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

Tagged:
Copyright © 2026 Africa Check. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.