Over 1 Million Unemployed South Africans Apply for SAPS Vacancy As Applications Close

• The South African Police Service closed applications for 5,500 vacancies for the 2025 intake
• The police launched an online portal for the first time, where applicants submitted applications online
• Most of the applicants were women, and Gauteng led the charge with the highest number of applications

With 7 years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News journalist, provided coverage of current affairs, shedding light on critical social infrastructure challenges and unemployment.

JOHANNESBURG — The South African Police Service closed its application window to the 5,500 vacancies opened for the next intake of trainees.

According to South African Police Service National Spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, more than one million people applied for its 2025/2026 Basic Police Development Learning Programme. The applications closed on 18 July, and the highest number of applications was from women.

How many people applied?

Mathe said that 545,049 applicants were female, and 454,949 applicants were male. Most of the applications came from Gauteng, with 267,031. KwaZulu-Natal had the second-highest applications with 205,802. A total of 115,877 people from Limpopo applied, and the Northern Cape had the lowest number of people who applied.

A total of 334,765 applicants possessed a diploma and a higher qualification. Mathe said those who met the requirements will be contacted within three months, and those who did not meet the requirements will not receive a callback from the police.

The police announced the online application process in early June. And in less than 48 hours, over 180,000 people had qualified. Gauteng had the highest number of applications. It was the first time the police launched the application process online.

Recently, Statistics South Africa revealed in its Quarterly Employment statistics on 24 June that 94,000 people lost their jobs from March 2024 to March 2025. The trade industry lost the most jobs at 52,000. Stats SA also revealed that 74,000 people lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2024. The number of full-time jobs decreased from 9,503,000 to 9,448,000.

What did South Africans say?

Netizens commented on the influx of applicants for the positions.

Velenkosini Phiwa said:

"You should change recruitment requirements, so this post doesn't come across as just an ad for a job opportunity. These things include height, specific weight, and having a license. We are tired of having police who look like kindergarten kids."

Jabu Madonsela said:

"We always hear about the high number of job applications in South Africa, but what we don't see are the silent millions who don't even apply."

Mirror Reflection said:

"They just want to record the unemployment rate indirectly."

Bridgey Masango said:

"Good luck to all those who applied. May God hear their prayers."

Mahlase Mahlase said:

"We have future colonels and brigadiers in all the departments of SAPS with these applicants."

Unemployment rate decreased slightly in 2024

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the unemployment rate decreased in 2024 from 33.5% to 32.1%. StatsSA revealed the decrease in the stats published in November.

Wits University's economist, Dr Kenneth Creamer, said that the country's level of unemployment must be reduced sustainably. He said a prolonged period of elevated economic growth could decrease the level of unemployment.

Source: Briefly News