Pretoria – 6 June 2016: The Acting National Commissioner of the South African police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane, has announced that a re-enlistment process has been approved for the SAPS during the 2016/2017 financial year.

This decision was taken to capacitate specialised environments, such as Detective Service, Visible Policing, K9, Public Order Policing and Support.

The re-enlistment process will be relevant to the 2016/2017 financial year only and we are looking to re-employ former members and appoint them into the ranks of Constable to Colonel, depending on the rank they held when they left the Service.

The SAPS has already placed advertisements regarding this process in South African Sunday newspapers  this past weekend. The information will also be posted on the SAPS website www.saps.gov.za  under the “Careers” heading when the advertisements are published. The appointments will be guided by vacant funded posts within the Fixed Establishment of SAPS.

Former members applying for re-enlistment after the advertisement have been placed, must bear in mind that they will be subjected to a thorough screening process, which will include, but not be restricted to, the following:

✓ A psychological assessment;

✓ Fingerprinting;

✓ Reference-checking;

✓ Medical testing;

✓ Checking of previous SAPS employment records. Only those former members who have good attendance and disciplinary records need apply.

Some of the criteria for re-enlistment which will be included in the advertisements to be published shortly will be:

✓ The applicant should have successfully completed basic police training and relevant functional police training courses (for operational environment);

✓ The applicant should be in possession of at least a Senior (Grade 12) Certificate or higher qualification;

✓ The applicant should have a valid light vehicle (Code B) or heavier driver’s license;

✓ The applicant should have no criminal record OR criminal case pending and must not have been declared unfit to possess a firearm;

✓ The applicant must be able to serve in the SAPS before reaching the pensionable age of 60 years;

✓ The applicant must be willing to be deployed based on the needs of the SAPS which may include relocating at own expenses and/or accepting a post away from his current place of residence;

✓ The applicant must not be involved – or have been involved – in any business/ activity which will compromise the integrity of the SAPS or be in conflict with the interests of the organisation.

Former members, who left the SAPS due to retirement, were dishonourably discharged or dismissed, left pending the finalisation of disciplinary and/or criminal proceedings or left due to ill-health retirement or medical boarding, will not be considered for re-enlistment.

This re-enlistment process will not replace or affect the normal recruitment and training process. It goes without saying that we are looking to re-employ the best-of-the-best, former employees who have a lot to offer in terms of past experience, skills integrity and commitment. Only applications on the prescribed forms, received during the periods specified in the advertisements/ on the SAPS website, from candidates meeting the set criteria, will be considered.

During the previous re-enlistment process in the 2015/2016 financial year a number of 3152 applications were received but only 529 of the applicants met the prescribed criteria. 180 of the applicants were deployed in the Detective Service, 297 in the Visible Policing environment and 52 in the Support environment with ranks ranging from the rank of Constable to Colonel. The huge number of applications received in comparison with the number of appointments is a clear indication that the process focusses on quality and not quantity.