A large number of desperate job seekers have been targeted by unscrupulous swindlers who promise to get them employment after they paid for medical and related expenses. Most of these scams are targeted at people who wish to be employed at large industries like Eskom, Exxaro and Ivanplats mine in Mokopane.
“I was overjoyed when I received a phone call from a Mr Bapela who congratulated me on the fact that a large company indentified me as a candidate for recruitment,” said a resident of Mokopane known only as Anna.
Anna had been unemployed for some time before she received the phone call from Mr Bapela who claimed that he was working for Ivanplats and that he was responsible for recruitment. “He told me that I had to pay R1 500 to cover medical and related costs, but I was worried about having to pay for an interview since I never heard of something like that before.”
Luckily Anna followed her instinct and decided to wait before she paid the money. “I later found out that it was a scam and that the same person targeted other people in Mokopane as well. I am most upset by the fact that he is targeting people who have so little hope left that they will literally do anything to have a chance at getting a job.”
Last year more than a dozen people laid complaints at the Lephalale police station about a similar scam where a syndicate targeted job seekers at Exxaro in Lephalale. At the time a representative of Exxaro said that they would never ask anybody to pay for an interview.
Eskom also had its fair share of problems with employment scams and is experiencing a new trend where a person purporting to be from Eskom’s supply chain management phones companies and invite them to apply for bogus tenders. Eskom stated that a man who identifies himself as Leshole Majapelo from Eskom Roshcon SOC Ltd will send a Request for Quotation (RFQ) and provide a false email address (majapelol@eskomgroup.co.za) to respond to.
“The public is reminded that procurement opportunities available from Eskom would be advertised on its own website (www.eskom.co.za/Tenders) and that requests for quotation are signed and have an Eskom contact person’s landline and email address, with eskom.co.za credentials.”
According to Sipho Manyeke, human resource manager at Ivanplats, the company has received numerous queries about these scams. Some of the victims have lost as much as R5000.
Manyeke says “in the case of Ivanplats, it is doing everything in its power to stop the perpetrator.” He advises people to remember the following:
Companies will never require payment from candidates to go for an interview.
It is the responsibility of the company to pay for medicals and related costs.
If you receive a phone call from someone posing as a company representative, ask the person to put his or her request in writing and to send a mail to your e-mail address.
If you suspect that a caller might be part of a scam, alert the company involved immediately.

 

How recruitment works:
Depending on company policy, a variation of the following process are followed:
Internal and external job adverts are placed for the open position.
If the company has a local employment database, the database is used to find local suitable candidates.
Suitable local candidates are contacted and an updated CV is requested.
All the applicants are reviewed and candidates for an interview are shortlisted.
The shortlisted candidates are contacted and a date for the interview is set.
All the shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a panel of people.
One candidate is selected, informed that his application has been successful and an offer of employment is made.
The candidate can accept or decline the offer of employment. If he or she declines, the next candidate in line is notified.
After accepting the offer of employment the candidate goes for a medical assessment at the company’s cost.
If the candidate fails the medical, he or she can’t be employed in that position and the next candidate in line is chosen.
After a successful medical, the successful candidate signs his or her employment contract and can start working.
The following names and numbers have been used in the Mokopane job scam. If anyone calls from these numbers, notify the police and/or contact the company involved:
Names: Mr Bapela and Mr Mohlala
Fraudulent telephone numbers: 076 948 4278 or 076 948 4278
Fraudulent Spar Money Voucher pin: 0227
Any suspected fraud can be reported to riskalert@ivanplats.com. To report incidents of fraud, corruption involving Eskom, call Eskom’s toll free crime line on 0800 11 27 22 or email: investigate@eskom.co.za.