The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) invites unemployed and suitably qualified South African graduates to apply for the Graduate Development Programme 2026 / 2027.
Internship Application Closing Date: 14 September 2026
Internship Location: Various provinces and national SALGA clusters across South Africa
SALGA Graduate Development Programme 2026 / 2027
SALGA is offering a 12-month Graduate Development Programme designed to provide unemployed graduates with meaningful workplace experience and structured professional development.
Successful candidates will support SALGA programmes and projects through research, analysis, administration and project-related activities while applying their academic knowledge to real workplace challenges.
The programme also provides exposure to the local government sector, stakeholder engagement, mentoring and workplace learning.
Programme Overview
Organisation: South African Local Government Association (SALGA)
Programme: Graduate Development Programme 2026 / 2027
Duration: 12 months
Stipend: R6,500 per month
Number of Opportunities: X58
Location: Various provinces and national clusters
Closing Date: 14 September 2026
Application Method: Online
General Minimum Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be South African citizens.
- Be unemployed graduates.
- Not have previously participated in a similar graduate development programme.
- Hold a recognised qualification relevant to the advertised opportunity.
Applicants should also note that SALGA will not cover relocation costs where a candidate chooses to apply for an opportunity outside their residential area.
Available Graduate Opportunities
| No. | Location | Discipline | Qualification Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern Cape | Municipal Sustainability | Degree/Diploma in Town and Regional Planning, Development Planning or Environmental Management |
| 2 | Eastern Cape | Inclusive Communities | Diploma/Degree in Public Administration, Public Management, Development Studies, Social Work or Social Sciences |
| 3 | Eastern Cape | Economic Growth and Investment | Postgraduate Diploma in Local Economic Development |
| 4 | Free State | HR, LR and Dispute Resolution | Diploma/Degree in Human Resource Management |
| 5 | Free State | Inclusive Communities | Diploma/Degree in Public Administration, Public Management or Development Studies |
| 6 | Free State | Communication and Marketing | Diploma/Degree in Marketing, Communication or Media Studies |
| 7 | Free State | Municipal Sustainability | Qualification in Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Disaster Management, Public Safety, Fire Technology or related |
| 8 | Gauteng | Economic Development | Degree in Economics, Local Economic Development, Development Studies or postgraduate studies in Economic Development/Planning |
| 9 | Gauteng | Trading Services | Degree in Water and Sanitation Science, Hydrology, Environmental Management, Civil Engineering or Chemical Engineering |
| 10 | Gauteng | Financial Resilience | Diploma/Degree in Economics, Accounting, Finance, Internal Auditing or Risk Management |
| 11 | Gauteng | Built Environment and Planning | Degree/Diploma in Town and Regional Planning |
| 12 | Gauteng | Municipal Sustainability | Diploma/Degree in Environmental Management, Environmental Science, Natural Sciences, Geography, Disaster Management, Public Administration, Development Studies, Waste Management, Environmental Health or Chemical Engineering |
| 13 | KwaZulu-Natal | LR and Dispute Resolution | Diploma/Degree in Labour Relations, Labour Law, Human Resource Management, LLB or Public Administration |
| 14 | KwaZulu-Natal | Economic Growth and Investment | Degree/Diploma in Development Studies, Public Administration, Local Economic Development, Economics or Social Sciences |
| 15 | KwaZulu-Natal | Financial Resilience | Diploma/Degree in Financial Management, Accounting, Public Administration, Local Government Finance or Municipal Finance |
| 16 | KwaZulu-Natal | Trading Services | Degree/Diploma in Civil Engineering, Water Care, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science, Development Studies or Public Administration |
| 17 | KwaZulu-Natal | Municipal Sustainability | Diploma/Degree in Disaster Management, Disaster Risk Science, Emergency Management, Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Chemistry or Chemical Engineering |
| 18 | Limpopo | Trading Services | Degree/Diploma in Engineering, Environmental Science, Water Management or Public Administration |
| 19 | Limpopo | Inclusive Communities | Degree/Diploma in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Community Development or Public Policy |
| 20 | Limpopo | Municipal Sustainability | Degree/Diploma in Financial Management, Accounting, Auditing, Public Governance or Environmental Management |
| 21 | Limpopo | Built Environment and Planning | Degree/Diploma in Town & Regional Planning, Spatial Planning, Development Studies or Built Environment |
| 22 | Limpopo | Economic Growth and Investment | Degree/Diploma in Local Economic Development, Economics, Development Studies or Business Management |
| 23 | Mpumalanga | Municipal Sustainability | Degree/Diploma in Disaster Management, Public Administration or Environmental Management |
| 24 | Mpumalanga | HR and Capacity Building | Degree/Diploma in Human Resource Management, Public Management or Organisational Development |
| 25 | Mpumalanga | Finance and Corporate Services | Degree/Diploma in Information Technology or Computer Systems Engineering |
| 26 | Mpumalanga | IGR and Strategic Relations | Degree/Diploma in Public Administration, Public Management, Political Science or Development Studies |
| 27 | Mpumalanga | Economic Development & Investment | Degree/Diploma in Local Economic Development, Economics, Development Studies, Business Management or Town Planning |
| 28 | National – Human Capital & Corporate Services | Events Logistics | Degree/Diploma in Hospitality Management, Event Management, Communications, Marketing or Public Relations |
| 29 | National – Human Capital & Corporate Services | HR Operations | Degree/Diploma in Human Resource Management |
| 30 | National – Infrastructure Delivery & Spatial | Community Safety and Asset Protection | Degree/Diploma in Public Administration, Public Management, Social Science, Community Development, Communication or Local Government Management |
| 31 | National – Infrastructure Delivery & Spatial | Waste Management | Degree/Diploma in Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Environmental Health, Geography, Natural Resource Management, Civil/Chemical Engineering, Microbiology or Sustainability |
| 32 | National – Infrastructure Delivery & Spatial | Community Development | Diploma/Degree in Social Sciences, Community Development, Development Studies or Public Administration |
| 33 | National – Infrastructure Delivery & Spatial | Municipal Health | Diploma/Degree in Environmental Health |
| 34 | National – Intergovernmental Relations & Municipal Resilience | External Legal Advisory Services | LLB |
| 35 | National – Intergovernmental Relations & Municipal Resilience | Municipal Human Capital Capabilities | Degree in Human Resource Management or Business Administration |
| 36 | National – Intergovernmental Relations & Municipal Resilience | Inclusive Governance and Councillor Welfare | Degree/Diploma in Public Administration, Public Management, Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, Local Government Law or Social Sciences |
| 37 | National – Intergovernmental Relations & Municipal Resilience | Performance Management | Degree/Diploma in Business Administration, Public Administration or Project Management |
| 38 | National – Intergovernmental Relations & Municipal Resilience | Parliamentary Affairs | Degree/Diploma in Public Administration, Public Management, Political Science, Local Government Management or Law |
| 39 | National – Office of the CEO | Risk Management | Degree or Advanced Diploma in Risk Management or Internal Auditing |
| 40 | National – Office of the CEO | Assurance Services | Degree/Diploma in Internal Auditing, Accounting, Risk Management or Finance |
| 41 | National – Office of the CEO | Spokesperson | Diploma/Advanced Certificate in Multimedia, Public Relations or Graphic Design, or Degree/Advanced Diploma in Media Studies or Visual Communication |
| 42 | National – Office of the CEO | Information Solutions | Bachelor’s or Postgraduate Degree in Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Mathematics or Information Management Sciences |
| 43 | National – Office of the CEO | International and Stakeholder Relations | Degree in International Relations, Public Administration, Development Studies or Business Administration |
| 44 | National – Office of the CEO | Municipal Learning and Development | Diploma/Degree in Human Resource Management or Human Resource Development |
| 45 | North West | Built Environment and Planning | Degree/BTech in Town and Regional Planning, Development Planning, Public Management, Built Environment, Construction Management or Social Sciences |
| 46 | North West | Municipal Sustainability | Degree/BTech in Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Chemical Engineering or Town & Regional Planning |
| 47 | North West | HR, LR and Dispute Resolution | Diploma/Degree in Human Resource Management or Human Resource Development |
| 48 | North West | Financial Resilience | Degree/Diploma in Accounting, Financial Management, Public Finance or Taxation |
| 49 | North West | Trading Services | Degree/Diploma in Natural Sciences, Water Science, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Electrical Engineering or Civil Engineering |
| 50 | Northern Cape | Trading Services | Degree/Diploma in Energy and Electricity or Civil Engineering with Water and Sanitation |
| 51 | Northern Cape | HR Skills Development and Performance Management | Degree/Diploma in Human Resource Management, Human Resource Development or Industrial Psychology |
| 52 | Northern Cape | Municipal Sustainability | Degree/Diploma in Disaster Management or Environmental Management |
| 53 | Northern Cape | Economic and Regional Development | Degree/Diploma in Economics, Development Economics, Local Economic Development, Development Studies, Business Management, Public Administration or Town/Regional Planning |
| 54 | Western Cape | HR, LR and Dispute Resolution | Degree in Public Administration, Public Management, Labour Relations or Law |
| 55 | Western Cape | Municipal Sustainability | Degree/Diploma in Disaster Management, Public Administration, Environmental Management or Geography |
| 56 | Western Cape | Financial Resilience | Diploma/Degree in Finance, Public Administration, Economics or Municipal Finance |
| 57 | Western Cape | Economic Growth and Investment | Degree/Diploma in Economics, Business Management, Public Administration, Development Studies or Town and Regional Planning |
| 58 | Western Cape | Trading Services | Degree/Diploma in Energy and Electricity or Civil Engineering with Water and Sanitation |
What the Programme Offers
Successful graduates will gain practical workplace experience and structured professional development within SALGA.
Participants may support programme implementation, research, analysis, administration and project-related work.
The programme also offers exposure to local government operations, stakeholder engagements, mentoring and professional learning.
Monthly Stipend
Successful candidates will receive:
R6,500 per month
Applicants should note that SALGA will not cover relocation expenses if they choose to apply for an opportunity outside their residential area.
How to Apply for SALGA Graduate Development Programme 2026 / 2027
Applications must be submitted online through the recruitment portal.
Click here to apply for SALGA Graduate Development Programme 2026 / 2027
Applicants should ensure that they apply for the discipline that matches their qualification.
Internship Application Closing Date
Applications close on:
14 September 2026
Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications before the closing date.
Important Application Notes
Communication will be limited to shortlisted candidates only.
SALGA reserves the right not to proceed with the appointment for any advertised position.
All appointments will be made in line with SALGA’s Employment Equity Plan.