You cannot enter South Africa and begin your job search unless you already have one or a couple of job offers. Once you are offered a position in South Africa, you may apply for a work-seeker's permit that will allow you to visit South Africa and attend an interview or assess further offers.
South Africans tend to rely on networking and recommendations when seeking jobs; but there are plenty other ways to find a job. You can begin your search through job websites, but beware of offers that promise you will make a fortune working from home. Some of the sites you can begin your search at are We Got Ads (www.wegotads.co.za ), Jobs.co.za (www.jobs.co.za ), Find a Job in Africa (www.findajobinafrica.com ), Employsa (www.employsa.co.za ), Best Jobs (www.bestjobs.co.za ), or Career Junction (www.careerjunction.co.za ).
You can also check the classifieds from local newspapers online, such as Mail & Guardian South Africa (www.mg.co.za ), or The Times South Africa (www.timeslive.co.za ). If you are searching for a position in a particular area, you can also read local periodicals that cover the industry (e.g. Finance Mail).
Recruitment agencies and trade organizations
Another alternative is to consult recruitment agencies, which can be found in online directories, such as Ananzi (www.ananzi.co.za ) or the Yellow Pages (www.yellowpages.co.za ). There are local trade unions and organisations that can help you on your search: the Congress of South African Trade Unions (www.cosatu.org.za ), the Federation of Unions of South Africa (www.fedusa.org.za ), the Association for the Advancement of Black Accountants in Southern Africa (abasa.org.za ), the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (SAICA, www.saica.co.za ), the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering (SAIMECHE, www.saimeche.org.za ), etc.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of job offers that are not advertised. You can also make speculative applications to companies you are interested in.