The inconsistence of academic qualifications, years' of experience and position for forensic investigations job opportunities in the public sector: a case study of South Africa

ABSTRACT

The National Development Plan (NDP) (2030) refers to the professionalisation of public service in South Africa. In support of the NDP, the National Framework towards Professionalisation of Public Sector was developed to address the current challenges of unethical, incompetence and unprofessionalism of public servants as it hinders service delivery and the effectiveness of South Africa as a developmental state. For South Africa to achieve its developmental goal, it is necessary to professionalise the public service sector. This article explores the inconsistency of academic qualifications, years of experience, and positions for forensic investigations careers in South Africa's public sector. The article focuses on successful candidates to be appointed as forensic/ fraud investigators and to check if the normal recruitment process has been followed. The study adopted a qualitative research approach to gather and analyse data. The researcher utilised various job adverts from different government institutions related to forensic investigations and anti-corruption vacancies in this study. The study established that as part of the government's effort to professionalise public service, an advert with preferred requirements for the post will be published, followed by a shortlist of qualified applicants and interviews with the candidates. The study found inconsistencies regarding academic qualifications and years of experience required when positions of forensic investigations are advertised in South Africa's public sector.