The short answer
Sometimes. Not always. And the half-page essay your school taught you is dead.
Here is the part most cover letter guides get wrong about South Africa: if you are applying for a government job, you do not write a cover letter at all. You complete a Z83 form. Sending a beautifully written cover letter instead of the correct Z83 gets you disqualified before anyone reads a word of it. So the first question is never “how do I write this?” — it is “does this employer want one?”
When you need one
- A corporate or NGO vacancy that says “email your CV and cover letter to…”
- An online application with a free-text “Cover Letter” or “Motivation” field (PNet, LinkedIn, Careers24)
- An internship, learnership or bursary application asking for a motivation letter
- Any speculative approach — emailing a company that has not advertised
When you don’t
- Government and municipal jobs — Z83 form instead
- SAYouth.mobi one-click apply
- Walk-in applications at retail chains
- A “send your CV to WhatsApp 071…” advert — that needs a message, not a letter
- Facebook “interested” comment applications
Government jobs: the Z83, not a cover letter
The rules below come from the Department of Public Service and Administration. Getting them wrong costs you the application.
Use the current Z83
Only the version effective 1 January 2021 is accepted. Using an older Z83 is grounds for automatic disqualification. Download it free from dpsa.gov.za — you should never pay for the form itself.
One form per post
Each vacancy has its own reference number, and that number goes in Part A. A Z83 with the wrong reference number, or one form sent to several posts, is rejected.
Fill in every field
Complete Parts A and B in full, and Parts C and D too. Leaving a field blank is not acceptable; write “N/A” if it genuinely does not apply. For Parts E, F and G, where the space is tight, you may write “see attached CV” — but only if your CV actually contains all the information asked for. If it does not, you can be disqualified.
Sign it, date it, initial every page
An unsigned Z83 is invalid. Sign and date the declaration, and initial each page. Use pen — some departments accept digital signatures, many do not, and printing, signing and scanning is the safe route.
Send a detailed CV with it
The Z83 and the CV are not either/or. The Z83 is a screening tool with standardised fields; the CV is the evidence. Submitting one without the other is an incomplete application.
You do not need certified copies — yet
At application stage you submit the Z83 and your CV. Certified copies of your ID, matric certificate and qualifications are only requested once you are shortlisted, and then they must be certified within the last six months. Do not spend money certifying documents for an application that has not asked for them.
Send it to the right place
Send your application to the department advertising the post, using the exact method in the advert — email, online portal, hand delivery or post. Do not send it to the DPSA; they only publish the circular. Emailing when the advert said hand delivery is a rejection.
The 3-sentence formula for everyone else
When an employer does want a cover letter, three sentences beat three paragraphs.
Sentence 1 — role, where, fit: “I am applying for the Cashier position advertised on JobsJunction.co.za. I have two years’ cashier experience at Shoprite in Cathcart.”
Sentence 2 — proof with a number: “In that role I processed 100+ transactions a day, balanced cash-ups of up to R25,000, and trained three new staff.”
Sentence 3 — close: “My CV is attached. I am available for interview in East London or by video, and can start immediately.”
The number is the part people leave out, and it is the part that gets you shortlisted. “Hard-working and dedicated” is what everyone writes. “100+ transactions a day” is what a manager can picture.
Full email template
Subject: Application — Cashier Position — [Your Name] — Cathcart
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am applying for the Cashier position advertised on JobsJunction.co.za. I have two years’ experience as a cashier at Shoprite, Cathcart.
At Shoprite I handled 100+ transactions daily, helped reduce queue time during month-end, and was trusted with cash-ups of up to R25,000. I am fluent in English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, and available for shift work.
My CV is attached. I am available for interview at short notice in Cathcart or East London and can start immediately.
Thank you,
Firstname Lastname — 071 234 5678
The WhatsApp version
Good morning Ms Dlamini, I am applying for the Cashier role you posted on JobsJunction. Two years at Shoprite Cathcart — POS, cash-ups, customer service. CV attached as Firstname_Lastname_CV.pdf. Available for interview this week. Thank you, Firstname 071 234 5678.
Four lines. No voice note, no “hi” on its own, no ten photos of your matric certificate.
Mistakes that kill an application
- Sending the same generic letter to every job — if the company name is wrong, you are out
- Summarising your CV instead of adding one thing the CV cannot show
- Attaching a Word document that opens badly on a phone
- Naming the file CV.pdf or CV final final.pdf
- Forgetting the reference number on a government application
Frequently asked questions
How long should a cover letter be in South Africa?
Three sentences to one short page. Recruiters screen on a phone. If it does not fit on one screen, it is too long.
Do I still need a cover letter if the job is on WhatsApp?
No. Send a short message instead — see our guide to applying on WhatsApp properly.
Is a cover letter the same as a Z83?
No. The Z83 is a government form with fixed sections. A cover letter is free text for private-sector employers. Government wants the Z83.
Can I use one cover letter for every application?
You can reuse the structure, but change sentence 1 and sentence 2 every time. A letter that could have been sent to any employer reads as one that was sent to every employer.
Next step
Get the CV right first — the letter only works if the document behind it does. Read: How to write a South African CV that beats ATS in 2026. Then prepare for the interview you are trying to land.