Department of Economic Development Internships 2026

Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) invites unemployed graduates to apply for its  Internship Programme 2026/2027. The programme provides graduates with structured workplace experience intended to improve their employment opportunities. Pasted text

Internship Application Closing Date: 2 October 2026

Internship Location:  South Africa

Internship Stipend: Monthly stipend/allowance provided by the Department

Application Method: Z83 form and updated CV

 Internships are available at the Department’s Head Office in Pietermaritzburg, district offices across KwaZulu-Natal and selected other locations. Pasted text

About the KZN EDTEA Internship Programme 2026/2027

The Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs is implementing the  internship programme as part of its skills development initiatives.

Successful candidates will participate in a structured internship programme and receive a monthly stipend or allowance from the Department. Pasted text

Opportunities cover a wide range of fields, including Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Public Administration, Supply Chain Management, Economics, Tourism, Agriculture, Environmental Sciences, Communications, Law and Business Management.

Available Internship Opportunities

The advertised opportunities include:

Internship	Reference	Qualification
Office Support – MEC Office	MEC Office Support-27/29	Public Administration
Office Support – HOD Office	HOD Office-27/29	Public Administration, Public Management, Business Administration or Business Management
Risk and Integrity Management	Risk-27/29	Risk Management or Professional Ethics
Internal Audit	IntAudit-27/29	Internal Auditing or Risk Management
Monitoring and Evaluation	M&E-27/29	Postgraduate Monitoring & Evaluation qualification or Degree in Social Science
Public Entities Oversight	PublicEnt-27/29	Law/LLB, Public Management or Accounting
Strategic Planning	Strat-27/29	Postgraduate Development Studies, Public Policy, Town & Regional Planning or related Social Science/Research field
Intergovernmental Relations	IGR-27/29	Social Science, Public Administration/Management, Development Studies, International Relations or Political Science
Finance	Finance-27/29	Accounting or Financial Management
Finance – Budget	FinBudg-27/29	Cost and Management Accounting
Asset Management	Asset-27/29	Financial Management, Accounting or Cost Management Accounting
Supply Chain Management	SCM-27/29	SCM, Public Administration, Business Management, Logistics Procurement or Purchasing Management
Internal Control	Internal-C27/29	Internal Audit or Risk Management
Human Resource Management	HRM-27/29	HR Management, Public Admin or Public Administration
Employee Health & Wellness	EHW-27/29	Psychology or postgraduate Psychology
Information Technology	IT-27/29	Information Technology
Telecommunications	TEL-COMM-27/29	Information Technology
Communications and Marketing	COM-27/29	PR, Media Studies, Communication, Photography, Desktop Publishing or Videography
Registry	Registry27/29	Social Sciences, Records Management, Archives Management or Public Management
Facilities Management	Facilities-27/29	Public Management, Facilities Management or Property Management
Fleet Management	Fleet-27/29	Logistics, Supply Chain Management or Public Management

These Head Office opportunities and their qualification requirements are listed in the supplied internship information. Pasted text Pasted text Pasted text Pasted text

Small Business Development and Co-operatives Internships

The Department is also recruiting graduates for Small Business Development and Co-operatives opportunities.

Small Business Development – Area 1 (Ref: Area 1 SBD-27/29) is available at Harry Gwala, uMzinyathi, Amajuba and uThukela district offices, as well as Head Office in Pietermaritzburg. Relevant qualifications include Economics, Business Administration, Business Studies and Entrepreneurship. Pasted text

Small Business Development – Area 2 (Ref: Area 2-SBD-27/29) includes opportunities at Ugu, eThekwini and Head Office in Pietermaritzburg. A Commerce or relevant qualification is required.

Co-operatives – Area 1 (Ref: Area 1-Co-ops-27/29) requires qualifications such as Supply Chain and Logistics, Financial Management, Entrepreneurship or Clothing Management.

Co-operatives – Area 2 (Ref: Area 2-Co-ops-27/29) has placements in uMkhanyakude and King Cetshwayo and accepts Management of Co-operatives, Economics, Business Management or a related qualification. Pasted text

Economic Development and Business Internships

Other opportunities include:

• Economic Empowerment – EconEmp-27/29: Development Studies, Policy and Development Studies, Economics, Business Administration or Finance.
• RLED-PSS Capacity Building – RLEDPSS-27/29: Industrial Psychology, HRD, Development Studies, Economics or Social Science.
• RLED-MTES – RLEDMTES-27/29: Development Studies, Economics, Social Science or equivalent.
• Business Regulation – Reg-27/29: Business Management, Business Administration, Public Policy or Bachelor of Laws.
• Consumer Protection – Consumer-27/29: LLB.
• Tourism Development – TOURISM27/29: Tourism Management or Ecotourism Management. Pasted text

Industry, Agriculture and Trade Internships

Graduates can also apply for the following:

Strategic Industrial Interventions – SII-27/29: Commerce (Economics), BCom Supply Chain Management and Logistics, Business Development, Development Studies, Aviation Management or Transport Economics.

Agribusiness/Agro Processing – Agribus-27/29: Agricultural Economics, Agribusiness Management, Agricultural Management or equivalent.

Trade and Investment Promotions – Trade&Inv-27/29: Commerce fields such as Economics, International Trade or International Business.

Forestry and Furniture – Forestry-27/29: Forest/Wood Science or Development Studies.

Creative Economy – Creative-27/29: Arts, Marketing or Public Relations. Pasted text

Administration, Research and Economic Analysis Internships

Additional internships include:

• Office of the DDG – OfficeDir-27/29: Public Administration or Management.
• District Operations Management – OfficeDir-27/29: Business Administration, Business Management, Public Administration, Public Management or equivalent.
• Policy & Planning – P&P-27/29: Economics, Town and Regional Planning or Geo Information.
• Research & Modelling – R&M-27/29: BCom Honours Economics or the qualification listed in the source as “B. Com Honours Engineering (Civil)”.
• Knowledge Management – Knowledge-27/29: Library & Information Management, Knowledge Management or equivalent.
• Economic Analysis & Economic Impact – Economic-27/29: BCom Degree in Economics.
• Statistic Database – Stats-27.29: BCom Degree in Economics or Statistics Database Management. Pasted text

Environmental Management Services Internships

Reference Number: Enviro-27/29

Qualification: Degree in Environmental Sciences

Placements are listed across district offices in Amajuba, uMzinyathi, uThukela, Harry Gwala, Ugu, eThekwini, uMgungundlovu, King Cetshwayo, uMkhanyakude, iLembe and Zululand. Pasted text

Documents Required

Applications must include:

• A completed Z83 application form;
• A recently updated CV; and
• A signed affidavit stating that you have not previously benefited from an  internship programme within a National Government Department, Provincial Government Department or Local Government/Municipality.

Applicants must clearly indicate the reference number, position and area/centre they are applying for on the application form.

Only shortlisted candidates will be required to submit certified copies of their:

• Identity document;
• Qualifications; and
• Recent academic transcripts or records.

Applicants must submit the completed Z83 form and updated CV to the appropriate Departmental office.

Click here to download the Z83 Application Form

Applications may be submitted directly to:

Head Office
Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
270 Jabu Ndlovu Street
Pietermaritzburg
KwaZulu-Natal

Alternatively, applications may be posted to:

Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
Private Bag X9152
Pietermaritzburg
3200

Applications may also be hand delivered to:

Ground Floor
270 Jabu Ndlovu Street
Pietermaritzburg
3201

For attention: Ms W. Mkhulise

District Office Application Addresses

Applicants may also submit applications to the relevant district office:

District	Address
eThekwini	The Marine Building, 22 Dorothy Nyembe Street, 8th Floor, Durban
Ugu	46 Bisset Street, Port Shepstone
Harry Gwala	1 Northway Drive, Ixopo
iLembe	Albert House, Corner of Link Road and R102, Stanger
uThukela	20 Buckingham Street, Ladysmith
Amajuba	Harding Office Park, 50 Harding Street, Newcastle
uMzinyathi	26 Beaconsfield Street, Entrance 3, Dundee
Zululand	LA Building, Prince Mangosuthu Street / King Dinuzulu Highway, Ulundi B
uMkhanyakude – Mkuze	ERF 60, Mzolozolo Avenue, Mkuze, 3969
King Cetshwayo	ERF 11637, Veldenvlei, South Ext 3, 3 Aloe Loop Street, Richards Bay
uMkhanyakude – Mtubatuba	Lot 55D Kiepersol Street, Riverview Road, Mtubatuba

Applicants should use the location, position and reference number applicable to the internship they are applying for.

Internship Closing Date

Applications for the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Internship Programme close on:

2 October 2026

Late applications should not be submitted.