SABC News Internships 2026 are open. Find the minimum requirements, available internship opportunities, application steps and where to apply through the SABC careers portal.
For a graduate trying to enter the media industry, seeing an SABC internship advertised can feel like a major opportunity — and it is. But there is an important detail that many applicants miss: working at the SABC is not limited to journalism or television presenting.
A modern broadcaster needs people who can research and produce news, manage digital platforms, support technology systems, work with financial information, coordinate programmes, assist with marketing and keep the organisation’s operations running. That is why the current SABC internship intake includes opportunities across several different disciplines.
The SABC Internship Programme 2026 is currently open, with applications running from 3 September to 10 September 2026. The programme is being offered in partnership with MICT SETA, and the current intake covers fields including Technology, Television and Media, Finance, Internal Audit, Communications, Journalism, Legal, Governance and Risk, Digital Marketing and Marketing.
If you are interested in an SABC News internship, or simply want to understand which SABC internship could match your qualification, this guide explains what is currently available, the minimum requirements applicants should look at and, most importantly, how to submit the application correctly.
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The SABC internship is bigger than the newsroom
It is easy to hear “SABC internship” and immediately think about becoming a journalist.
There are certainly opportunities connected to news and media production. However, the current internship intake shows how broad broadcasting has become.
Behind every television bulletin, radio programme, website update or digital video is a team of people working in different areas.
Someone has to research and produce stories. Someone has to manage digital content. Someone has to support the technology infrastructure. Someone works with finance. Another person deals with administration, programming, marketing or media assets.
That is why graduates from different academic backgrounds should not automatically dismiss the opportunity simply because they did not study journalism.
Current SABC internship listings include positions connected to news, programming, digital products, television production, marketing, sport, administration and other operational areas.
This makes the intake particularly interesting for graduates who want to enter the media industry but do not necessarily want to work in front of a camera.
SABC News internships: what should journalism graduates look for?
For someone who specifically wants to work in news, the most relevant vacancies are those connected to journalism, news production, multimedia and editorial work.
Recent SABC recruitment information has included opportunities such as News Grad/Intern, while the wider organisation has also advertised positions involving multimedia production and news-related work. Current recruitment information also shows Intern Producer positions supporting the preparation and delivery of television news in Gauteng.
An intern working around a newsroom may encounter a very different environment from university.
News does not wait until you feel ready.
Stories develop quickly, information changes and accuracy matters. An aspiring journalist therefore needs more than a qualification. Research ability, communication, attention to detail, curiosity and the ability to work under pressure can become just as important in practice.
For this reason, journalism graduates should not treat the application as simply a way to “get an internship”. It is an opportunity to demonstrate that they understand what responsible news work requires.
Some of the SABC internships appearing in the current talent pool
One of the useful features of the current SABC recruitment intake is the variety of opportunities available.
Depending on the specific vacancy and location, examples appearing in the 2026 internship recruitment information include:
- Programming Assistance Intern – Auckland Park, Gauteng
- Licensing Administrator Intern – Gauteng
- Assistant Commissioning Editor: Religion Intern – Gauteng
- Drama Intern – Gauteng
- Administrator: Operations (Sport) Intern – Auckland Park
- Scheduling Assistant – Sport Intern
- Marketing Assistant – Lotus FM Intern – Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
- Programming – Lotus FM Intern – Durban
- Sales Coordinator: Sports and News Intern – Auckland Park
- Digital Product Intern
- Video Asset Officer Intern
- On-Air Administrator Intern
- Channel Programme Intern
The exact vacancies available through the recruitment portal can change, so applicants should use the individual vacancy advertisement as the final authority before applying.
This is particularly important because having a degree that sounds relevant does not automatically mean that you qualify for every internship.
A journalism graduate, for example, should not apply indiscriminately for a finance or technical internship simply because it is at the SABC.
The better approach is to match your qualification to the actual vacancy.
What are the minimum requirements for SABC internships?
The general SABC internship requirements reported for the current programme include the following:
- You must be a South African citizen.
- You must have successfully completed a three- or four-year diploma or degree, depending on the position.
- Your qualification must be relevant to the internship you are applying for.
- You must generally be under the age of 35.
- You must not have previously completed an internship.
- You must be prepared to enter into a 12-month learning agreement if selected.
Applicants should also pay attention to the requirements listed against their specific vacancy.
For example, different SABC opportunities can require qualifications in journalism, marketing, communications, IT, finance, human resources, information systems, engineering or other specialised disciplines.
Some technical internships have additional academic requirements. For example, information relating to the current recruitment programme includes specialised opportunities requiring particular technical qualifications, while roles such as Digital Assistant have been associated with qualifications in digital marketing, media studies or related fields.
Matric is also important. Recruitment information for SABC internship programmes has identified a Matric/Grade 12 certificate among the supporting requirements, together with the relevant tertiary qualification and academic documentation.
In other words, having only Matric will generally not be enough for a graduate internship that specifically requires a completed diploma or degree.
Do you need previous work experience?
This is one of the reasons internships matter.
The programme is intended to give graduates workplace exposure, and the published general requirements state that applicants should not have previously completed an internship.
That does not mean your CV should be empty.
University projects, student publications, community radio, freelance writing, volunteering, campus organisations, digital projects and relevant academic assignments can help demonstrate your abilities.
A journalism graduate who has never worked for a major newsroom can still show evidence of journalism skills.
For example, a CV could mention experience conducting interviews for a student publication, producing short news packages, writing articles, editing video or managing a small digital content page.
The key is to present genuine experience rather than trying to make yourself appear more experienced than you are.
How to apply for the SABC internship
Applications are completed online through the SABC recruitment system.
The careers page you supplied leads to the SABC’s Career Opportunities platform, where applicants can search for vacancies and access available positions. The portal also provides a facility for creating a saved search/job alert when new opportunities become available.
Applicants should use the [official SABC Career Opportunities portal] to search for the relevant internship, review the vacancy requirements and complete the online application.
Before you start, prepare your documents.
Recruitment information for the internship programme indicates that applicants may be required to provide supporting documentation including:
- A concise, updated CV
- South African identity document
- Grade 12/Matric certificate
- Diploma or degree
- Academic transcript
- Other supporting documents requested by the particular advertisement.
A better way to complete the application
Do not rush through the portal simply because the closing date is approaching.
First, identify the internship that matches your qualification.
Then read the entire vacancy advertisement.
Check the location.
Check the qualification.
Check any additional requirements.
Check the reference or requisition number.
Only after doing that should you start completing the online application.
Once submitted, keep a record of the position you applied for and its reference number.
Creating an account on a recruitment portal is not the same thing as successfully applying for a vacancy. Make sure you complete the application and receive whatever confirmation the system provides.
What should a journalism graduate put on the CV?
This is where many otherwise qualified applicants lose an opportunity.
A CV saying:
“I am a hardworking journalism graduate looking for an opportunity”
does not tell a recruiter much.
Instead, show what you can actually do.
If you have experience with interviewing, news writing, research, audio production, video editing, photography, social media content or broadcast production, make those skills visible.
For example, instead of simply writing “Good communication skills”, explain the evidence behind the skill.
You could mention that you conducted interviews for a student publication, produced radio segments, researched stories or created multimedia content as part of your studies.
The same principle applies to applicants from other fields.
An IT graduate should highlight relevant systems, software, projects and technical skills.
A marketing graduate should demonstrate campaign, social media, research or communication experience.
A finance graduate should highlight accounting, financial analysis or relevant software knowledge.
The internship should be matched to the evidence on your CV.
One mistake applicants should avoid
Do not apply for every vacancy simply because the SABC is a well-known organisation.
It can be tempting to submit applications for ten different internships and hope that one works.
That approach can actually weaken your application strategy.
A much better method is to identify the two or three positions that genuinely fit your qualification and interests, then make sure each application is accurate and complete.
If the vacancy asks for a particular qualification, do not try to work around it with unrelated certificates.
Recruitment is not only about enthusiasm. It is also about eligibility.
What makes the current SABC intake particularly valuable?
The interesting thing about this internship programme is that it exposes applicants to the reality of modern broadcasting.
The media industry is no longer divided neatly into “journalists” and “technical people”.
A news organisation increasingly depends on digital products, multimedia production, technology infrastructure, audience data, marketing, content management and traditional broadcasting working together.
That creates career possibilities for graduates who may never have considered a broadcaster as a potential employer.
A graduate in IT, for example, can contribute to the technology environment behind broadcasting.
A marketing graduate can work on audience and commercial activities.
A finance graduate can enter the business side of the organisation.
A journalism graduate can pursue editorial and news production.
The SABC’s current internship fields reflect that wider ecosystem.
Before you submit your SABC internship application
Take a final five-minute check.
Does your qualification match the vacancy?
Have you included the required documents?
Is your CV accurate and easy to read?
Have you checked the location?
Have you read the full advertisement rather than relying on the internship title?
Did you actually submit the application rather than only create a profile?
And perhaps most importantly, did you apply before the deadline?
If you are applying for other opportunities at the same time, you can also explore our [latest internship opportunities in South Africa] to find other programmes that match your qualification.
For the current 2026 intake, applications opened on 3 September 2026 and close on 10 September 2026.
That gives applicants a short window, so waiting until the last day is unnecessary risk.
Where to find the latest SABC internship vacancies
The safest place to check the latest vacancies is the SABC’s own recruitment platform rather than relying entirely on screenshots shared on social media or third-party job pages.
Vacancies can change, new positions can be added and individual advertisements can contain requirements that are not included in general internship summaries.
The official SABC website also maintains information about its internship and learnership programmes.
A final word for applicants
An SABC internship should not be viewed simply as a chance to put a famous organisation on your CV.
It can be the point where a graduate discovers what a career in broadcasting actually looks like.
For a journalism graduate, that might mean learning how a newsroom turns information into a responsible story. For a digital graduate, it could mean seeing how technology supports a national broadcaster. For someone studying marketing, finance, administration or another discipline, it can reveal that the media industry needs far more skills than the audience sees on screen.
The most important thing now is to be realistic about your eligibility, choose the internship that matches your qualification and complete the application carefully.
The current SABC internship intake is open until 10 September 2026, so qualified applicants should use the official recruitment portal, read the specific vacancy requirements and submit their applications before the closing date.