South Africans beware, mining company Sibanye-Stillwater not offering learnerships or training via dodgy link

Signs of a scam

Similar to many other claims we have previously debunked, a huge red flag is the link attached to the posts. When we clicked on it, our antivirus software immediately flagged it as a “blacklist” threat. This means the link has previously been deemed as unsafe or malicious. The site was also flagged as potentially unsafe by online tools used to assess suspicious links.

The posts also ask users to “Share To Others” as “there might Be Someone Who Needs This Opportunity”, another red flag. Enticing users to share posts is a tactic often used by scammers to gain wider reach for a social media page or post, or drive traffic to a website if a link is attached.

Then there are posts that ask readers to reach out via WhatsApp. This might be an attempt at phishing, a type of cybercrime that uses platforms such as WhatsApp to trick users into giving out their personal information. This information might be used to commit crimes such as identity fraud.

The biggest red flag is that the posts are referring to Sibanye-Stillwater, a multinational mining and metals processing group headquartered in South Africa. Some of the posts even include Sibanye-Stillwater’s name and logo. A Google search for “Sibanye Water” yields no results for such a company. 

Claim debunked by Sibanye-Stillwater 

Sibanye-Stillwater has previously debunked several recruitment scams on its verified social media accounts.

The mining company also debunked the claim in question. On 11 March 2025, the company posted examples of the circulating message on Facebook with “Fake News” stamped on them.

On its website, Sibanye-Stillwater warns those seeking jobs to stick to verified portals for opportunities: “Sibanye-Stillwater recruits for vacant/new positions through this website (www.sibanyestillwater.com), newspaper ads, and direct recruitment by TEBA (a leading South African mine worker recruitment and support agency).”

How to spot fake job ads 

Many online scams attempt to offer fake job listings through unverified links and personal channels, often using the likeness of a legitimate or well-known company. 

How do you spot these falsehoods? Here are some tips:

• Look out for obvious errors: Look for grammatical and spelling errors, unofficial links, typos in company names or unusual information. These are often the first signs of a scam.
• Check official channels: Legit vacancies, learnerships or training programmes will be advertised on a company’s official website or verified social media platforms, not on third-party profiles or dodgy links. In this instance, a quick search on Sibanye-Stillwater’s official Facebook page led us to the notice flagging the posts as fake.
• Go through the details: Common characteristics of job scams include vague job descriptions, unverified application procedures and a sense of urgency to pressure applicants into applying.