Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo Horticultural Learnership

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) takes on groups of unemployed young Johannesburg residents as paid horticultural learners. JCPZ is the entity the City of Johannesburg mandates to look after its parks, cemeteries, public open spaces and street trees, as well as the Johannesburg Zoo, so the learners train in the same regional parks teams that do that work. The most recent intake was advertised on 16 February 2026 for 60 learners at R4,000 a month, and it closed on 24 February 2026. JCPZ has not published a date for another intake.

Sixty places and a R4,000 monthly stipend

The 2026 advert, titled “Johannesburg City Parks & Zoo Learnership Opportunities 2026 (Horticultural Learnership X60)”, set out these terms:

JCPZ ran the same size of intake before. Its 2023 advert also called for 60 horticultural learners for 12 months, then at a stipend of R3,500 a month, and it too warned that learners should have “no expectations for employment” at the end. JCPZ does not describe the learnership as annual and publishes no schedule of future intakes.

Who JCPZ was looking for

• Unemployed young South Africans aged 18 to 35.
• Living in the Johannesburg regions.
• A Grade 12 certificate (achieved) or an NQF level 4 qualification.
• Knowledge of health and safety in a horticultural environment and of soil science.
• Physically fit and healthy enough for manual, outdoor work, and able to communicate, read and write.

People with disabilities were encouraged to apply. The fitness condition matters here: the advert is frank that the work is manual labour outdoors, including mowing and handling chemicals.

Skills the learners build in the parks

JCPZ listed five groups of training outputs for the 2026 learners:

1. Plant care and maintenance: identifying and preparing soils, planting ornamental and herbaceous plants from containers into open ground, pruning shrubs and trees, applying fertilisers, and watering, including managing irrigation sprinklers and emitters.
2. Propagation and cultivation: growing plants from seed and stem cuttings, using the right growth media in containers, and basic nursery care of ornamental seedlings.
3. Pest and weed control: manual and chemical removal of weeds and alien invader plants, and mixing and applying herbicides and pesticides.
4. Environmental and safety standards: health and safety practice in a horticultural setting and environmental protection.
5. Technical and physical skills: safe use of horticultural machinery such as mowers.

The advert does not name a SETA or a registered qualification that learners receive at the end, so we cannot say what certificate the year leads to. Anyone who wants a formal horticulture or landscaping qualification instead can look at the SALI landscapers bursary or the wider list of environmental bursaries.

How the February 2026 round was run

Applications for 2026 went through an online link published in the advert and on the JCPZ careers page, where the learnership was listed as issued on 16 February 2026 with a closing date of 24 February 2026. The 2023 round worked differently: applicants emailed a CV with certified supporting documents and had to quote a reference number in the subject line. JCPZ’s standard note applies to both: an applicant who hears nothing within 21 days of the closing date should take the application as unsuccessful.

Because rounds open and close within days, the careers page is the place to watch. Enquiries about the learnership went to (011) 712 6601 or (011) 712 6668. JCPZ’s general recruitment address for CVs is jobs@jhbcityparks.com, or Human Resources, City Parks House, 40 De Korte Street, Braamfontein. Students looking for study funding rather than a work-based year can check the separate City of Johannesburg bursary.

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