Help: Contact directory search

Acronyms

To find an acronym, type it exactly as it should appear in the results.

Example:

• anc will only find the string ANC and not ANCWL.

Note

Quick search searches for words and phrases in the entire directory. This means that when entering Smith, the search will return John Smith (surname), but also entries containing Smith Street (address).

What can I search for?

Name search

If you know the name of an official you may find it by typing either the full name (all first names and surname), only a first name or only the surname of the official.

Examples:

• john smith will return all entries containing the phrase exactly as you typed it (e.g. John Smith and not John Peter Smith)
  
• smith will return all entries containing the word smith (e.g. John Smith and Anne Smith)
  
• john, smith will return all entries containing the word john as well as entries containing the word smith (e.g. John Smith, Anne Smith, John Malope)

Institution/organisation search

You can also search for an organisation or institution.

Example:

• parliament will not only return Parliament and Library of Parliament, but also all entries with the word parliament in the address, and all officials linked to Parliament.
  

You may also use an organisation's acronym

Example:

• saps will return South African Police Service and all officials linked to the SAPS or with saps in the address

Job title/position search

You can search for a job title or position of an official.

Example:

• president will return all entries with the word president, e.g. President of the ANC, Deputy President
  
• deputy minister will return all entries with the phrase deputy minister, e.g. Deputy Minister of Health, Deputy Minister of Defence.

Advanced search

Advanced search is a feature that helps you refine your search. You can refine your search by using specific search fields, including First name; Surname; Job title/position; and Institution/organisation name.

How to do an advanced search

1. To enter a query into Advanced search, enter a search term/s and/or phrase/s in one or more search fields.
   
   
2. Select one of the following options:

   Search must include any of the selected criteria: This option is the default option. It searches for results that match either one or more of the words you specified.

Example:

• the first name john and the surname smith will return all entries containing the first name john as well as all entries containing the surname smith or both, e.g. John Makgetla, Sheila Smith, John Smith.

OR

Search must include all of the selected criteria: This option searches for results that include all of the words you typed into the search fields.

Example:

• the first name john and the organisation/institution name parliament will return only entries containing both the first name john and the organisation or institution name parliament.

3. To specify the number of search results to be displayed per page, select 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 results per page from the dropdown menu. The default setting provides 10 results, which is the fastest.
   
   
4. Click on the Search button at the bottom of the Advanced search for a list of relevant results.
   
   
5. To empty the search field or, in other words, clear the criteria you have specified, simply click on the Clear button at the bottom of the page.

How to select search terms

Case

Example:

• John, JoHn and john will all return the same results.

Phrases

To search for a phrase, type the phrase exactly as it should appear in the results.

Example:

• media liaison officer in the Job title/position field will return only officials with the job title media liaison officer
  
• media in the Job title/position field will return only officials where the phrase media forms part of the job title e.g. Media Liaison Officer, Head: Media Liaison
  
• environmental affairs in the Institution/organisation field will return Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

Wildcard searches

You can search for part of a word by means of wildcards. You can effect a wildcard search by adding an asterisk (*) at the beginning, end or both ends of a search string. This means that the search may return results that do not exactly match your search string.

Examples:

• *hab* in the First name field will return all entries containing the letters hab e.g. Thabisa Majaja
  
• *person in the Job title/position field will return all entries ending with the word person e.g. Chairperson and Spokesperson
  
• fin* in the Institution/organisation field will return all entries containing words starting with the letters fin e.g. Department of Finance and Ministry of Finance.

Acronyms/exact matches

To find an acronym, type it exactly as it should appear in the results.

Example:

• anc will only find the string ANC and not ANCWL.

What can I search for

Advanced search fields

• First name: In this field, you enter the first name/s of an official.

  Example:

  • john will return all entries with the first name john (e.g. John Smith, John Thabang Zwane).
    
    

  If you can specify as much of the name as possible, you will obtain more concise results and reduce the search time.

  Example:

  • john thabang instead of john will return only entries with both the names john and thabang (e.g. John Thabang Zwane).
    
    

• Surname: In this field, you enter the surname of an official
  

  Example:

  • smith will return all entries with a surname smith (e.g. Smith, Smith-Langa)
    
    

• Job title/position: In this field, you can either type in the job title, or position or select a job title or position.

  Type in the job title/position:

  Example:

  • president will return all officials with a job title or position which includes the word president e.g. Thabo Mbeki - President, Jacob Zuma - Deputy President.
    
    

  Select job title/position: You have the option to select either head or all.
  

  Example:

  • head will return the most senior official of organisations/institutions listed in the directory e.g. President, Chairperson, Minister, Chief Executive Officer.
    
  • all will return all officials of organisations/institutions in the directory e.g. Minister, Media Liaison Officer and Private Secretary.
    
    

• Institution/organisation name: In this field you can type in the name of an institution or organisation name.
  

  Example:

  • parliament will return all organisations/institutions with the word parliament in the organisation or institution name. (e.g. Parliament and Library of Parliament).

Results

Find an entry from the results list

Selecting results and result search options

Navigate result pages

Results list

Further searches from the results page

FAQs

When I press Enter after having typed in a search request, my computer bleeps and the search is not initialised. Why?
- To start a search please click on the Search button.

How do I search for a name/surname when I do not know how the exact spelling thereof?
- You can effect a wild card search by adding an asterisk (*) at the beginning, end or both ends e.g. *buda*, mabuda* or *fhasi to find mabudafhasi.

How do I search based on function?
- The function of an official or organisation is often reflected in the official's title or the organisation's name. The Job title/position and Organisation/institution name fields are provided for this reason.

How are accented characters handled for searches?
- The contact directory does not provide for accented characters. When searching for an accented name, just omit the relevant accent, e.g. if you are looking for a person with the surname Fouché just type in fouche.

My search failed to find the entry I wanted. Is it missing?
- If the entry you were looking for appears to be missing, this does not necessarily mean that it is not present in the directory. Check the spelling or try a different search field. Please note that not all officials are listed, but only heads and contact persons as specified by the specific institution or organisation. For further information about government you can contact the Information Centre.

Why does my search take so long?
- Response times for searches will always vary depending on network traffic, communication line speeds and design factors such as firewalls. Other factors that will affect response times include the number of matches to your search and the scope of your search (whether you searched only for John or whether you search for John and Smith and requested Include all of the words).

How can I make my search faster?
- Specify as much information as possible in the fields and select the Include all of the words option or use phrases in the Quick search entry field.

When are the directories updated?
- Updates are implemented twice a day as the ministries, departments and organisations provide them to us. The entire contact directory is checked/updated twice a year.

How do I update our organisation's entry?
- You can request an update by contacting Watson Kamanga. His contact details are:
Tel: (012) 314 2377
Fax: (012) 325 6898
E-mail: watson@gcis.gov.za

Where do I report errors/omissions?
- If you find errors or omissions, please contact Watson Kamanga. His contact details are
Tel: (012) 314 2377
Fax: (012) 325 6898
E-mail: watson@gcis.gov.za

How do I get a printed copy of the directory?
You can print the directories (Government Directory, Directory of Contacts and Media Directory), or sections in the directories from the browse pages or you may contact GCIS for a copy.
Tel: (012) 314 2377
Fax: (012) 325 6898
E-mail: watson@gcis.gov.za

How do I get an electronic version?
- You can download the directories (Government Directory, Directory of Contacts and Media Directory) or sections in the directories from the browse pages.

What versions of Internet web browsers are supported? / Why are the search results blank or indicate a script error?
- The online contact directory has been tested and confirmed to work with Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.x and above. If you are using an older version of this browser, or another product, we cannot guarantee that the online search function will work as expected. Check your version of web browser and if it is a lower version than that indicated above, you should upgrade. This will enable you to use the online search function on this website. For information about upgrading browsers visit Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Why do my search return names of officials when I search for an institution's name in the Quick search? (e.g. When I search for education it returns the name of e.g. Nomsa Jajula )
- The Quick search searches over the complete directory. This means that the word education will not only be found in an organisation field, but also when the word education forms part of e.g. a job title/position (in this case MEC for Education). The results will then first display the name of the official filling that position. The organisation names containing the word education will then be displayed at the end of the search result list.

Explaining the search page

Each number is a link to that element's definition:

1. Quick search
Quick search allows you to search for the name or part of the name of an official, an institution/organisation or a job title/position by typing in a few descriptive words or phrases in the same field.

2. Help
Links to a page that gives you advice on how to use the search.

3. Quick search field
The field where you can type in words or phrases to do a quick search.

4. Quick search button
The button to click on to initiate a quick search.

5. Advanced search
Advanced search allows you to do a specific search across specific fields by typing in the name or surname of an official, an institution/organisation or a job title/position.

6. First name of official field
The field to type in the first name or part of a first name of an official you are looking for.

7. Surname of official field
The field to type in the surname or part of a surname of an official you are looking for.

8. Type in job title/position field
The field to type in the job title or position of an official you are looking for.

9. Select job title/position field
The field to select the job title or position of an official you are looking for.

10. Institution/organisation name field
The field to type in the name, acronym or part of the name of an institution or organisation you are looking for.

11. Search must include any of the selected criteria
This option looks for search results that include either one or both of the words you typed into the search fields.

12. Search must include all of the selected criteria
This option is the default option. This option searches for results that match all of the words you require.

13. Results per page
The default setting provides 10 results, which is the fastest. However, you can increase the number of results displayed per page to 20, 30, 40 or 50.

14. Advanced search button
The button to click on to initiate an advanced search.

15. Clear button
The button to click on to empty your search form or to clear your previous criteria.

16. Browse the contact database
When you are not exactly sure which search terms to use, you may find it easier to browse the contact directory database.

17. Print or download contact directories or lists
You can also print or download the complete directories, specific categories from the contact directories or lists (selected contact information that can be printed or downloaded as complete documents).

Explaining the search results page

Each number is a link to that element's definition:

1. Change current search button
The button to click on when you want to change the current criteria of your search

2. New search button
The button to click on when you want to do a new or different search. All previous search criteria will be cleared.

3. Print this page
The button to click on when you want to print the results from your search without the navigation and banner of the website.

4. You searched for '   '
The criteria you searched for are indicated in single quotes.

5. Results 1 - 10 of 100
'1 - 10' indicates that the first 10 results from your search are displayed The default result setting per page is 10. You can change that option to 20, 30, 40 or 50 per page on the search page. The 'of 100' indicates 100 results from your search were returned.

6. First select a result(s) and then choose an option
You have to indicate which results you would like further information on.

7. [1]
This is the result number.

8.
Click on this selection box if you want further information on this result. You can select more than one result - simply click on another selection box. Deselect a result by clicking on the selection box again.

9. Surname, First name, Title OR Institution/organisation
The results from your search are listed alphabetically and in the case of an official alphabetically according to the surname.

10. Next 10 results AND Previous 10 results
The default result setting per page is 10. You can change that option to 20, 30, 40 or 50 per page on the search page. When there are more results than the result setting per page you have chosen, you can navigate the results pages by clicking on Next 10 results or Previous 10 results.

11. Options:
After selecting the results you want more information on you must also specify what information you want i.e. Mail (postal address); Tel (telephone number); URL (web address); E-mail; Street (physical address); Fax (facsimile number) or All (all the contact details available).

12. Show detail button
After having selected the results and the options, click on the Show detail button to access the contact details requested.

Explaining the search results contact detail page

Each number is a link to that element's definition:

1. Back to results list
The button to click on when you want to return to the results page of your current search.

2. Change current search button
The button to click on when you want to change the criteria of your current search

3. New search button
The button to click on when you want to do a new or different search.

4. Print this page
The button to click on when you want to print the contact detail from your search without including the navigation and banner of the website.

5. Institution or organisation
The name of the institution or organisation relevant to your search criteria.

6. URL (web address)
The URL or web address of the organisation. Please note that a person usually does not have a web address, only the institution or organisation.

7. Mail
The postal address of the institution/organisation or official.

8. Street
The physical address of the institution/organisation or official.

9. Tel
The telephone number(s) of the institution/organisation or official.

10. Fax
The facsimile number(s) of the institution/organisation or official.

11. E-mail
The e-mail address of the institution/organisation or official.

12. Job title/position
The job title or position of the official.

13. Name
The title, first name and surname of the official.

Error messages

Search returned zero results, please check spelling or search term/s. - If this message is displayed, one of the following is possible:

• The search term is not available in the directory
  
• You could have made a spelling mistake. Please check.
  
• Search terms were entered incorrectly. Please see the descriptions of How to enter a search term under Quick search and Advanced search respectively.
  
• You could have used the wrong search field.
  
• Make sure that you clicked on the relevant Search button.

Please select an option. - If this message is displayed, one of the following is possible:

• You did not select one or more results from the results list. Select results by clicking in the selection boxes next to the relevant result.
• You did not select an option. Indicate which contact details you want, by selecting an option.
  

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