Advice needed on obtaining working rights in Germany

Hi all,

I am a caucasian South African network engineer working in the enterprise communications industry with my main focus on Avaya communications systems.

I am looking for an opportunity to live and work in Germany. I need a few pointers to assist me with getting employment and a working visa. I've read on the subject and according to what I could find you need employment before you can get a working visa, but then again, companies aren't keen on giving you employment without a working visa, so where do you start? Apparently, Germany has an IT skills shortage, so it shouldn't be hard for me to find employment, but yet I need assistance to start. I've send my CV to some companies already, but it's as if they just ignore it when they see I'm from South Africa.

I am not in a situation where I can quit my job and go to Germany for a long holiday to try and find work. I would preferably be sure of employment before I quit my current job.

I am in the process of learning German. It is kind of close to my native language (Afrikaans, some call it a dialect of Dutch), and I'm progressing quite smooth, so language shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks in advance for any advice