Apply for Cleaner Positions in Port Elizabeth: Pay, Benefits, and Tips

The Cleaner Career in Port Elizabeth

The city of Port Elizabeth offers great opportunities to work as a cleaner, with an average wage of R30 and good prospects for growth, even without experience.

Port Elizabeth, officially known as Gqeberha, is an important port and metropolitan center in the Eastern Cape province.

With a mild climate, beautiful beaches, and well-established urban infrastructure, the city has residential, commercial, and industrial areas that drive the service market, including professional cleaning.

In neighborhoods like Summerstrand, Walmer, and Missionvale, it is possible to find many hotels, clinics, offices, and residences, offering more job opportunities for cleaners.

How does the cleaner job work in the city?

The cleaner profession in Gqeberha involves a wide variety of environments: from shops, shopping centers, and hospitals to clinics, corporate offices, and private homes.

Main tasks include sweeping, mopping, cleaning bathrooms, taking out the trash, sanitizing kitchens, and common areas to maintain cleanliness and order.

Working hours can be part-time or full-time, depending on the employer’s needs and the professional’s availability. It is an essential occupation that cannot be replaced by technology, which is an important advantage in 2025.

According to Indeed, the average monthly salary of a cleaner in Port Elizabeth is R4,842, equivalent to approximately R30 per hour.

This is considered a very competitive range, especially for permanent jobs, and can vary or increase significantly if working in multiple locations or having long-term employment in the same place.

Main job offers

It is possible to find good office cleaning vacancies, especially in companies like Western Province Caterers or Cradock Life, which maintain high cleaning standards.

Other groups, such as Tsebo, offer positions that combine service and cleaning in food-related environments.

Therefore, looking for jobs in pharmacies, food service, healthcare, and offices can be very promising, particularly for those with experience in these areas.

Who can work?

To apply as a cleaner in Port Elizabeth, the following are usually required:

• Completed high school (Matric), essential for many positions.
• Basic English communication skills to follow instructions correctly.
• Organization, punctuality, and reliability in the workplace.
• Physical availability for repetitive tasks and flexible hours.
• Preferably living near the workplace, to facilitate attendance.

Even so, many vacancies accept candidates without experience, providing internal training — opening doors even for beginners.
Therefore, it can be a great entry point into professional life, allowing you to gain experience and reliability for future jobs.

How to apply

Follow these steps:

1. Access websites like Indeed, PNet, Adzuna, or Careers24 and search for terms like “cleaner Port Elizabeth” or “general assistant cleaning.”
2. Make your resume clear and objective — highlight availability, honesty, and any references you may have.
3. Apply online or deliver your resume in person to places such as clinics, offices, supermarkets, or private homes. Direct contact still matters a lot.
4. For interviews, be well-presented, punctual, and show sincere interest in learning and performing your duties well.

Tips for finding vacancies

• Use job site alerts to be notified as soon as new vacancies appear.
• Use keywords like “cleaner,” “general worker,” “housekeeping” combined with “Port Elizabeth” or neighborhoods like Walmer, Summerstrand, Central.
• Ask neighbors, friends, or local groups — many vacancies are circulated only within the community.
• Prefer neighborhoods with higher business and hospital traffic, such as Summerstrand and Walmer, as they have more vacancies.

The key is to be strategic to access the best opportunities and become a reliable worker.

Main challenges and opportunities

Working as a cleaner also has its challenges, such as arranging your work schedule.

Many employers, especially in private homes, may not offer full-time contracts, requiring the cleaner to organize a routine across multiple workplaces.

Physical demand is significant, as you will spend hours standing and performing repetitive tasks, which requires preparation.

Do not think the area is easy; despite the low qualification requirement, the market is often highly competitive, especially for newcomers.

However, it is a sector with constant demand that is not affected by automation, offering a good path for career growth, such as becoming a supervisor or working in specialized areas like hospital or corporate cleaning.

Want to work in other city?

The city of Randburg, in the Greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, offers a very large variety of job opportunities.

There, it is possible to find dozens of vacancies across different locations, and you can search for your opportunities.

Written by

Gabriel Gonçalves