IN SHORT: A post circulating on Facebook claims hospitals in all nine provinces in South Africa are urgently looking for cleaners. But the job ad is fake, and the link to apply is not from a trustworthy site.
“Hospital cleaners needed urgently!!! Must have ABET or Grade 10-12. Salary of R8 070 pm. Must be available Immediately,” reads a Facebook post republished widely in May and June 2025. It claims that positions are available in all nine provinces, and includes what appears to be a photo of a printed-out ad from the national Department of Health.
But the post directs people to apply for the job through an unverified website or to send a Whatsapp text. The advert has been shared on Instagram and on various other Facebook pages and community groups, some of which have thousands of followers. With its wide reach and persuasive language, the post may seem convincing. But it is a scam.
A common scam pattern
This post looks and sounds like other fake job ads that Africa Check has debunked before. It offers a high salary, and requires minimal qualifications – just adult basic education and training, or ABET, or grade 10 to 12. It does not mention which hospital is hiring, what the job description includes or application deadlines. There are also no contact details of government or official bodies in the ad.
Scam posts like this often try to make people excited and hopeful. They also often use simple language to reach as many people as possible and say jobs are open “nationwide”, to attract more applicants.
No such job ad on official platforms
There is no record of this job advert on the Department of Health’s website, the Department of Public Service and Administration job portal, or any provincial government career site. In South Africa, legitimate government job vacancies are advertised on these official platforms, not on third party websites with no connection to any government department.
Hospitals and public institutions do not use websites such as surfind.co.za for recruitment. If you can’t find a job on a government or official hospital site, and especially if no contact details or reference numbers are listed, the ad should not be trusted.
Scams like this want your clicks and personal info
The post tells people to apply through the website surfind.co.za. Websites like this are often used in scams to collect personal information or earn money through clicks and ads. Some may even ask for “application fees” or personal details that can be used to scam you or steal your identity.
Africa Check has warned people about similar job scams before and has written a guide on how to spot fake job ads on Facebook. We have also explained how these scams are designed to trick and take advantage of job seekers.
Still not sure if a job ad is real? Let us know and we may look into it.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
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