A domestic worker hangs out the washing on a farm in Swartland, South Africa. South Africa’s domestic work sector has long been characterised by a high degree of informality and poor adherence to labour regulations.
Thulie Mbatha wakes up at 4am every weekday to catch the first bus from Soweto, the township where she lives, to Sandton, an affluent suburb located to the north of Johannesburg in South Africa. Soweto and Sandton are a quintessential tale of two cities. Sandton is where the city’s wealthy and famous reside; where residents rely on domestic helpers to handle household tasks. Soweto, one of the city’s oldest townships, is dominated by small, old houses that are occupied by low-income families. Here, electricity is scarce and crime rampant.
Mbatha is a nanny to three children and handles all the domestic chores associated with keeping a 14-room mansion tidy and clean. A member of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union (SADSAWU), which is affiliated with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), Mbatha benefited from a 20 per cent minimum wage increase in March. “Domestic workers have been exploited for a long time. We are glad our voices are now becoming louder and strong enough to draw the authorities’ attention,” says Mbatha.
Under the new adjustment, the national minimum wage for each hour worked increased from 21.7 rand (1.23) to 23.2 rand (1.31) as part of an annual adjustment for inflation and increased cost of living. For...
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