VICTORY FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS

The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria handed down a ruling that the exclusion of domestic workers in the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (Coida) was unconstitutional, the United Domestic Workers of SA (Udwosa) said yesterday.

This came after Maria Mahlangu’s family were told they could not be compensated as Mahlangu’s dependants because domestic workers were excluded from the benefits of the act.

Mahlangu was a domestic worker for 22 years when she drowned in her employer’s pool.

Her employers offered her daughter, Bongi Mahlangu, R5 000 as compensation.

The co-founder of Udwosa, Pinky Langa, said the exclusion of domestic workers from the act was essentially about the exclusion of and disregard for the value of domestic labour and the dignity and rights of workers.

“The victory at the high court today signalled the beginning of positive change for over 1 million workers in South Africa,” she said.

Langa said, with the union’s help, domestic workers were finally getting justice.

“While we celebrate the inclusion of domestic workers in Coida, the journey is still long as we look toward a positive ruling on retrospectivity…

“The Constitutional Court of South Africa will hand down the final ruling on it.

“We forge ahead with the struggle for equality, equity and justice for all domestic workers.

“We invite organisations to pledge support in helping to amplify the upcoming case on retrospectivity and for compliance the inclusion in Coida,” said Langa. | African News Agency (ANA)