Madams help themselves on eve of pay rise
LINDIWE Osazuwa keeps her home in tip-top shape — without a domestic worker.
The working mother ditched her domestic help after it became too costly and stressful for her to provide a salary, food and accommodation.
Instead, she and her husband and son divide the household duties to eliminate the need for a domestic worker.
Osazuwa is one of a growing number of South Africans who are cutting back on or cutting out their domestic help to trim burgeoning living costs.
From December 1, South Africans will have to pay their domestics — in major cities — a monthly salary of R2 422.54, up from R2 230.70.
If they work more than 27 hours a week, an hourly rate of R12.42 will apply, up from R11.44, and a weekly rate of R559.09, up from R514.82.
Even before the Department of Labour’s stipulated wage increase, domestic workers were finding themselves among the ranks of the unemployed.
According to Stats SA’s recent year-on-year data, 24 000 domestic workers have lost their jobs. It is understood that South Africa has just under a million domestic workers, and about 450 000 are unregistered.
The latest Old Mutual Savings & Investment Monitor indicated that working metropolitan households are under pressure and looking at ways to reduce expenses and manage their finances better.
South Africans, according to the monitor, are cutting back or thinking of cutting back on spending across a wide range of categories, including holidays, entertainment and shopping.
Nearly two-thirds of responfewer dents said they might consider cutting back on having a domestic worker or gardener.
Myrtle Witbooi, general secretary of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers’ Union, has found that tough economic times have resulted in domestics being employed. “People are cutting back, there’s no doubt. The thing is, we need our jobs and we need a decent wage to survive. But unfortunately, this increase still does not make it a decent wage for our workers.”
Cleaning service SweepSouth has seen an increase in households opting for part-time domestics. Co-founder Aisha Pandor said: “There’s definitely a trend towards this type of work arrangement and we fill in those gaps for them.”
Pandor said cost-cutting and people living in smaller homes have resulted in cutbacks.
Her service — clients are charged R38 an hour — is popular with those who want a domestic worker weekly.
“People who can’t afford the increase in December will just pay the same amounts to their domestic workers, who may just stay with these employers as they believe they may not find alternative work,” said Pandor.
“From our interviews with domestic workers, we’ve found that there is a high rate of nonadherence to the minimum wage, not only because people don’t want to increase the amounts they pay, but because many simply can’t afford it.”
Working mother Revashini Naidoo has had two domestic workers for 12 years at a cost of around R6 000 a month.
She now regards it as a “luxury” and will be letting one go.
“The kids have grown up and can fend for themselves. It’s unaffordable to have two domestic workers these days.”
This increase still does not make it a decent wage for our workers