A tale of two domestic workers

WHILE the issue of minimum wage has been a talkingpoint for a while now, Gloria (not her real name), who is a domestic worker, thought it was only meant for people who had matriculated.

“I heard that there is an amount set by the government but I don’t know how much. I did not finish school,” she said.

Gloria is from Ixopo and has been living in Durban for over a year now at her employer’s house in Mariannhill, where she looks after the family’s 1-year-old daughter and attends to household chores.

She earns a salary of

R2 000 a month and in December got a 50% bonus plus groceries.

“I have kids at home that I need to support. We are a big family… I had been at home for some time with no income until I got this job,” said Gloria.

She said her boss, who did not want to be named, treated her well. Gloria said she got a weekend off once a month and was able to visit her children.

“In other months, I choose not to go and ask my boss to send money to my kids because going home is costly. I have to spend more money on transport,” she said.

Her boss said she paid Gloria as much as she could afford.

“I do understand that everything is costly but unfortunately at this point I can only afford to pay a salary of R2 000. I negotiated with her about the salary before she could start work and she agreed. When she is sick, I pay her doctor’s bills, and I have driven her (to her house in Ixopo),” she said.

Mpume Zondi, another domestic worker working in Balgowan in the Kwazulunatal Midlands, earns R3 000 a month and is registered on the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF).

Her employer, Wendy Zungu, said she was working towards increasing her salary to meet the proposed minimum wage of R3 500.

“I treat my helper the same way I treat my other staff in the business I run (a hospitality outfit),” said Zungu. She said Zondi had to apply for leave when she wanted to be away, and when sick had to produce a doctor’s sick note.

Zondi does not stay at her house full time, but comes in every day from Monday to Friday.

“Sometimes I ask her to work on weekends when we have visitors or when the children are back from boarding school. She then takes two days off midweek.”

Zondi said that although her salary was not enough to do everything she desired, she was at least able to support her children, aged 16, 11 and 3, and pay store accounts.

“I don’t know much about minimum wage but I know my employer does everything according to the law,” said Zondi.