Durban — For years, Nomusa Mbhele has toiled as a domestic worker in Chatsworth, south of Durban, but her meagre salary is still far below the minimum wage prescribed for domestic workers in the country.
Mbhele is among the 46% of domestic workers in South Africa who struggle to make ends meet as they still earn less than the legally prescribed minimum wage.
This was part of the damning findings by SweepSouth – an online agency which focuses on issues affecting domestic workers and also connects employers with domestic workers.
The National Minimum Wage (NMW) set the minimum wage for the scores of domestic workers in SA at R27.58 per hour, which is R220.64 a week and R4 633.44 per month.
However, Mbhele from the uMlazi H section, who has worked in Chatsworth for over 15 years, said this was a far cry from what she was earning.
“I don’t think I’ll ever earn such money. The people we work for are clear that if you raise issues regarding salaries and working conditions, they throw you out and look for another domestic worker,” she told Daily News.
Adding to the woes, were the poor working conditions, said Mbhele.
Another domestic worker, from the uMlazi G section, who did not want to be named either, bemoaned the lack of improvement in the sector.
“Nothing is changing despite the many laws we hear on the radio regarding us. We still work long hours under very difficult working conditions, but we get paid peanuts,” she said.
Chatsworth is a haven for low-level job-seekers from uMlazi because of the close proximity between the two places.
The report, dubbed “Pay and Working Conditions for Domestic Workers”, which was released this week, paints a grim picture of these workers.
A total of 5 600 domestics – aged between 21 and 41 – participated in the survey on which the report was based.
“When distinguishing between domestic workers based on their specific tasks, those who care for children and cook, do better, with monthly median incomes of R3 464 and R3 463 respectively,” read the report.
It found employers in the Western Cape paid significantly better at R3 557 than those in Gauteng, who largely paid their domestics R3 291.
In the rest of the country – including KZN – things were even worse for with incomes of R2 659 per month for at least five days a week.
Domestic workers who care for the elderly have median earnings of R3 324, and cleaners earn R3 348 per month, read the report.
“Those who work full time for one person do better than piece workers with different employers. They earn R3 702 and R3 250, respectively,” it added. Amid the high cost of living, domestic workers were on the receiving end of tough economic pressures.
The report found that respondents spent 38% of their income on accommodation and 37% on food.
Transportation consumed 18% of it, and electricity 11%. Their expenses exceed their income by about R870 a month.
“The pressure on domestic workers is immense considering that more than eight out of every 10 are breadwinners. Nearly seven of every 10 households have only one income, and each household consists of at least four people,” read the report.
Lourandi Kriel, CEO of SweepSouth, said: “This deep-seated financial stress has a significant impact on the mental health of domestic workers too. Some 16% of respondents reported a decline in the past year, primarily due to unemployment, financial stress, and family problems.
“The figures outlined make for sobering reading. They also underline how critical economic reform will be if South Africa is to be a mentally healthy country where all inhabitants live in comfortable dignity,” she said.
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