At the other end of the spectrum, some African families living in Johannesburg are luring unskilled young black women to work for them, at salaries way below the legal minimum wage. Many are from rural areas, or from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and reside illegally in the South Africa.
Domestic workers who spoke to the Mail & Guardian say they sign no contracts and enjoy no employment benefits. Once their employers suspect them of “getting clever” — by challenging their working conditions — they kick them out without paying them. These women then stay with friends until they find another job.
Employers apparently promise a better life to these gullible women.
But their hope on arrival in Johannesburg quickly turns into resentment. Back home, the sound of cocks crowing signals the rush to get to the river first, before others spoil the clear water with their dipping cups. But in Johannesburg, the alarm clock ringing begins a marathon 15 hours of work, seven days a week.
Since Nontobeko Dlamini set foot in Johannesburg eight months ago she has dreaded each day. When the 24-year-old grade 11 dropout left Nongoma, in KwaZulu-Natal, the promise of working for a black family for R800 a month, with free accommodation, food and money to travel back home now and then, seemed attractive.
She had two aims: to try and improve her education and send money home regularly to help support her six-year-old child. However, her expectations soon turned into days of agony. “I wake up around 6.30am, prepare the child for crÃ