“This Is True”: Domestic Worker Shares Realities of Her Job and Hopes for a Better Future, SA Moved

• A domestic worker shared a heartfelt story during her lunch break about the tough things she faced on the job daily
• She posted the candid chat on TikTok to express the harsh treatment and unhygienic situations she's dealt with
• Mzansi peeps fell for her, showing love in the comments and sharing advice, encouragement and similar struggles
• Briefly News spoke to Ausie Malebo, a local domestic worker, about the complexities of her job

A hardworking woman opened up about how rough it was being a domestic worker and how she was trying to push for a better future by joining a network marketing business.

The lady, TikTok user @mrs.k905, shared her clip on the platform, attracting floods of comments from sympathetic social media users.

The cleaner vents about her harsh job

In the video, @mrs.k905 is seated during her lunch break, still dressed in her full cleaning uniform. She calmly begins by saying they work hard for the money they earn, and immediately gets into the uncomfortable side of her job. She explains how cleaners often deal with people not flushing after doing number twos, wiping snot on the shower walls, and even leaving used sanitary towels for them to dispose of.

She talks about how bosses can be cold, mentioning that some do not greet them back, and others throw their clothes around for cleaners to pick up. Despite everything, she still carries herself with pride and shares how she's joined the Forever Living business in hopes of improving her life.

Watch the TikTok video below:

Working as a domestic worker

The Briefly News team spoke with Ausie Malebo, a local domestic worker with many years of experience, about the intricacies of her job. We asked him what the most difficult part of her job as a domestic worker was. She shared:

"For me, the hardest part is having a boss who doesn't communicate properly. Instead of correcting small things as they happen, they keep quiet, and then one day explode about everything.

It makes the environment tense because I'm never sure if I'm doing things right or wrong. I appreciate clear directions when something isn't done to their liking, not silence followed by sudden anger."

The team asked the lady if she's ever experienced disrespect at work. Malebo responded:

"Yes, I've experienced it in small ways that add up. There was a boss who used to speak to me rudely whenever she got into an argument with her husband. Luckily, it wasn't often, and shame, she'd feel bad and make up for it with a gift.

I learnt not to take it personally, but when she did it, it would hurt sometimes, I'm not going to lie.

When asked how she takes care of her mental health after a stressful day at work, the domestic worker responded:

"I talk to my older sister or friends in the same industry. Sometimes I write in my diary or listen to gospel music to calm down. Talking helps a lot, especially when you've been holding it in all day.

SA motivates the woman

The video attracted floods of comments from social media users who dropped messages of strength and love for the cleaner. Many lambasted those who ill-treated domestic workers, saying they know what's right from what is wrong.

Some said they could relate, motivating her to use her business as an exit strategy. Others, however, were motivated to finish their qualifications and get better jobs, scared they'd be in similar situations if they dropped out.

User @bettyhlabangana52 said:

"Upgrade yourself, sisi, let this cleaning job be a stepping stone."

User @user9581484449424 shared:

"Askies darling, kuzulunga keep pushing."

User @Cetshwayo kaMpande added:

"Into embi is that bonke labantu who do izinto ezinje, abazenzi (the sad thing is that all these people who do such things don't do them) if they don't have helpers. This is intentional abuse."

User @beverlytloome commented:

"This is painful to hear, and those toilets are free at the mall, I guess this free toilet thing must come to an end, people who don't want to pay are the ones doing this, eish askies sister."

User @Sony shared

"This is true."

User @Mmabatho Octavia said:

"Eish, some of them are disrespectful. shem, hai, it's hard to be a cleaner mmmmm, I know the feeling."

3 Briefly News articles about cleaners

• A young man with a college qualification shared a post apologising to his mother for ending up as an aircraft cleaner, after she spent money taking him to school.
• A domestic worker shared a hack for cleaning sneakers that uses a mixture of toothpaste, bicarbonate of soda, and Sunlight dishwashing liquid.
• A teacher jokingly wanted to quit her job and apply to be a cleaner in parliament, after learning they earned R30K.

Source: Briefly News