“How Much Are You Paying Your Domestic Worker?”: Woman’s Video Sparks Salary Debate

• A South African woman posted a TikTok questioning whether R500 a month for four visits was fair pay for domestic workers
• She broke down the figures to R125 per day after spotting a property owners' group advertising domestic help at that rate
• Viewers flooded the comments sharing their own domestic worker salaries, with figures ranging from R240 a day to R10,500 a month

A South African woman ignited a heated conversation online after calling out what she described as shockingly low pay for domestic workers. TikToker @trudyjama posted the video on 15 September 2026, and it quickly drew thousands of responses from employers and domestic workers alike.

What South Africans are actually paying

In the clip, she described coming across a post in a property owners' group advertising domestic help at R500 a month for four weekly visits. Breaking that down, she pointed out that the rate amounted to just R125 per visit, which she found difficult to justify for cleaning large multi-bedroom apartments.

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She said she had checked Google's statutory minimum wage figures and noted that while she personally hires help for fewer days, she does so based on what she can afford to pay responsibly. The video opened the floor for a wide-ranging salary discussion. Domestic workers and employers shared figures that varied dramatically, revealing just how inconsistent pay is across households.

Watch the TikTok video that started the salary debate below:

Mzansi shares their numbers

The range of salaries shared in the comments, from R125 per visit to over R10,000 a month, highlighted the enormous gap in how domestic work is valued across South African households and reignited questions about fair pay in the sector. The comments section became a space for candid, sometimes surprising disclosures:

@GUGUMSOEIPoultryFarmer said:

"I pay my helper R4,000; it's not in line with the minimum wage regulation. I guess I must tell her to go because I'm exploiting her at this rate 😅."

@NokuthulaOkunieNto shared:

"R5,000 for staying in. It's a four-bedroom house with three kids aged 4, 13 and 18, and me. I get the second weekend off."

@Lani wrote:

"Mine gets R2500 a month. She comes 3 days a week; she only cleans and irons (for me). It's my younger sister and I in the house."

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@Mangor, who works as a domestic worker herself, shared her arrangement:

"I'm an aunty, neh. I get R240 a day, R290 taxi fare every week. I don't iron; they have someone who comes once a week for ironing. Because I do cooking, they always tell me to dish up for me and my child so that I don't have to cook when I get home."

@NdalaViVi weighed in:

"It's R300 per day; that's fair."

@PYAISE offered perhaps the most eye-catching figure:

"My mom gets R10,500, and she also gets a yearly increase of R500."

3 Briefly News articles about domestic workers

• A university graduate publicly honoured her household's domestic worker on graduation day for her vital support and later surprised her at home with a new smartphone.
• A local woman detailed how her helper took her car without permission, got into an accident, and injured her child, who was in the car with her, leaving Mzansi in awe.
• South African domestic workers and gardeners went viral after lightheartedly exposing funny quirks and demands of their employers.

Source: Briefly News