“It Puts Food On The Table”: Domestic Worker Works 8 Hours While Balancing Social Media Fame
- Zimbabwean-born Beauty Katiyo, also known as Gogo Mujubheki online, works as a housekeeper and nanny in Bedfordview, Johannesburg
- While the domestic worker works an eight-hour shift, she still finds time to get much-needed rest and create content on her massive social media platform
- In an exclusive interview with Briefly News, Beauty has been recognised for her hard work as a domestic worker and was selected as a participant for the Briefly News 2025 Women of Wonder: The Real Housekeepers of Mzansi initiative
Source: UGC
Beauty Katiyo, who uses the name Gogo Mujubheki on social media, is a proud 43-year-old Zimbabwean domestic worker from Orange Grove, Johannesburg.
A self-described hard worker taking on a taxing job, she has been recognised by Briefly News for this year's Women of Wonder: The Real Housekeepers of Mzansi initiative in honour of Women's Month.
Beauty, who grew up in a small village in the Zimbabwean township of Murewa, shared that she is a divorced, single mother of two children. She became a domestic worker in 2010, a year after her divorce, as she had no other source of income to support her family. Now, 15 years in the profession, Beauty not only does domestic work but is also a nanny.
When asked what her children think of her profession (as it is often looked down upon), she told Briefly News that it was challenging for her family at first, adding:
PAY ATTENTION: stay informed and follow us on Google News!
"With maturity and knowing that it puts food on the table, they have adapted to it."
The benefits of being a hard worker
When it comes to domestic work, the women ensuring that our homes are spick and span often receive mistreatment from their employers. Not for Beauty. She stated that her current boss, whom she met through an agency where she did her domestic and nanny training, makes her feel valued and supported.
She is grateful to her boss for giving her a chance to put her kids through school:
"I am a hard worker, because my boss is the one paying for my children's school fees."
Source: UGC
The above can be deemed a significant perk, as not all domestic workers' salaries can cover their loved ones' expenses, and not all employers see the need to support their housekeepers in such a grand way.
It also comes as no surprise that Beauty's employers would show such generosity. She told Briefly News that she had significantly impacted her second family's well-being after her boss had been struggling to balance her work with her family life.
Beauty revealed to the publication:
"One day, she realised that her family's well-being was suffering as a result of her overwhelming schedule.
"As a housekeeper, I helped her create a manageable routine, prioritise self-care, and find ways to spend quality time with her kids.
"By implementing these changes, my boss felt more in control, and her family noticed a positive shift in their dynamic."
While creating a schedule worked out for Beauty's employer, the work doesn't stop there. She states that she works an eight-hour shift in Bedfordview, an upscale suburb that is an 11-minute drive away from her home.
Beauty gave a breakdown of what her own schedule looked like for her typical working day:
- 7am-7:30am: Preparing breakfast for the kids before school.
- 7:30am-8am: Dropping the kids off at school.
- 8am-10am: Doing the dishes and cleaning the house.
- 10am-10:15am: Eating breakfast.
- 10:15am-12pm: Washing clothes and sheets.
- 12pm-1pm: Shopping at the local mall.
- 1pm-2pm: Break.
- 2pm-3pm: Fetching the kids from school.
- 3pm: Taking a small break before going home.
Briefly News asked Beauty how she overcomes the day's exhaustion, to which she replied:
"When I'm done with work, I make sure I get at least 30 minutes to rest before I go home. Once I get home, I also make sure to sleep early to maximise my resting hours."
Beauty Katiyo as Gogo Mujubheki
As busy as she is, Beauty still finds time to create online content as Gogo Mujubheki, sharing her knowledge with the world. The popular content creator has over a million internet users following her Facebook account, where she shares home remedies and words of wisdom and encouragement.
Speaking about how she got the name, she revealed:
"It's actually my children and my sister who gave me that name. Mujubheki is a name derived from the word 'Johannesburg' and my mom. When I go home to Zimbabwe, they would say, 'Gogo Mujubheki', meaning that I'm getting old in Johannesburg."
Take a look at one of Beauty's home remedies in the Facebook post below:
Beauty Katiyo's message for the people
Explaining what defines her, the hardworking and determined woman noted that she was more than just a housekeeper. As a nanny, she is also a second parent to the kids at her place of work and a personal assistant to her employers.
Beauty had some parting words for the public:
"Loyalty is the key to this job as it creates trust between the boss and the domestic worker. Furthermore, discussing issues with the boss is very important to create a better relationship."
Her message to those walking a similar path?:
"Let's keep going! We will go far."
3 More Briefly News Women of Wonder: The Real Housekeepers of Mzansi participants
- Like Beauty, popular TikTok user Laiza Moyo also has a strong social media presence. She transformed from a high school pupil cleaning her teachers' cottages to becoming a respected House Executive.
- Johannesburg-based domestic worker Nelia Ngulube found sweet success when she started selling her homemade rusks, which sell out every single week.
- Ntha Sawa, a dedicated single mother of three, takes pride in her work and remains hardworking despite the challenges of a low salary.
Source: Briefly News
