The Star reports that as Sa observes the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic workers are still bearing woeful scars of unemployment.

On Sunday during a virtual meeting ahead of International Women's Day on Monday, scores of domestic workers affiliated to the Domestic Workers Rising Movement recounted how homeowners used the Covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to fire them, leaving scores jobless and without a cent to survive their ordeal. Most were not even registered with the Department of Labour and had no access to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF). Of the 2.2 million jobs that were lost in the second quarter of 2020, 250,000 were domestic workers, the majority of whom were black women and low-wage workers in precarious jobs. They urged Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi to set up a team of labour inspectors who would visit private homes and estates in SA to ensure that workers were fully registered by their employers. Recounting their pain, Pinky Mashiane said the outbreak of Covid-19 and the introduction of the lockdown severely affected the livelihoods of domestic workers. They were home without pay, but could not access the Covid-19 Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (Ters) because most of the domestic workers were not registered with the Department of Labour.   The situation worsened for these aggrieved workers who had no avenue to solve their problems because Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) offices were closed. Adding to their pain, some domestic workers in employment were not allowed to visit their families as their bosses told them that they did not want to contract Covid-19.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Baldwin Ndaba at Independent Media

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