Cape Town - There is a serious shortage of Department of Labour inspectors to deal with mounting cases of domestic workers being abused by their employers.
This is according to SA Domestic Services and Allied Workers Union general secretary Myrtle Witbooi.
The plight of domestic workers came under the spotlight when the City’s Social Development and Early Childhood Development Department highlighted a case where a 19-year-old, lured by an agency to Cape Town with the promise of a job, ended up destitute after being kicked out by her employers.
Mayco member for Social Development and Early Childhood Development Suzette Little said in some of the worst cases, domestic workers were expected to sleep on a mattress in the garage.
“There are also reports of domestic workers exposed to sexual abuse by employers. It’s like they live in captivity,” said Little.
The teenager, from the Northern Cape, claimed she was evicted when she complained about her long working hours.
Fortunately the department and the Haven Night Shelter arranged for her safe return home.
Witbooi said abuse of domestic workers by employers was a problem they had been dealing with for years.
“We find many of these cases in the Athlone and Grassy Park areas.
“These girls from rural areas are brought here in taxis.
“When they end up on the streets and are helped to go back home, it’s not long before they are on the next taxi to Cape Town, desperate for work,” said Witbooi.
Witbooi said because there were so few inspectors in the Department of Labour, cases were often not dealt with when abused domestic workers reported them.
“The department officials send these girls with a letter to give their employer.
“How can they go back to the very person many of them ran away from and fear?” asked Witbooi.
She said many unscrupulous agencies were becoming wealthy because it was so easy to “create” a legitimate recruitment agency.
“These girls trust them because they live in poverty and have no education.
“They also know nothing about labour laws and, in some cases, they will work for seven days straight.
“On paper we have the best labour laws, but it means nothing if you don’t understand them and are then exploited,” said Witbooi. The little free time these girls did get, they often used to drink alcohol and engage in substance abuse; and those who couldn’t take the working conditions anymore end up living on the streets.
But Department of Labour spokesperson Mokgadi Pela described the lack of inspectors as a “blanket statement”.
“There are never enough inspectors, but this is the case in many other departments.
“If an incident is reported, the inspector deals with it directly and employees do not have to face their employers again.
“We deal with domestic worker reports in the same way we would any other profession,” said Pela.
Pela said where there were reports of under-handed agencies. the department did investigate and would not hesitate to shut them down.
Cape Times