South Africa’s domestic workers are currently facing a cost-of-living crisis as well as a significant decline in mental health. This is according to a recent study which shows that although earnings for domestic workers increased by %5 year-on-year, living costs have risen by a worrying 15%.
“Someone here is supposed to fight the law. We’re supposed to sing this issue of domestic workers as a song. We are supposed to make it a song. We’re supposed to have more campaigns,” she says. According to the seventh annual Sweep South Report, 83% of domestic workers in the country are breadwinners, and Eva Zoarder is one of them.
“Life is difficult now because I am no longer working. I am just sitting at home with no food. Many jobs now are looking for Standard 10, so with us if you don’t have that you can’t get a job easily, you now have to ask people to do their laundry and iron for them so you can have some money.”