This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)

When we moved 2 years ago, our new ‘ landlord ‘ asked whether we were interested in employing  Maggie, the domestic worker for two days per week. This seemed to be a simple question, but I noticed that as a Dutchie I found the answer quite complex. In South Africa it is quite normal to hire a domestic helper for several days a week. In many cases, these people live in the surrounding townships and travel up and down every day. On our estate, however, many helpers ‘live-in’ with the family. They often inhabit a space next to the house. If you move from the Netherlands to South Africa then this is something you need to get used to. It remains strange to hire someone for domestic work, which we can do as well, such as vacuuming or doing the dishes. But that’s not just it. All these domestic workers are black and they are wearing an uniform. Despite the abolition of apartheid, you get the feeling that the white madam with her black helper still exists.

 At the same time, all these people have a job and an income. And that makes it so complex. If people would decide not to hire a domestic any more than a lot of families would be without income. The simple question of employing Maggie for two days per week is for that reason so difficult. There’s just not enough work for 16 hours. Our home is as big as our apartment in Rotterdam and you’re done cleaning in 3 to 4 hours. But if I decide not to employ her, she will lose 40% of her income and living on ‘welfare’ is quite a different thing here in South Africa then it is in Holland. I don’t feel responsible for Maggie’s income, but still… Without this two-day job, she really can’t make a living. We finally opted for the ‘polder’ solution: Maggie works 1 day a week and often I ask her to work a second day. Fortunately, after a few months, she finds another job for 1 day a week and so she earns the same as before.

 Maggie originally comes from Rustenburg and has been living in Diepsloot for several years now. Diepsloot is a township 15 minutes’ drive from our house. Her husband is unemployed and stays in Rustenburg. Every month she goes up and down to see him. This costs her R300. When I ask her why he doesn’t live here in Diepsloot, I don’t really get an answer (hmm, yes, well, long story….). I would think that it’s much nicer to see each other on a daily bases than on a monthly bases and it saves R300. In addition, she may be able to help him get a job as a gardener and he can also generate income. And that would be nice because Maggie has big dreams. She would like to build a house in Rustenburg and then get away from Diepsloot, get away from Johannesburg and enjoy her pension.  

Maggie and I have had several conversations about her dream. She wants to build a house with 8 rooms. Excuse me? How many? My first question is: why eight rooms? Is two not enough to start with? Currently she lives in a shack without a bathroom. As if I wanted to move from our apartment at the second floor in Rotterdam to a villa in Het Gooi. Quite an impossible assignment, regardless of the fact that I have no ambition to become a ‘lady from Het Gooi’. How the hell is she going to finance this? Maggie indicates that she already bought a plot so she only needs to save money for stones. It’s like we’re playing the game Settlers of Catan.  

In the months that follow I ask her regularly about her plans. After several months she finally talked to a contractor. A house with two rooms can be built for R25.000-R30.000. Wow! That’s like 7,5 times her monthly wages, around 2000 EUR. That’s a lot of money but then you’ve got something! And a whole different story then in the Netherland where you have a mortgage for 30 years. I start dreaming along with Maggie.

 But that dreams can be deceitful becomes clear a few months later. Maggies’ husband gets very sick. He suddenly can’t walk any more and has a lot of pain in his legs. He needs to be admitted to the hospital. At first, it doesn’t look good, but luckily he gets well. However, all their money went to the hospital. They can’t afford medical aid. It’s really feels like Settlers of Catan: someone just threw 7 and the bush rover made you lose everything. Bye, bye, house…