The legacy of disproportionate spatial planning continues to impact one of the country’s most vulnerable worker groups – domestic workers – with transport being one of their biggest challenges.

Spending long hours commuting to faraway workplaces and back home, is costly in terms of time and money.

Transport costs for domestic workers have risen by 10% since 2023, according to the latest SweepSouth Report on Domestic Worker Pay and Work Conditions, placing their budgets under increased strain.

This pressure trickles down into a worker’s ability to pay for healthcare, save, invest in education, or pay off their debts.

Debt levels are still a concern among domestic workers, with 35% of those surveyed indicating that they owe money.

“What worries us even more is that one out of every three workers say their debt situation is hopeless,” says Luke Kannemeyer of SweepSouth.

Domestic workers want financial freedom but need the government’s support to achieve it.

This year 13% of workers say they have a form of savings or pension, up from 9% in 2023 and more workers are investing.

These gains are encouraging but must be considered in the context of three-quarters of respondents saying they do not make enough money to save.

This means the conditions needed for workers to lift themselves out of poverty and debt dependency are not improving fast enough.

Greater investments in infrastructure like public transportation are needed to create a more equitable, sustainable and just society for domestic workers in South Africa.

Transport doesn’t just hit the pocket, it defines quality of life

“A daily commute is not just about getting to work conveniently; it has a bearing on quality of life. A long commute affects finances, the activities one can partake in and their mental and physical health,” says Kannemeyer.

Many domestic workers rely on minibus taxis to get from their homes in townships to distant suburbs where they work. One study of domestic workers in the City of Tshwane’s Centurion suburb found that some workers live up to 102 kilometres away from work.

South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) envisions that by 2030 people should live closer to places of work and have safe and reliable ways to commute.

“With a quarter of domestic workers in our research spending more than an hour just commuting to work, it is clear that the lived experiences of domestic workers are still far from the standard envisioned by the NDP,” argues Kannemeyer.

Most domestic workers are the main breadwinners in their households, with 60% supporting four or more people at home. Increases in transportation and other costs hinders their ability to provide for their dependents.

For example, Statistics South Africa reported that 72% of learners who use public transport to get to school rely on minibus taxis. When taxis are unaffordable, walking to school is often the only alternative.

This can affect a child’s ability to pay attention in class. It also exposes children to other risks should they frequently walk without adults present.

For domestic workers, long commutes mean less time with family and no time for hobbies or furthering their education. When women, who make up 92% of this workforce, have to use multiple taxis to get home after dark they can be exposed to violence at taxi ranks.

The knock-on effects of increased transport costs

As financial pressure mounts everywhere, employers often resort to reducing their domestic worker’s hours or terminating their employment to save money.

This report found that fewer domestic workers (21%) are employed full-time with one client and almost four out of every five domestic workers have part-time roles across multiple households.

Thus, they may be travelling to multiple working locations in a single day. Part-time workers often have no-work-no-pay conditions imposed on them. Should they get sick, it is challenging to take the day off and get the medical care they need because losing a day’s wages is often unaffordable.

Additionally, trips to a clinic or hospital mean more travel costs which are difficult to cover when one has lost a day’s pay. State health facilities provide affordable or free healthcare, but their long queues also mean people wait many hours before seeing a doctor.

In this case, public transport and health infrastructure impose a dual burden on domestic workers.

“Working for multiple clients in a day is a response to shrinking hours. Other workers compensate by working longer days or even seven days a week,” notes Kannemeyer. He adds that this does not bode well for the 46% of helpers who earn below minimum wage.

Better transport, better life: Realising the NDP’s Vision

SweepSouth’s 2024 report shows that domestic workers spend about 18% of their income on transportation and their expenses exceed their income by about R870 each month. Without infrastructure change, domestic workers will continually be pushed to borrow so they can survive.

Research shows that minibus taxis cost domestic workers more than buses or trains would. It also reveals that workers could have lower monthly transport costs if buses or trains were more accessible, reliable and safe.

Policy research papers show that when bulk transport works well, it is easier to subsidise fares for lower-income individuals. Giving them time back to spend with their families and on their own wellness.

Subsidised public transport could also reduce car use and thus alleviate traffic congestion, lower air pollution, and reduce road fatalities. Better infrastructure would not just improve quality of life for domestic workers but for all commuters.

“If the NDP’s vision is to become reality, workers need affordable and safe transport. Employers could also use their economic and social capital to advocate for the people who keep their homes running and enable their career success,” said Kannemeyer.

Photo by Sipho Ndebele on Unsplash