DOMESTIC workers say they are not slaves and want to be treated like any other worker in Mzansi.
They said they are tired of being unfairly treated and undermined by their employers.
In one of the recent incidents, a domestic worker was unfairly treated and abused, allegedly by Saudi Arabian people and an official.
The incident then prompted the angry domestic workers to march to the Saudi Arabia Embassy before marching to the Union Buildings in Tshwane on Saturday, 5 August.
According to Pinky Mashiane, president of United Domestic Workers of South Africa, the unfair treatment and abuse from their employers is of great concern.
"One of our members was sexually abused by three members - a mother, son and a father who is a Saudi Arabian diplomatic. The incident started in 2020 in Tshwane until she was unfairly dismissed in 2022," she said.
Mashiane said they're sending a strong message to the alleged abusers because they know there is diplomatic immunity, which makes them do as they wish to their domestic workers.
"We will stand with domestic workers. The government is quite about what we go through daily. We want these abusers to be arrested," she said.
Mashiane also said no to pit bulls and such dogs should not be allowed as pets in Mzansi. Corlett Letlojane, executive director at Human Rights Institute of South Africa, said that domestic workers are like any worker employed in private or public institutions and deserve to be treated with dignity.
"Treat a person with human dignity. No one is subjected to inhumane and degrading or even torture. Working conditions matter. Don't subject people to danger. Don't ill-treat and enslave people," she said.
She said domestic workers are not meant to be tossed around.
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Khethiwe Motaung, a member of Black Woman Caucus, said they are supporting domestic workers.
"I want domestic workers to be treated fairly because they are our helpers. I don't want them to be undermined," she said.
Olu-K Domestic Services said: "I want to see fairness. Normally domestic workers are not treated fairly. They must be treated as house managers."
Domestic worker Veronica Simon (57) said: "In our jobs, there is no security as mostly we don't have a pension fund."
Another domestic worker, Nosipho Mkhwanazi (42), said: "We are unfairly treated by our employers and the painful thing is that we are undermined.
Mashiane said no one came to receive the domestic workers' memorandum at the Saudi Arabia Embassy.
However, Adelaide Mashele from the Presidency at the Union Buildings received their memorandum.
