A DAY IN
THE LIFE OF A
SOUTH
AFRICAN
MAID
AS TOLD TO SUSAN HAYDEN
'ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON THE BLOG
'DISCO PANTS AND A MOUNTAIN’
WWW.DISCOPANTSBLOG.COM
WHEN I GET TO WORK I CHANGE OUT OF MY CLOTHES AND INTO MY UNIFORM
I
wake up at 4:30am because
Catherine and Stuart [not their
real names] like me to serve
them their tea in bed in the morning,
and it takes a long time to get from
Khayelitsha to Camps Bay. The first
thing I do when I wake up is take a
bath and get dressed. Then, I get my
older children up, make them oats
for breakfast and get them dressed.
My son, who is 11, takes the baby,
who is one-and-a-half to crèche
by taxi in the morning. My other
daughter helps me feed and dress
her before she walks to school with
her friend. I have to leave my house
at 5:30am to make sure I am at work
PAGE 14 / NORTHERN HILLS / EASTER ISSUE 2015
“WHILE SHE IS
GONE I MAKE
HER BED, PICK
UP HER CLOTHES
AND SHOES
FROM THE FLOOR
(SHE IS MESSY,
THAT ONE) AND
PUT EVERYTHING
AWAY”
by 7:30am when they wake up.
Sometimes there is traffic or strikes
or the trains aren’t running properly,
and I get late. I have been late twice
already, and if I’m late a third time
Catherine is going to give me a
written warning.
When I get to work I change out
of my clothes and into my uniform.
The first thing I do is wash my hands,
put the kettle on and get the tea tray
ready. Once they have their tea and
rusks in bed, I go and wake the boy.
I look after two kids, a boy of three
and girl who is six months. The baby
will be with the night nurse. Then
the night nurse goes home. I get the
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ARTICLE / COMMUNITY