adminFor long relegated to frugal meals, black tea and inordinate working hours, maids feel the ill-treatment has become viral and it is time to take action.
Every Sunday, a common off day for domestic workers, they sit in the park or in groups sharing experiences of the past working week and plot to exact their revenge. But this is not a one-size-fits-all affair.
There are some maids who have sweet things to tell about their employers. Whether you like it or not, there is an undeclared war being waged between maids and their employers in the communities in which we live.
It’s a real cat-and-mouse affair. Here is a deal in which one party cannot do without the other though everything is shrouded in mistrust.
“Sisi,” “Musikana webasa,” “Musevenzi,” “Mushandi,” “Punha,” “Kitchen technician,” “Mudomestic” and “Spoon and turner” are names that are generally used in reference to maids.
“Don’t talk to me like that I am not a maid. Usada kundijairira,” women often tell their husbands as if being a domestic worker dictates that one be treated like a second class citizen.
“Iwe ibva apo. Saka amai vako vari musikana webasa,” at times you hear children hurling insults at each other in the ghetto.
What they fail to realise is that maids are workers like any other who deserve pay, good working conditions and generous time off to relax with family and relatives.
Some maids who are lucky are treated as children in the homes in which they serve. Such maids are allowed to study, watch television and have normal working shifts. However, this is not the state of affairs for the rest. Hiring someone to serve in their homes has apparently elevated some people to gods. They now walk with a chip above their shoulders and appear keen to order everyone around as if they rely on their thin pockets for survival.
Most domestic workers are treated like slaves. They are not allowed to taste the beef they stew. Eggs to them are alien. The only time they can have to taste such luxury is when the cat is away. Some maids end up developing eating disorders like enjoying hot food or eating in the toilet. Vari patight sesokisi rehuku rinoda
mvura inopisa.
Working hours for most maids are not well-defined.
They do almost everything for the employer except visiting the toilet on their behalf. A good number of employers make it their business to know the number of pieces of bread the maid eats and what she will be doing each time she visits the toilet.
These maids are not even allowed to answer the phone. They are always resplendent in their work attire even during weddings and parties perhaps for ease of
reference. The jealousy do this to ensure she will never capture the imagination of the father of the house and make her content with the post of being used.
Whenever a maid dresses well, she is immediately reminded to concentrate on her work and avoid dressing in a way likely to topple the mother of the house.
“Why do you spend much time in the bathroom. I do not pay you to wear a pretty face here. Your job is to serve and please stick to that,” some employers will tell their maid in full glare of people.
Even the way maids are introduced to relatives leaves a lot to be desired.
“Uyu ndiSpiwe anotishandira,” “Sekuru uyu ndiNoma ibhoyi rangu,” or “Musikana wedu webasa,” some people will tell you.
Countless employers hire out their maids to friends and relatives even though they do not pay handsomely.
“Musanetseke zvenyu ambuya. Ndirikutumira musikana webasa kuzokubatsirai kukohwa. I am sure she will fare very well there because she can’t even cook,” you hear some employers saying to each other on the phone.
Maids are being raped wantonly at their places of work by their employers’ husbands and children, but the cases are swept under the carpet until such a time when she will be asked to leave.
Some people have the temerity to invite their unmarried friends and relatives to try their luck on the maid.
“You should pay us a visit this weekend. Tine chimushandi chinegumbo nemazino akachena kuti ngwe-ee. Munongouya tobva tangokusiyai muri vaviri pamba,” some people shamelessly tell their relatives.
No matter how well a maid cooks, all she gets is a half-hearted thank you. The mother of the house takes all credit. If the Copyright Act was applied here, I am sure most employers would be found guilty.
Being a good cook can also be danger to her because it raises her chances of being hired out to weddings and parties for very little or even no reward at all. Some married men are so evil that they shove their hands into the young girl’s dress leaving her confused whether to scream, cry or hit the bald head with a pot.
Employers have crude tales to tell about maids.
Some spend time seeking ways to tighten their grip, plug food leakages and remain in control of their homes. On the other hand, maids will be trying every trick in the book to ensure the employer comes second best. They even go to the extent of consulting traditional healers to remain on the job and to ensure their survival tactics are not exposed Mutambo wemujecha chaiwo.
But what’s the bone of contention?
Well, gentle reader, the moment you hire a domestic worker you would have entered a contract never to agree with someone. It’s a cat and mouse affair.
The way you live may be nonsensical to your maid and half the time she wishes she were in your position and use the resources you have a bit wisely.
“Kungoti handina kudzidza chete, but matambisiro anoita vanhu ava mari haaite. Vachademba nerimwe zuva,” you hear maids saying of their employers while basking in the sun in the ghettos.
Some use the time you will be away to sift through all your documents just to get to know you more clearly and assess whether or not you keep goblins in the closet. This is why sometimes you find important documents in drawers you never put them.
Some maids use the time you will be away at work to put on your clothes just to have a feel of the opulent life you lead. She feels as a human being she has a right to put on that leather jacket and burrow into that expensive electric blanket. Maids also want to taste wine and prepare themselves and their boyfriends delicious dishes you enjoy.
But is it okay to take that which does not belong to you. Gentle reader, a defeated soul comes hard when exacting revenge. Newspapers are awash with stories of maids who infect their employers’ children with veneral diseases just to spite the parents.
As I commit pen to paper gentle reader, some maids are now married by men they used to work for after they provided the boss with a real warm shoulder to lean on. If the mother of the house is into boyfriends, it can be disaster the moment the maid discovers it because she will just leak to the husband.
Maids can be dangerous if not treated well. They can behave like veld fire or worse than a loose cannon.
Inotambika mughetto.
Online Reporter