Top Lawyer Clarifies How Much You Should Pay Your Maid or Gardener in Zimbabwe

Top Lawyer Clarifies Legal Minimum Wage for Domestic Workers in Zimbabwe

Top lawyer and former Minister of Energy and Power Development Fortune Chasi has shed light on the legal minimum wage for domestic workers, i.e., gardeners and maids in Zimbabwe.

This comes in response to a debate sparked by musician-turned-businessman Kuda Musasiwa, who argued against the widespread employment of home helpers in the country.

Also read: Zimbabweans Fume Over ‘Unrealistic’ Minimum Wage Amid Economic Struggles

Flaunt Weeekly “Zimbabweans Shouldn’t Have Maids”

Musasiwa stated that the concept of having maids is rooted in colonial traditions and perpetuated by many Zimbabweans despite being unaffordable or unnecessary for most households. He elaborated:

“The “maid” is a colonial construct, that the average black person has latched on to and perpetuated, despite not being able to: handle it, afford it and need it. Home help aka vasikana VeBasa, is quasi emotional and physical exploitation masked as employment. It’s often an opportunity for someone who has “arrived” to badly pay someone they can call at a whime to fetch them a drink from a fridge they are 2 metres away from. It’s an opportunity for people who have very little power in the real world to wield quasi power on people less fortunate , for a pittance.”

Flaunt Weeekly Maids Should Earn US$100 A Day

Musasiwa also criticized the low wages domestic workers receive compared to the demanding nature of their jobs. He argued:

“The average Home Helper should in any civilised nation earn about $50-$100 per day. I know this because when I was a Night porter at a UK Hotel, that was about the amount I earned in the early 2000s. In Zim, maids are often getting slave wages below $100 per month. (And NO you can’t count Accommodation and food as wages. They should get MORE for living in).”

Also read: Explainer: Zimbabwe’s US$150 Per Month Minimum Wage and Why It Excludes Domestic and Farm Workers

Flaunt Weeekly Chasi Clarifies Legal Minimum Wage for Domestic Workers in Zimbabwe

In response, Fortune Chasi commended Musasiwa for raising an important issue. He highlighted that domestic workers are protected under Zimbabwe’s Labour Act [Chapter 28:01] and the National Employment Council (NEC) regulations. Chasi also shared the official minimum wages for domestic workers:

“•Gardener/Yard Worker: ZWL$10,000/month

•Cook/Housekeeper: ZWL$10,500/month

•Childminder/Aged Minder: ZWL$11,025/month

•Certified Aged Minder: ZWL$11,576.25/month

•ZWL$4,000 for live-out workers (transport & housing allowance)”

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