Business
400 Rand The Global Gig Worker As told to NORMA YOUNG for Rest of World
THE GLOBAL GIG WORKERS THIS PROJECT EXAMINES, THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE OF GIG WORKERS, HOW DIGITIZATION IS RESHAPING WORKING PATTERNS, LIFESTYLES AND LIVELIHOODS. NOMAGUGU SIBANDA is a nanny and housekeeper on SmartMaid — an on-demand app for home services that launched in mid-2020. She is from Zimbabwe and currently works in Johannesburg, South Africa. Migrants from Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia often have limited documentation, and many find jobs in domestic service. Around 9% of female migrants and 6% of male migrants from these countries work in the sector in South Africa. Some secure live-in roles or work for a single employer, but many work as freelancers or on contracts, taking hourly or daily jobs. On-demand platforms such as SweepSouth and SmartMaid have emerged to link workers with clients. Workers using the apps say they earn on average 3,500 rand a month — more than the 2,600 rand that is typical for traditional contract workers doing similar tasks off the platforms and more than the 3,000 rand minimum monthly wage for full-time domestic workers. Note: $1 is approximately 14.40 rand. https://flipboard.com/@restofworld/theglobal-gig-workers-p9og7p4aun9qqj7d?utm_ medium=share&from=share&utm_ source=flipboard&utm_campaign=campaign Image credit: Photography by Barry Christianson for Rest of World 8
November-December 2021
I WON’T TAKE ANY JOB that costs more than 20 rand [about $1.38] to get to. It’s nice to get work, but I don’t want to spend it all on travel. You have to use your common sense. When I get a booking, I look at the map carefully to see where it is before accepting a request. Fortunately, I do have regular bookings. I have a client who’s booked me every Tuesday and Saturday. So, I know that I will have some work every week. They pay me through SmartMaid, which helps me to budget because I know what money is coming to my account. I do take random bookings as well. They pay better — 100 rand an hour, and they’re usually for a few hours. Regular bookings pay between 300 and 350 rand for a full day. When I’m at my regular weekly client, I still check my phone for new requests. My client is based in Melrose Arch, and so, while I’m in the area, I like to go online and see if there might be other bookings. I was there yesterday, and at about 2 p.m., I got a message asking if I could go nearby to a client in Bramley. I messaged him via the app and said I was in the area but not yet finished with my work for the day. Luckily, he said, no problem, I can come the following day. He made a booking for 9 a.m. I left Joburg at 8:15 a.m. to go to Bramley. The taxi cost 12 rand. I usually wear my SmartMaid T-shirt when I leave the house, so I don’t need to change before I start work. But I do keep a spare DAWN
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