GALLERY: Domestic workers hold annual party

Domestic workers and gardeners were honoured on 19 November at the Rosebank Union Church, at the domestic workers annual party.

Members from various domestic watches including Blairgowrie, Bryanston, Parkmore, Emmarentia, Parkview, Parkhurst and Craighall Park attended the ceremony and received certificates of recognition.

The event organiser and founder of Making A Difference (MAD) initiative, Penny Steyn said domestic workers were the eyes and ears of the community and they should be recognised.

She explained that domestic workers were well aware of activities in their suburbs and should be honoured for their commitment and dedication.

“They keep our homes looking beautiful,” Steyn said.

She started the Domestic Crime Watch after her husband was murdered.

“During the incident, criminals tied me up and murdered my husband. I could not get the police to help me at the time. I then realised that I need to teach police how to work with communities,” Steyn explained.

Ever since then, she has realised that domestic workers were mostly taken for granted. Hence, she started offering domestic watch trainings and involve police in various suburbs of northern Johannesburg.

“I capture their data and every month I make sure that they are trained,” she added.

Steyn concluded that police were very precious people and working with domestic workers, more criminals were captured, leading to safety in the suburbs.

“Domestic workers fear to tell the police what they have seen but if they are motivated and trained, they develop trust,” she concluded.

Bridget Hendry from Blairgowrie explained that domestic workers were valuable in their community.

Details: Penny Steyn 082 461 6968.

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