‘Our job takes pride and passion’
Domestic professions such as cleaning, gardening and cooking are often undervalued and overlooked, but that is not the case for the ground staff at Greenside Primary School.
POLOKWANE – Domestic workers comprise a significant part of the global workforce in informal employment and are among the most vulnerable groups of workers. They sometimes have to work under harsh environments and are undervalued however this is not the story for these workers.
These men and women take pride in their work and told Review that they are skilled and can carry out any domestic work assigned to them. Always working hard to help keep the school clean some have been working at the school for a while now. Review caught up with two of them.
Cathrine Rapulana said, “Before this job I worked as a general cleaner and washer for many households, but at the school I can improve selected skills to further my experience. It may seem embarrassing as no one really goes to school to occupy this type of position but it requires a lot of love, passion and patience to work with people,’’ she explained.
This job is also closer to my home which lets me save of transport costs, she added.
Khumisane Mathebula is a gardener at the school and says that his expertise lie within the garden. “I have developed a self-taught gardening technique and I am proud of myself and the work that I do. I would one day like to open a landscaping school in my village so that I can teach the youth who cannot afford to go to school the basic skills and knowledge around gardening and landscaping. This will enable them to get a job in the future,” he explained.
The workers work normal school hours ensuring that the school is kept clean and also teach the learners at the school how to clean up after themselves during lunch breaks.
