Albersville teacher stuck in Saudi Arabia
The woman has since been left to fend for herself as the private school refused to give her an exit visa, a requirement she needs to leave the country.
A 36-year-old woman, an educator from Albersville in Port Shepstone, is stuck in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia after experiencing difficulties with her employer.
Her distraught family, who cannot be named to protect their daughter, said they just want her back home.
Her father said she applied for a teaching job through an agency in Cape Town. She got the job, signed a one year contract and left for Saudi on October 2.
“When she arrived there she informed us, but told us that she is forced to share accommodation with a couple. She reported to her employer, a private school that she is not satisfied with the accommodation as it did not meet the agreement on her contract.”
The family also said that when their daughter arrived at the school she was given a new, two-year contract to sign which she refused.
The school demanded that she pay R120 000 for air tickets and visa expenses, an amount far exceeding the actual amount paid by the institution.
The Port Shepstone Human Rights Centre has expressed concern for the safety and welfare of the educator.
The centre’s Selvan Chetty said that when she arrived in Riyadh, she was confronted by appalling living conditions which included, dirty broken furniture, soiled beds and a cockroach infestation.
Since then she has not had a proper place and is moving from one hotel to another which is costing her more money.
“We need to get her back home now, we just want her to return home, said her father.
“However, it seems that her family cannot help her because she was told that even if she paid for the expenses, it did not guarantee her return home.
Chetty is calling on the government and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to intervene and help her get back to South Africa as the school refused to give her an exit visa, a requirement she needs to leave the country.
The woman received a short message from a DIRCO member saying the matter is a contractual issue but that they will get back to her. Also, that there are several other South Africans in similar situations there but that they are forced to stay on as there was no help for them, and the threat of being thrown into jail there remains a reality.
DIRCO also encouraged South Africans who are considering taking up employment abroad to verify the reputation and authenticity of the recruitment agency they intend to use.
In addition, they must check all requirements of the foreign employer as well as their labour legislation so that they are not found in similar distress situations abroad.
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