- Members of Parliament praised Dr Thobeka Ntini-Makununika’s achievement and called it a symbol of hope for domestic workers across the country.
- She wore her old work uniform to receive her doctorate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where she graduated in social work.
Dr Ntini-Makununika, who worked as a domestic worker from the age of 13 to 20, walked proudly onto the graduation stage in her old cleaning uniform last month. She received her PhD in Social Work from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Makashule Gana of the Rise Mzansi party tabled a motion in Parliament to honour her. “Her story affirms the need to dismantle the inequalities and vulnerability experienced by domestic workers in this country,” he said.
Ntini-Makununika is the third generation in her family to work as a domestic worker, following her mother and grandmother.
Her PhD thesis, titled Unravelling the Dynamics of Power in the Employer-Domestic Worker Relations in Contemporary South Africa, reveals deep problems in the sector. She found that exploitation is not only linked to race, but also to social class and internalised oppression.
“Several domestic workers said their worst experiences were with black employers,” she said. “Power in domestic work isn’t only about race.”
She said working at the University of Zululand helped her understand the depth of inequality in South Africa.
“I wasn’t writing just for academic study. I was writing for the daughters of domestic workers who may one day read my work,” she said.
Her research involved listening to many painful stories, including unfair dismissals and racial insults. “Sometimes I had to pause and process my own memories,” she said.
But she also found hope. “Witnessing moments of awakening, for both workers and employers, was powerful,” she said.
Pictured above: former domestic worker Dr Thobeka Ntini-Makununika’s PhD from UKZN has been celebrated at the sitting of the National Assembly recently.
Image source: UKZN
