We Care– A Platform Cooperative Supporting South African Domestic Workers

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Domestic work is the fourth-largest employer of women in South Africa, yet it remains one of the most undervalued professions. Over 800,000 women work in this sector, often informally and without the protections granted to other laborers. While legal safeguards exist under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, Sectoral Determination 7, enforcement is inconsistent, leaving many domestic workers vulnerable to exploitation.

As of March 1, 2024, the national minimum wage stands at $1.49 (R27.58) per hour. However, many domestic workers earn even less, as enforcement remains weak, and informal employment is common. Reports suggest that domestic workers in South Africa typically make between R2,500 and R4,000 ($135–$215) per month, often working long hours without benefits. This is far below the estimated living wage of R15,000 ($810) per month, which would allow for basic necessities such as food, housing, transportation, and healthcare. A full-time minimum-wage worker officially earning R4,633–R5,074 ($250–$275) per month already struggles to survive, but for those earning less, the gap between wages and the cost of living is even more dire. Beyond inadequate pay, domestic workers grapple with unreliable public transport, long commutes, and entrenched power imbalances in employer-employee relationships.

With the rise of digital labor markets, domestic workers must now navigate an evolving landscape that presents both opportunities and risks. Scholars such as Hunt and Samman (2020) highlight how domestic workers—whether in traditional employment or the gig economy—often face income insecurity, lack of benefits, and limited bargaining power. Gig platforms claim to offer flexibility, yet they frequently replicate structural inequalities by classifying workers as independent contractors, denying them essential labor protections. Hunt and Samman further argue that gig models undermine legislative gains secured by trade unions, weakening employer obligations and social protections. In response, We Care aims to challenge this exploitative model by shifting decision-making power to workers themselves.

What is We Care?

We Care emerged as a platform cooperative designed to address the precarious conditions faced by domestic workers. Initially launched as a research initiative by domestic worker trade unions and the University of the Western Cape, with funding from DGB, the project evolved into a worker-owned business connecting customers and domestic workers. Unlike traditional gig platforms that prioritize profit, We Care operates as a cooperative where members collectively own and govern the platform. However, launching a worker-led digital venture is no simple task. Overcoming challenges such as digital literacy gaps, economic exclusion, and stakeholder alignment is crucial to ensuring meaningful participation and long-term success.

South Africa has seen several digital services catering to domestic workers. SweepSouth, the country’s largest commercial platform, connects workers and customers but provides no labor protections. The Cleaning Fix, a nonprofit, ensures that 100% of service fees go to workers but struggles to scale. While these models create job opportunities, they exclude workers from unemployment benefits, health insurance, and paid leave due to their classification as independent contractors. We Care offers an alternative—one that allows domestic workers to co-own the platform and directly shape their economic futures.

In 2024, We Care members posed a crucial question: What does it take to build a worker-owned platform in a sector where workers have varied educational backgrounds, limited digital literacy, and little exposure to business and technology? To address this, the cooperative focused on several foundational elements.

A membership database was created, leading to an initial cohort of 47 workers engaged in training and governance structures. A subgroup of 7 members, nominated by the larger group, worked closely with two business developers and maintained an open feedback loop. Weekly meetings were held to distribute key responsibilities, such as managing the membership database, facilitating discussions, and compiling reports.

Using lean startup and action research methodologies, the cooperative embraced an agile development approach, refining the platform iteratively with direct worker involvement. Additionally, digital and financial literacy training enabled members to manage their own cooperative venture confidently. “I’ve learned so much—about being on time, managing schedules, and video calling. Being part of We Care has made me feel confident,” shared Jane Montsho, a We Care Admin Member in 2024.

_{Photo Credit: This image is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) license. Credit belongs to We Care.}

We Care’s Membership and Impact

We Care’s founding members are 100% women of color, comprising both unionized (36) and non-unionized (10) workers, as well as documented and undocumented individuals. Survey data from 46 members revealed that 63% of household income is below R54,344 ($2,930) per year, placing them in the low-income category, while 26.1% of household income is between R54,345 and R151,727 ($2,931–$8,180) per year, falling into the emerging middle-income bracket. Before joining We Care, 70% had never used a digital job-seeking application. Before joining We Care, 70% had never used a digital job-seeking application.

For many of these workers, economic survival has long been a fragile balancing act. Those earning on the lower end of the scale, often bringing in less than R4,500 ($240) per month, must stretch their wages across rent, food, transportation, and childcare, with little to no savings or financial security. Unexpected expenses—such as a medical emergency or job loss—can push them into crisis overnight. Meanwhile, even those in the emerging middle-income bracket, earning up to R12,643 ($680) per month, remain financially precarious, often supporting extended families on a single income. The financial strain is compounded by their classification as independent contractors in most domestic work arrangements, meaning they lack unemployment benefits, paid leave, and access to affordable healthcare.

Despite these barriers, these women are reclaiming power in an industry that has long overlooked them. Their experiences reflect the reality of South African domestic workers—many of whom have been systematically excluded from financial and technological spaces—yet through We Care, they are asserting control over their work and future. The cooperative model offers them more than just access to job opportunities; it provides a pathway to ownership, collective bargaining, and economic self-determination.

Challenges, Lessons Learned, Looking Ahead

Expanding membership has presented challenges, particularly due to the high number of unbanked and undocumented domestic workers, making it difficult to meet platform requirements such as having a bank account or identity documents. South Africa’s exorbitant mobile data costs have also restricted access to digital services. According to Majola (2023), 19 million people in South Africa remain unbanked, while ICASA (2023) ranks the country among the most expensive for mobile data globally.

Recognizing these barriers, We Care adjusted its strategy, prioritizing member support, financial inclusion, and digital accessibility before scaling. Rather than rapid expansion, the cooperative focused on ensuring that existing members were fully equipped with the tools and knowledge to participate meaningfully in the platform’s governance and operation.

With these lessons in mind, We Care stands at a turning point. The platform has laid the groundwork for a model that challenges the exploitative nature of the gig economy, but sustaining and expanding this vision requires resources. Fundraising is now a priority, not just to keep the cooperative running but to scale its impact, ensuring that more domestic workers can access fair wages, digital tools, and a voice in shaping their industry.

As Hunt and Samman (2020) argue, “The gig economy model often undermines labor rights.” We Care offers a different path—one where domestic workers are not disposable, where they are not reduced to data points in an algorithm but instead have a stake in the very system they work within.

The future of domestic labor in South Africa is not predetermined. It can either continue on its current trajectory, reinforcing precarity and inequality, or it can shift toward a model where workers, not corporations, hold power. We Care is a step toward that future, but it cannot do it alone. The platform invites workers, policymakers, and consumers to rethink domestic labor—not as a market to be exploited, but as a profession that deserves dignity, protection, and worker-led innovation.

Learn more about the authors:
Tatum Russel (video here) and Sedica Davids
Find We Care on LinkedInand Instagram.