Mpumalanga, We’ve Arrived

Job opportunities are being created for hundreds of unemployed and underemployed individuals as our domestic cleaning services become available in Mpumalanga.

 

Similar to how Uber connects drivers with people looking for rides, we connect domestic workers registered on our platform with homeowners looking for a domestic worker, allowing this underserved segment of the workforce to find dignified, flexible work at decent pay.

Currently operating in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Centurion and Durban, we will now also operate in Nelspruit, Delmas and Springs.

This rapid expansion has been made possible due to a ground-breaking collaboration between SweepSouth and the country’s leading youth employment engine, Lulaway.

Lulaway, in a separate development, has partnered with the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, whose mandate it is to implement a work development project throughout the province to create new jobs.

Together with Lulaway, it is spearheading the expansion of internet-based services like SweepSouth.

Other app-based services will also begin operating in the province due to this collaboration.

Coincidentally, recent unemployment figures by Stats SA for the last quarter in 2018, show that Mpumalanga had the highest increase of joblessness of the nine provinces.

Our  co-founder, Aisha Pandor says that having access to Lulaway’s infrastructure was a key consideration when assessing the viability of entering this new market.

“Lulaway has a large infrastructure of job centres which we can leverage off. This infrastructure is funded by government’s investment in job creation. Using Lulaway’s job centres allows us easier access to this market and provide the kind of opportunities millions of South Africans are looking for in difficult economic times.”

Commenting on our (SweepSouth’s) goal to create economic opportunities, Aisha says,  “In a survey we did on the pay and working conditions of domestic workers last year, we found that 84% of domestic workers are the sole breadwinners and 70% are single mothers supporting, on average, three dependents. As such, at SweepSouth our mission is to create clean happy homes by providing dignified, flexible work at decent pay to our SweepStars. Our model is easily scalable and with partners like Lulaway, the potential is practically unlimited.”

With SweepSouth vetting and training cleaners, or “SweepStars” as we call them, the Lulaway job centres will streamline the onboarding process, allowing them to complete their registration and partake in the required training at local Lulaway job centres. Jake Willis, Lulaway CEO, says this partnership is particularly exciting in pairing two tech-focused organisations which are both committed to socio-economic impact.

“Up till now, homeowners in these towns had no access to SweepSouth services. These homeowners may not be employing other staff if they did not use SweepSouth. For some, its additional household help on weekends, or for those who are currently managing their housework alone, will make use of SweepSouth.

“The sharing economy has great potential impact in South Africa as we have seen with these tech-based marketplaces. These are brand new jobs, created from scratch, which would not exist if not for this development. The shared economy opens up an untapped earning potential for many and allows them to support their families with dignity,” says Willis.

Our CEO is also thrilled at the job opportunities SweepSouth will be creating.  

“Most SweepStars currently registered on the app were previously not working. Some had or have work, but are using SweepSouth as a means to supplement their incomes.

We are proud to have provided employment opportunities for thousands of people, many of whom are  single mothers. To be able to bring these opportunities to a new region in South Africa is both rewarding and exciting!

Are you from the Nelspruit, Delmas and Springs areas? Download our mobile app and start your journey to a spotless home today.