SweepStar Stories – Domestic Worker Studying For A Brighter Future

Sihle Ndlovu’s dream is to open her own laundromat. But limited finances delayed her goals as she was previously unable to save enough money to pay for the necessary courses to start her own business.

After a number of career pursuits, the Zimbabwean born mom of two, who lives in Midrand, is now working as a domestic worker to earn enough money to fund her studies.  

After finishing matric in Zimbabwe, she worked as a temporary grade four teacher for a year and then spent some time traveling. She moved to South Africa in 2007 and initially pursued her love of cooking, working as a chef.

When things didn’t work out quite as she planned, she started doing domestic work. After five years working as a cleaner, she joined the SweepSouth platform and has been a SweepStar for over a year now. She has since consistently ranked as one of the top-rated cleaners on the platform.

Having enjoyed studying accounting in school, she wishes to be personally involved in the accounts of her own business. So she is currently studying bookkeeping online through Damelin.

“Working through the SweepSouth platform, I’ve got more access to work as they can connect me to jobs every day of the week. I can also choose to work when I want, the areas I’d like to work in, and how many hours I can work. This means I am not stressed about finding work, I am earning enough money to pay for my studies, and I am able to work around my studies ‒ so I can achieve my dreams,” she says.

Still, for work, she typically has to travel up to 25 km to the homes she cleans. And with her income and her husband’s, the couple support eight people.

“It’s not easy, but I want to do something for myself and be independent. Meeting new people through SweepSouth is also an opportunity in itself. The clients I get to work for through the platform introduce me to new ways of earning income. Last week, for example, I went to a client and her kids were there. She asked me to look after them and this sparked the idea for me to offer a babysitting service when I’m not doing domestic work,” she says.

For her, every cent earned is a step in the right direction towards opening her own laundromat.