We have had the same domestic help since 1988, she is wonderful, an African lady and is 100% trustworthy. Comes a bit late (10h45) but does the work that we don't really want to. We paid her kids school and college fees and I helped her rent out a house she inherited from an aunt.
In 2019 she went for an appendix op at Tygerberg Hospital and was off for 3 weeks. Her cousin, who she vouched for, came instead. For the 6 times she was here, all the toilet rolls, 10kg of sugar, a presentation pack of French jam disappeared. We noticed the toilet rolls, but it was our regular helper who spotted the French jam pack in this cousin's house. In the same cousin's cupboard was a tin of "English Tea" and a box of Montezuma English chocolate, stuff you don't get at a spaza shop in Nyanga
Today I went to see a Japanese friend who is on the Embassy staff and lives in a huge house in Constantia. First thing I noticed when walking in his house were the missing tall piano black B&W speakers, which were a prominent part of his listening room. He very embarassingly divulged that while he was in Japan from mid-March, locked there until he could come back last week, the house staff (2 maids, gardener and handyman) were running the house. Not only were the speakers gone, so was his huge SONY AVR and the ceiling-mounted speakers too. I asked what else, well, he hesitantly told me, the 300 thread-count Japanese bed-linen, several packets (so far)
No-one working there knew anything. He was scared at losing face by reporting it to his superior, but after a chat, I agreed to call this lady and tell her on his behalf, saying he was heartbroken, etc. The Charge d'Affairs at the embassy was not bothered, she had heard it before and said the Philippines was much worse, they had several cars stolen
Now and then my wife takes pity on some casual and agrees to let him sweep the drive, etc. Gone are some power tools, a set of sockets. So no more of them
In 2019 she went for an appendix op at Tygerberg Hospital and was off for 3 weeks. Her cousin, who she vouched for, came instead. For the 6 times she was here, all the toilet rolls, 10kg of sugar, a presentation pack of French jam disappeared. We noticed the toilet rolls, but it was our regular helper who spotted the French jam pack in this cousin's house. In the same cousin's cupboard was a tin of "English Tea" and a box of Montezuma English chocolate, stuff you don't get at a spaza shop in Nyanga
Today I went to see a Japanese friend who is on the Embassy staff and lives in a huge house in Constantia. First thing I noticed when walking in his house were the missing tall piano black B&W speakers, which were a prominent part of his listening room. He very embarassingly divulged that while he was in Japan from mid-March, locked there until he could come back last week, the house staff (2 maids, gardener and handyman) were running the house. Not only were the speakers gone, so was his huge SONY AVR and the ceiling-mounted speakers too. I asked what else, well, he hesitantly told me, the 300 thread-count Japanese bed-linen, several packets (so far)
No-one working there knew anything. He was scared at losing face by reporting it to his superior, but after a chat, I agreed to call this lady and tell her on his behalf, saying he was heartbroken, etc. The Charge d'Affairs at the embassy was not bothered, she had heard it before and said the Philippines was much worse, they had several cars stolen
Now and then my wife takes pity on some casual and agrees to let him sweep the drive, etc. Gone are some power tools, a set of sockets. So no more of them
