Valiant maid recounts her city woes
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday May 8, 2015 12:51
Like other young women dreaming of a better life, 25 years ago *Masego Jackson, then at a tender age of 24, packed her bags and headed for the bright lights of Gaborone.
Before then, Jackson had lived her formative years with her parents at Mmashoro village, a few kilometres west of Serowe in the Central District.
While still at the village, she had her first-born when she was 21-years-old and life became unbearable for her after her parents died two years later.
Before their death, Jackson and her toddler daughter subsisted on her parents’ good will.
Though they were not that affluent, they loyally supported daughter and granddaughter to their last days, but after their death, Jackson and her daughter’s life took a turn for the worse- poverty became their daily companion. Jackson had a friend who stayed in Gaborone. The friend suggested she come to Gaborone to look for a job, but being a school drop-out she (Jackson) found the going tough. “I was very excited when my friend, Lucia, told me to come seek greener pastures in the capital city. I thought life would be easy for me and I would be able to give my daughter a better life.
“I spent two years looking for a job, but I did not get any. I didn’t want to work as maid at the time. Ga ke akanya go duba leswe lwa bankanaake, ke ne ke bona e le go itiga seriti (When I thought of dirtying myself cleaning my age mates’ laundry, I felt it was going to shatter my pride).
“My life was terrible, particularly in 1994. My friend kicked me out of her house and I had to cohabit with my second child’s father who was abusive. I could not stay with him anymore in the long run.
“That is when I gave up and opted to take a job as a maid. My employees were kind enough to take me in with my two children,” she recalls sadly.
Jackson says even though she was given food and accommodation, life was not easy as her employers made her work many hours and sometimes accused her of not taking care of their children and feeding her children their food.
“At the time, I was earning P300. Life was better though because my bosses gave me free accommodation and food. It gave me a chance to save up to buy my children clothes. “After a few years, my bosses told me that their children had grown up, so they did not need my services. I then moved to another job,” she narrates.
As a matter of fact, Jackson prefers to work as a stay-in-maid as rent is expensive and maids cannot afford the rental.At the middle age of 49, Jackson now has five children whose fathers have been run over by the train, as it is said locally of irresponsible men who disappear into thin air as soon as their children are born. Luckily, she is now employed as a maid in Gaborone, a city whose transformation has been dramatic, not only with skyscrapers that makes her look in wonder skywards as she walks the streets.
The transformation has also negatively hit her shallow pockets, though she just grins and bears it.
“I am used to working as a maid and believe me, I am used to being paid peanuts. I feel that I am now earning a better salary than in other jobs as I am paid P700 and I have a servants’ quarter where I live with my children,” she says. However, reality, is that Jackson still begrudges the money she earns was not enough to take care of her children. Granted, life is much more expensive compared to the previous years. “I have lost hope. I am now looking onto God to help me work for my children till they have better jobs and take me out of poverty. There is nothing I can do with P700. With my little budget, I buy food, toiletry and my children’s uniform.
“It is hard. I have to buy shoes for this one and the next month I buy for the other one,” her mouth dry, she lays bares her soul.Jackson’s efforts to seek help from social workers have always hit a brick wall. Just as Botswana cannot get assistance from donors because of her middle income status, social workers tell her that she is not eligible for social welfare services as she is working and capable. All the more reason to give up hope. She has stopped bothering them.
At her job Jackson works from six o’clock in the morning till five o’clock in the evening, but she is always on stand-by as, literally, she is at the beck and call of her masters.
The masters would go to a function where they end up coming late. She is forced to stay with their children till they come home, even if it means in the wee hours of mornings.
“I abide by these rules because am staying in their house. I feel helpless. What saddens me more is that I don’t have time to spend with my children while I give other people’s children the love and attention I could be giving my kids.
“If I was paid overtime it could have been better,” she fumes as she starts pacing about frustratingly.
Jackson says she also works on weekends but only gets paid when there are celebrations. By then her work multiplies. “I get P50 a night when my masters have a party as I will have to wash a pile of plates and other kitchen equipments. I clean the house and yard, dust the furniture and make sure that the family is well fed.
“But come month end, it’s all in vain for my efforts as would be handed a pittance as my salary.”
*Name changed