Dr Thobeka Ntini-Makununika’s doctoral thesis reveals uncomfortable truths about employer-domestic worker relationships in post-apartheid South Africa. From childhood labour to academic triumph, her journey marks a powerful step toward justice and recognition.
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Dr Thobeka Ntini-Makununika has broken a generational cycle and rewritten the narrative for thousands of women in South Africa. Once a domestic worker herself, and the daughter, granddaughter and niece of women who did the same work, Ntini-Makununika has earned a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), a degree she dedicated to the many overlooked women who labour in private homes across the country.
Her groundbreaking thesis, titled Unravelling the Dynamics of Power in the Employer-Domestic Worker Relations in Contemporary South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal: Praxis-Oriented Research, unpacks the deeply embedded inequalities in one of the most intimate yet historically fraught employment sectors. “I wanted to humanise domestic work, redefine its societal value, and inspire reflection and action,” she told IOL.
Lived experience turned scholarship
Raised in a household of Black African women who relied on domestic work to survive, Ntini-Makununika began working part-time for white families and holiday resorts at the age of 13. These early experiences shaped her understanding of what she later studied in depth, the layered dignity, quiet suffering and unspoken codes of employer-employee relationships.
Her study, a rare example of praxis-based research in this field, was participatory and deeply emotional. “Sometimes I had to pause and process my memories,” she said of the interviews. “But witnessing moments of awakening — for both workers and employers — was powerful.”
One of her key findings, perhaps one of the most uncomfortable, is that power imbalance in domestic work goes beyond race. “Several domestic workers said their worst experiences were with Black employers. This shows that power in domestic work isn’t only about race — it’s about class, social status, and internalised oppression,” she explained.
According to IOL, Ntini-Makununika noted how some employers could clearly define their own working hours, but failed to acknowledge or respect their domestic workers’ time. “That kind of vagueness signals a deep devaluation of another person’s labour,” she said.
Challenging social norms and policy
While there are labour laws in place, Ntini-Makununika argues that legal compliance is not enough to dismantle the historical baggage tied to domestic work in South Africa — a system built on colonial, racial, and patriarchal foundations. “We need a shift in values. Grounding policy and practice in Ubuntu can help affirm the humanity and dignity of domestic workers,” she said.
This stance echoes a growing call for emotional, cultural, and economic recognition of care work, with stars like Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson previously highlighting the need to respect domestic labour and Black women’s contributions in both domestic and professional spheres.
A personal mission and a legacy for others
Now working at the University of Zululand, a historically disadvantaged institution, Ntini-Makununika credits her academic environment, supervisor Professor Vishanthie Sewpaul, and supportive peers for helping her navigate the emotionally taxing journey. Her PhD, however, is about much more than professional growth. “I wasn’t writing just for academic study — I was writing for the daughters of domestic workers who may one day read my work,” she said.
She believes her success is a form of generational healing. “Until we value the hands that clean our homes and raise our children as much as those that govern boardrooms, we will never dismantle the inequality woven into the fabric of our daily lives,” she said.
“Domestic work is work. Let us ensure it is decent work.”
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Featured Image: UKZN
