Myrtle Witbooi is President of the International Domestic Workers Federation and General Secretary of the South African Domestic Service and Allied Workers Union. Born outside of Cape Town, South Africa, she became a domestic worker in 1962 due to the lack of opportunities and apartheid laws that prevented her from pursuing a medical career. She has worked to improve domestic workers’ rights since 1971.
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Published in: Beyond Trafficking and SlaveryThe power of speaking out: an interview with South Africa’s pioneering activist for domestic workers’ rightsMyrtle Witbooi spent decades working as a domestic worker, before becoming a leader in the domestic worker movement....
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Published in: Beyond Trafficking and SlaveryDomestic work is decent workA founder of the domestic workers movement in South Africa recounts the struggle for labour protections and rights...