Africa-Press – South-Africa. I’m heartbroken and deeply offended.”
These were the words of a Cape Town domestic worker, who was allegedly fired from her job after she disclosed to her employers that she was HIV-positive.
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Mavis Tambo, 42, has been working for Daronn Carroll and his family for the past four months, and has never had any problems with working at their home. In fact, she was loved, adored and respected in the household.
Tambo commuted every day, via public transport, and spent approximately R200 per week on travelling to her place of work in Brackenfell.
On Thursday, she decided to tell her employers about her health condition because, going forward, she would be late for work once a month to pick up her medication at the day hospital.
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“I really loved this family and I know they loved me too because they supported me in everything. But when I decided to be open to them about my condition, I saw a whole different side to them, a very disappointing side. I told them I was diagnosed with HIV more than 10 years ago and I’ve been doing very well because I’m taking my meds and keeping healthy and fit.
“I felt that because I was getting attached to the family I thought it would be better if I let them know about my health, so that they don’t hear from anyone else and that they understand why I’ll be late once a month,” Tambo told News24.
She told them that she was fine and there was no reason why she couldn’t do her job.
Tambo said:
“But they didn’t see it like that and said that I use their cutlery and drink from the same glasses… my stains would be on it and they didn’t want to take the risk of having me around everyone in the house,” she said.
Tambo said she was then given a letter of dismissal, which News24 has seen. It clearly indicates that the family felt the need to dismiss Tambo because she was “dishonest regarding your HIV status”.
Tambo said her employers never once asked her, during her probation period, about her health condition.
“I’m the only breadwinner in the house, now I’m feeling like such a failure because I can’t provide for my three kids and grandchild anymore. We all really depended on my income, and now I’m very sad because not only was I unfairly dismissed, but I was made to feel like I’m not worthy of being alive because of my medical status,” she said.
Tambo was diagnosed in 2009.
Tambo added:
“We are human beings and should be treated as such. I did not ask to be in this position, I’m learning to live with it. But to be treated like a dog, with rabies, is really not nice,” she said.
News24 has tried numerous times to reach Tambo’s employers, but calls and messages went unanswered.
Tambo has since approached the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) regarding her unfair dismissal.
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