Women’s Month always encourages a particular cause for reflection about SweepSouth, our founding story and the impact we have had and will maintain with women in our country.
This Women’s Month we’re celebrating the incredible women who make SweepSouth the cleaning powerhouse that it has become over the last five years – from our spectacular SweepStars to our behind-the-scenes team and the customers who have taken a chance on us, trusting us to make their homes a happy place.
It is no secret that when SweepSouth was founded it was to answer a personal need for our Co-Founders, Aisha Pandor and Alen Ribic, which has now turned into
“a platform that through it’s novelty, ushered in a new way of thinking about domestic work that respected the dignity of the women who do this work, helped to elevate their positions in society and in South African homes, and empathised with the incredible hard work and sacrifice that domestic workers, many of them mothers (97% in SweepSouth’s case), go through to put food on the table for their families.”
Five years in and we’ve definitely made some inroads!
To date, we’ve provided work opportunities for over 13 000 African women, either previously unemployed (71%) or underemployed and struggling to find sufficient work (29%). The company itself is currently run by 85% women, and headed up by our remarkably emboldened CEO, who is passionate about giving women the opportunity to shine for themselves.
We are proud of the work we’ve done so far and we plan to provide access to more initiatives for our SweepStars to better manage their families and homes, as well as providing up skill opportunities. We have big plans and we are charging ahead!
Our wish for Women’s Day 2019 is that all South African women feel safe, protected and empowered, and have the opportunity to fulfill whatever life aspirations they have.
As a company with a female CEO, with a strong female representation in the management team, and almost 100% female SweepStar team, we are particularly committed to playing our role in helping to make this wish a reality.
In the words of Nelson Mandela, “We pay tribute to the mothers and wives and sisters of our nation. You are the rock-hard foundation of our struggle.” Happy Women’s Day!
