Many households in South Africa make use of domestic workers and gardeners that assist in coping with the maintenance of their property. There are a lot of security risks involved in hiring such a domestic worker ‘off the street’ or from some advert in a local newspaper.

Before you open your doors and let them into your private space and expose them to your family, it is essential to do a security check on them.

News reports in the media have regularly updated us on the things that can go wrong when you let a stranger into your home. The same is the case with domestic workers. Some of them have criminal records and a history of behavior that could lead to you becoming a victim to theft, robbery or worse.

So how do you protect yourself?

Here is a list of our recommendations that we would like to encourage you to use:

• Obtain recommendations / introductions from the domestics of neighbours or friends.
• Always ask for identification, even if he/she is a foreign national. If you are not sure how to do this correctly, or what to look for, visit your nearest police station for assistance.
• Keep copies of all your domestic staffs’ identities.
• Ask for address and contact details of their next of kin.
• Do not employ people from the street or people that come knocking at your door as this could invite strangers into your life – this can have devastating consequences.
• Use registered recruitments agents so you can know your employees are compliant with government legislation.

Do not take chances with your domestic workers. Rather err on the side of caution.

If you are not sure how to take a pro-active approach in protecting yourself from criminals, please contact us straight away and we will be happy to share some additional tips with you.