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Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
What migrant care workers from Zimbabwe sacrifice for their children's futures
Ruby is a 30-year-old mother of three and she's ready to do whatever it takes to give her kids a better life. Even if it means leaving her family in Zimbabwe to become a live-in care worker in the UK. Now, halfway across the world from everyone she loves, Ruby works round the clock to make enough money to bring her family together again. Being a live-in care worker for seniors in the UK is hard work. It involves lifting people in and out of bed all day, feeding them and sometimes changing their diapers. All that while keeping on top of their housework too. For Ruby, a 30-year-old mother of three from Zimbabwe, this wasn't her dream job, but that didn't matter. She was determined to give her kids a better life. So she sacrificed her career as a teacher and left her kids back home in Zimbabwe to become a care worker in the UK. Ruby won't let anything stand in the way of getting her kids and husband to England, where they can receive free education and healthcare, things she doesn't have in Zimbabwe. But the real question is: Can Ruby sustain the punishing routine long enough to pull it off? Greener Pastures, a podcast episode by Radio Workshop, captures the highs and lows of Ruby's mission: the intimate relationship she built with her client, the joy of her husband's first day of work in the UK and the madness of working opposite shifts. And not least, Ruby's momentous trip home to get the kids. When Ruby arrived in the UK in January 2024, she quickly learnt that the real England is far from the romanticised version people have back home. While not exactly the 'greener pastures' she expected, her visa offered her the opportunity to earn pounds. After struggling to support her family on a teacher's salary in Zimbabwe, that meant everything to her. Ruby's first job involved providing round-the-clock care to a woman in her nineties. She was paid to work eight hours a day, but it was a 24-hour job. She says sometimes she'd call her friends just to cry. But Ruby says she was lucky. The woman she was caring for was kind and did everything she could to make Ruby feel at home. Not like the horror stories Ruby heard from colleagues about being spat on by racist clients. But arguably, the biggest challenge will begin with the start of their family life in the UK. Ruby explained: 'In a year or two, [the kids are] going to be different people. But, I am there to remind them of their roots.' DM
Daily Maverick
22-04-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
This Coal Life: A family's understanding of the Just Energy Transition in the mining town of Kriel
The Skhosanas live a modest yet comfortable life in Kriel, South Africa, and they owe it all to coal. But now, South Africa is moving away from coal in favour of greener, cleaner energy in what the government has called the 'Just Energy Transition'. The transition promises more accessible energy, better jobs, and lower carbon emissions. But what does that mean for those who have built their lives on coal? The world is watching to see how Kriel — and families like the Skhosanas — are going to do it. This Coal Life, a podcast episode by Radio Workshop, takes us to Kriel, a small mining town in Mpumalanga that is set to close all its coal mines by 2030. With support from the local community radio station eMalahleni FM, Siya Mokoena, a youth reporter at the station, worked alongside senior producer Dhashen Moodley for six months to report this story. After its release, it won Best Standalone Documentary at the IDA Documentary Awards and Best Podcast & Radio at the One World Media Awards. Dhashen and Siya spent hours with the Skhosanas. From going to church to lunch and the family farm, Dhashen and Siya explored the ins and outs of the Skhosanas' lives, ultimately trying to understand how they will be affected by the Just Transition. One thing is for sure: the lives of coal families across the country are going to change drastically in the coming years. The need for a transition away from fossil fuels is undeniable. What This Coal Life does is pull back the curtain on the uncomfortable challenges of the Just Transition. What does a transition to cleaner energy mean for a father who has only ever worked in the mining industry? Or for his daughter, who has her sights set on leaving Kriel before it becomes a ghost town? For the first time, the future of the so-called 'children of coal' is unclear. Following the release of This Coal Life, youth reporters at eMalahleni FM launched the podcast on their radio show. During the show, more than 700 community listeners sent feedback. After hearing the episode, one community member said: 'I am hoping that people will find out about the Just Transition from this podcast. A lot of people don't know about it. It would be so good if this podcast made it out to people and they knew more about this.' In their feedback, listeners emphasised how the narrative-driven nature of the podcast captured their attention and made them feel like they could relate to the trials and tribulations of the characters. They also noted the need for more support to further unpack what is at stake for their community. Given this feedback, Radio Workshop facilitated a listening session where the podcast was used as a conversation starter. Fifty community members gathered around youth reporters and an energy expert to share their opinions, worries, and ideas. After the session, one of them reflected: 'I feel like this podcast is perfect for awareness and dialogue. Because when we listened as a group, we had a lot of questions in mind that we'd like to answer with each other, and it gave us an easier view of how this Just Transition will work.' DM
