Every year, winter especially, there is a surge in people wanting to know what the price of gas should be in South Africa, and especially when it gets really cold, this as more of us reach out for our gas heaters to heat up our homes and our chilling bones. In this article we share with you some facts on LPG gas prices in South Africa, specifically LPG Gas prices in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp. The LPG Gas prices as published by Department of Energy is not the same across the country, and indeed for LPG Gas as well as fuel prices the country is divided into different zones, and prices for LPG Gas is set against each zone. Important to understand is that the published price is the maximum price that a retailer may charge for LPG Gas, and retailer may charge less than this price but not more, very important to understand is that this published price includes VAT. Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp falls under the zone referred to as 9C, and if you wish to view the entire grid map you can find the PDF Map of the Grids below: LPG Gas Prices in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp LPG Gas prices are regulated and each month the Department of Energy publishes these prices for all retailers across the country on their website, which you can view by clicking here, these prices are published in cents per kilogram, and the price as published for the periods as we update them are as follows: June 2022 is at 3,714 cents per kilogram, thus R37,14 per kilogram, and the standard gas bottle of 9 kg should cost you no more than R334.26 VAT Included. (Valid to 6th July 2022) July 2022 is at 3,496 cents per kilogram, thus R34,96 per kilogram, and the standard gas bottle of 9 kg should cost you no more than R314.64 VAT Included. (Valid to 2nd August 2022) For reference here are the published prices over the years for June of each year: 2012: R 20.25 2013: R 22.89 2014: R 25.01 2015: R 22.17 2016: R 21.58 2017: R 21.44 2018: R 23.84 2019: R 26.57 2020: R 21.29 2021: R 27.21 2022: R 37.14 You can also download the current price as published at start of July 2022 below. Take Our Poll We thought we would also add the poll below to determine if retailers are actually charging customers the right price as published by the Department of Energy, let us know by simply selecting your experience on pricing below (Vote and you will see the results of all voters to date) Tags and Links LPG Gas Suppliers Potchefstroom LPG Gas Suppliers Klerksdorp LPG Gas Suppliers

SuperSport published the Springboks tour for 2022, and the first thing that comes to mind for Rugby lovers in Potchefstroom may be how Load Shedding will impact the watching of Rugby, especially if you do not have a generator or other form of electricity, when Eskom decides it is lights out. The Go-To Guy put together the following schedule, showing the Springbok tour dates and times that you could watch the game on SuperSport, against the different levels of load shedding that may be announced,. This may allow you to plan accordingly as Eskom makes announcements on the possible stages of load shedding where applicable,. You can find each game below as well as the different load shedding stages on those days that may be announced, as a bonus at the end of article we added the load-shedding stages and times for you for free download, all the way to end December 2022. The Games and Load-Shedding Risk Factor Stages Date: Saturday 2nd July 2022 Supersport Time: 15:05 Venue: Pretoria, South Africa Opponents: Wales Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 1 and upwards will ruin your day Date: Saturday 9th July 2022 Supersport Time: 15:05 Venue: Bloemfontein, South Africa Opponents: Wales Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 8 may ruin your day up to 16:00 Date: Saturday 16th July 2022 Supersport Time: 15:05 Venue: Cape Town, South Africa Opponents: Wales Risk Factor Potchefstroom: May be impacted after 18:00 from Stage 2 and upwards Date: Saturday 6th August 2022 Supersport Time: 15:05 Venue: Mbombela, South Africa Opponents: New Zealand Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 1 may impact start of game to 16:00 and Stage 5 will ruin your day Date: Saturday 13th August 2022 Supersport Time: 15:05 Venue: Johannesburg, South Africa Opponents: New Zealand Risk Factor Potchefstroom: May be impacted after 18:00 from Stage 3 and upwards Date: Saturday 27th August 2022 Supersport Time: 05:30 Venue: Adelaide, Australia Opponents: Australia Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 2 may disrupt first part of broadcast to 06:00, stage 6 will ruin your day Date: Saturday 3rd September 2022 Supersport Time: 09:35 Venue: Sydney, Australia Opponents: Australia Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 3 may impact first part of broadcast to 10 am, Stage 7 will ruin your day Date: Saturday 17th September 2022 Supersport Time: 19:10 Venue: Buenos Aires, Argentina Opponents: Argentina Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 7 and upwards may impact first hour of broadcast to 20:00 Date: Saturday 24th September 2022 Supersport Time: 15:05 Venue: Durban, South Africa Opponents: Argentina Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 2 upwards may impact first hour of broadcast to 16:00, Stage 6 upwards will ruin your day Date: Saturday 5th November 2022 Supersport Time: 17:30 Venue: Dublin, Ireland Opponents: Ireland Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 8 may impact first 30 mins of Broadcast to 18:00 Date: Saturday 12th November 2022 Supersport Time: 20:00 Venue: Marseille, France Opponents: France Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 2 upwards will ruin your day Date: Saturday 26th November 2022 Supersport Time: 17:30 Venue: Twickenham, England Opponents: England Risk Factor Potchefstroom: Stage 7 upwards will ruin your day Eskom Load-Shedding Schedule There are two sheets: Sheet one in the workbook being a static one that indicates all the levels and times of load shedding, dependent on the stage of load-shedding announced by Eskom. The other is a schedule to the end of the year by actual date, and also by Stage that may be announced by Eskom. For additional value we indicate the number of hours per day, the percentage of time during day and in the evening as well as showing you weekends in the formatting.of the dated sheet. Simply scroll down on sheet to the 8 different load-shedding schedules Notes: We have taken great care in putting these sheets together, from confirmed and official Eskom sources, yet Eskom and Councils may alter and follow a different program, note also that although two hours are indicated Eskom adds 30 minutes on their time schedules to cater for reactivation of grids, thus all two hour blocks may be two hours and thirty minutes. If you spot any errors, typos or others, let us know by email at theguy@thegotoguy.co.za :) If you wish to see all the different areas load shedding stages by different municipal areas you can simply click here, which will take you to Eskom schedules

Here is a free downloadable sheet showing the different stages of Eskom and what times you can expect the power to be off in Potchefstroom during these stages, the sheet also indicates the percentage of times of daytime and night-time outages for reference. There are two sheets: Sheet one in the workbook being a static one that indicates all the levels and times of load shedding, dependent on the stage of load-shedding announced by Eskom. The other is a schedule to the end of the year by actual date, and also by Stage that may be announced by Eskom. For additional value we indicate the number of hours per day, the percentage of time during day and in the evening as well as showing you weekends in the formatting.of the dated sheet. Simply scroll down on sheet to the 8 different load-shedding schedules Download Sheet Below in Excel Format Download Sheet Below in PDF Format View Sheet Online by Clicking on this link: Google Live Sheet Notes: We have taken great care in putting these sheets together, from confirmed and official Eskom sources, yet Eskom and Councils may alter and follow a different program, note also that although two hours are indicated Eskom adds 30 minutes on their time schedules to cater for reactivation of grids, thus all two hour blocks may be two hours and thirty minutes. If you spot any errors, typos or others, let us know by email at theguy@thegotoguy.co.za :) If you wish to see all the different areas load shedding stages by different municipal areas you can simply click here, which will take you to Eskom schedules

Jobs are scarce, and many people, mainly women, walk the streets each day looking for domestic work, house to house for miles at end, it is not a nice experience, especially if met by hundreds on "no work available". Here at The Go-To Guy we looked at that and asked ourselves how we could use the tools we have to create something where these woman looking for jobs could go and register their details, whilst at the same time people looking for assistants at their homes could go and find people that meets their requirements, and thus we created a registration service where Domestic Workers can go and register for free. The service is currently in Beta and we will ad more personalisation over the next few weeks, we will also add the ability for homes that have a need to advertise for domestic workers to place advertisements so that we have both the supply and demand sectors covered, this will include references as well as social proof credibility factors that will aid both job seekers and job givers. Watch this space as we continue to develop this community initiative over the next period, and if you have any suggestions, insights, advice and ideas to develop the service then please send us your comments.

People choose tiles to cover their floors and wall because they are stylish, durable and easy to maintain. Not all types of tiles are suitable for every job and you also need to consider your budget when picking tiles. Tiles came in different shapes and materials, let us take a look at which tile will be best for your renovation project. Ceramic: Ceramic tiles have a white or red clay biscuit and are baked in a kiln at high temperature. Ceramic tiles are great for splash backs and bathroom walls. Glazed ceramic tiles works great for flooring and is long lasting. Ceramic tiles are easy to install and to clean and very durable. Ceramic tiles are smaller than other tiles in general. Porcelain: Porcelain tiles are made with finer clays than ceramic and they are baked at a higher temperature. Porcelain tiles are great for bathrooms, kitchens and high-traffic areas. Porcelain tiles works great for indoors and outdoor. Porcelain tiles can be used for flooring and wall covers. The installation of porcelain tiles can be a bit tricky, and needs an adhesive when installing. Mosaics: Mosaic tiles are small pieces of tiles that are arranged on a sheet. The small pieces of tiles can be made of porcelain, glass, marble, stone, ceramic and even pebbles. Mosaics tiles can be use to add detail to a wall, but it is recommended to use it sparingly, as it can look dated quickly. Mosaics tiles are great for introducing detail on walls and splash backs. Mosaics tills can be added to spaces where extra grip is needed. Cement Tiles: Cement tiles are part cement, ceramic, and porcelain, that are pressed and then left to cure. Cement tiles are great to add character to small spaces. Because cement tiles are so versatile it can provide you with great patterns and colors. It can be hard work to lay cement tiles, and the tiles must be resealed once a month to maintain its beauty. It is best to use cement tiles in low-traffic areas. Natural stone tiles: Quarried stone such as marble, limestone, granite, slate, travertine, and quarts are all family to the natural stone tiles. Granite tiles have a similar look than marble, but it is the less expensive tile. Granite tiles are great for laundry rooms. Marble tiles are costly, but it adds a touch of elegance and refinement to any room. Granite tiles works great as shower flooring, backsplashes, and columns. You can create a truly rustic style with limestone tiles. Limestone tiles are great for outdoor areas, due to it rich appearance and variety of colours and size. It is best to apply travertine tiles as wall covers, as to avoid scratches, etching and stains. Quarry tiles are naturally dense, nonporous and water resistant. Quarry tiles works great in high traffic areas, and they are naturally slip-resistant.

Covered in this article are the following: Employment Process Induction of Domestic Workers Domestic Worker Definition Most Important Legal Requirements Minimum Wages Hours of Work Leave Classifications/Requirements Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COIDA) Employment Contracts Payment of Salaries Downloads Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Employment Process of Domestic Workers We found that most households meet and employ their workers via their friends and family networks as a method of filtering the workers, with trust being the largest factor when looking at employing a worker, and having friends and family recommending or vouching for the worker a big trust checkpoint is achieved. This trust requirement is a natural concern, as domestic workers and other home workers are in fact workers that enters a very private space into the homes and in their lives, and allowing a total stranger into their homes remains a huge stumbling block, we also believe that by not having a method to confirm/achieve this trust, leaves a number of open positions and households that are looking at employing someone rather leaving these positions vacant, thus a great job creation opportunity exists if this trust factor could be addressed. Besides the common process of networking with family and friends to find a person that could fill a position, we also found that there is no clear needs analysis and checklist type of reference used to look, find, filter and ultimately employ the employee, resulting often in a poor match between the household needs and the services that could be provided, or is expected to be provided by the employee. It is vitally important for households/Employers to have a more structured approach to defining their needs and the checklist against which potential employees could be filtered, at the least we recommend the following are covered, and for reference we have a downloadable document assisting with this as a free download at the end of this article. Defining the Environment: In the job requirements it is important that a summary is provided of the environment in which the houseworker would operate, as an example stating that it is a 3 bedroomed house, tiled or carpeted, the total number of rooms in the house, the number of bathrooms, if there are any additional outside buildings such as granny flat and/or others, this provides the employees viewing the advertised position and potentially the financial benefits in perspective, saving a lot of time in terms of interviews and interactions with potential employees. Equipment at Household and Required Use/Application: We overlook the equipment we have in our households, and how these will be used by the worker, here we are referring to stating items such as washing machine type (EG Top-loader, Front-loader, Automatic etc), Tumble-dryers or not (Which will impact how clothes will be dried), type of iron that will be used (Standard, Steam, Press-down), Kitchen having gas stove and electrical oven or not (Especially if cooking is required). Family Structure: It is important for the employee to understand the family dynamics of the household as this will impact not just the workload as an example but also prepare the worker in general in her/his approach and engagement with the household and if she/he would be a fit, such as that the family consists of the parents, two children aged x and y (which would be completely different between non-school and school going children and care) Expectations: Households needs to define clearly what the expectations are in terms of the job/s that needs to be done, both broadly and also personalised requirements, in order to not just use this as a filter for interviewing and finding the ideal employee, but also to discuss, refresh and in greater detail define the expectations, such as the daily cleaning that will be required, weekly, monthly and then quarterly, (EG such as curtain washing annually, washing windows monthly) Childcare/Children Interaction: if there are children in the house, whether the employee would be directly responsible for caring for them or not, it is advisable to provide an overview of the children, their requirements and your expectations in caring for the children. Salaries and Benefits: Naturally the employee would wish to know what salary and benefits would be for the position, and for this purpose the household needs to carefully think through this in order to capture all the relevant points, especially the basics such as the hourly rate, the transport allowance that would be provided, meals, holiday and leave days, medical fees, education fees (as applicable for specific position), keeping in mind labour legislation and related (EG: Uniforms that is not a benefit but seen as Protective Equipment) Checklist of Required Documents: It is easy to forget the most basic administrative documents that will be required, such as an ID document copy that would be required, other documents that may have to appear on the file of the employee, (You will definitely need to keep an admin file on the employee, this is covered later in this article) Checklist of Labour Compliance Understanding: This checklist can be used for the successful applicant "meeting of the minds" and also acts as the foundation of the agreement that you need to sign with the employee, it cover cover things such start times, end times, lunch and tea breaks, overtime policy, leave policy and processes, other policies such as intoxication and absenteeism, by having this as general discussion the foundation is laid for a mutually understood relationship. By having the above in a document form a search will yield more tangible and structured discussions, not just at the start of search but also the entire interview process and ultimately the relationship going forward. Induction and Best Practices Like any relationship the foundation of the relationship is laid at the start of that relationship, and in our observations of the Domestic and Home worker sectors it is evident that there is a significant gap, and indeed a great opportunity for employers, to integrate the new worker into their households. We further found that employers have a very "light" approach to the induction and initial training/sensitisation of the new employee into the household, when this specific part of the relationship will have a dramatic effect on not just the continued long relationship between employer and employee, but also the service levels provided by the employee to the household. It is therefore suggested that household have a full session with employer that welcomes the employee to the household, introduce to all family members, and then room-for-room cover the expectations in each room, what days you wish to focus on specifics, such as washing days, ironing days etc. Also the personalised points that would be applicable for each room or job that would be required, an example would be to open specific room windows on Mondays, whatever may be specific requirement/s, it is highly advisable to have a list for each room to discuss, as well as what the daily routine would typically be. This induction should also include other dynamics, such as contact numbers, emergency numbers, safety advice and requirements (EG storing of poisonous cleaning materials in households with small children) Domestic Worker Definition Let's also look at the definition of a domestic worker, around which there seems to be some confusion, the following are defined in labour acts and regulations. The word “domestic worker” means any domestic worker or independent contractor who performs domestic work in a private household and who receives, or is entitled to receive pay and these include the following workers: Gardeners Domestic workers employed or supplied by employment services. Drivers of the household, a person employed by a household as a driver of a motor vehicle; and A person that takes care of children, the aged, the sick, frail or disabled, this includes Nannies, Au Pairs etc. It does, however, not include a farm worker who performs domestic work in a home on a farm. The Basic Responsibilities for Employers The moment that any worker works for you for more than 26 hours a month, they are employed by you, and no longer considered a casual employee, and as such at this point there are a number of legal requirements that come in, some of the most important ones are: You need to sign an employment contract with the employee You need to provide your employee with a payslip each month You need to register the employee for UIF and subsequently start payment of UIF You need to register the employee with COIDA and start payment of annual COIDA fees Minimum Wages It should be understood that while the word minimum wage is a defined term in the act, the word does not constitute that it is a "living wage" and employers paying their employees more than the minimum seems to be acutely aware of such, equally so the market for great people will always require that you pay your worker more than the minimum wage. Surveys during 2021 showed that domestic workers in reality earn between R2,614 and R2,916 a month. The more worrying finding from the survey is that one in five domestic workers (21%) are earning less than R1,500 a month, and two-thirds earned below 2021’s minimum wage. Only 1% reported earning more than R6,000 a month. As from 1 March 2022 the minimum hourly wages for a domestic worker is R23.19. This is an increase of 6.9% from the previous year. Assuming a domestic worker is working 160 hours a month (eight hours a day, 20 days a month), the monthly wage comes to R3,710 for the month. An employer must be aware that it is a criminal offence to pay less than the National Minimum Wage. An employer is not permitted to engage in a negotiation with their employee/s whereby they agree to a daily wage that is less than the National Minimum Wage. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act ensures that no employee can receive less than what is prescribed in the Act. The National Minimum Wage is only applicable to the payment of ordinary hours of work and does not apply to allowances for transport, meals, accommodation and bonuses. Employers cannot reduce the salaries of domestic workers who earn more than the minimum wage. It’s considered unfair labour practice for an employer to reduce the salary of a domestic worker who earns above the minimum wage. Hours of Work The above rate is for normal hours and a domestic worker may not work more than: 45 hours per week 9 hours per day for a five day week 8 hours per day for a six day work week Should overtime be required these needs to be agreed, as overtime is voluntarily, and the rate as mentioned above would then be multiplied by factor of 1.5, thus overtime rate under current legislation would be R34.78. Although a worker may be requested to work overtime, there are limitations, and a domestic worker may not work: More than 15 hours overtime per week, and; More than 12 hours on any day, including overtime. Note: An employee may agree to take paid time off instead of being paid the multiplier for overtime worked, this will be based on the same principle, for every hour worked the time off would be 90 minutes. A domestic worker is entitled to an hour break for a meal after 5 hours of continued work, such an interval may by agreement be reduced to 30 minutes, and if your worker needs to work through that meal they would have to be paid for such. Sunday work is voluntarily and the worker may not be forced to work on this day, and any hours worked on Sunday would have to be paid at a multiplier of 2, thus the minimum applicable would be R46.38 and this would be based on the agreed salary of the employee, you cannot implement a different rate than the rate in the employment contract for this purpose. Public Holidays Domestic workers are entitled to all public holidays as contained in the public holidays act, in addition there may be mutual agreement on other public holidays that are not contained in the act. Working on public holidays is also voluntarily, and wages would be determined at multiplier of 2 if working on these days, the current official public holidays are: New Years day Human rights day Good Friday Family Day Freedom Day Employees Day Youth Day National Woman’s Day Heritage Day Day of Reconciliation Christmas Day Day of Goodwill Any government declared official public holiday Looking at Leave and the Different Classifications Leave - Annual Annual leave provision for domestic workers: Three weeks per year or 1 day for 17 days worked, domestic who does not work 45 ordinary hours, leave can be calculated at 1 hour for 17 hours worked, or 1 day for every 17 days worked The leave must be given not later than 6 months after completing 12 months of employment with the same employer. The leave may not be given at the same time as sick leave, nor at the same time as a period of notice to terminate work. Leave - Sick Sick leave provision for domestic workers: During every sick leave cycle of 36 months an employee is entitled to an amount of paid sick leave equal to the number of days the employee would normally work during a period of six weeks. During the first six months of employment, an employee is entitled to one day’s paid sick leave for every 26 days worked. The employer is not required to pay an employee if the employee has been absent from work for more than two consecutive days or on more than two occasions during an eight-week period and, on request by the employer, does not produce a medical certificate stating that the employee was unable to work for the duration of the employee’s absence on account of sickness or injury. Leave - Maternity Leave Maternity Leave Provisions for domestic workers An employee may take up to four months of unpaid maternity leave and is not allowed to return to work for a minimum of six weeks after giving birth. As an employer, you are not legally obliged to pay a portion of their salary during maternity leave, but you may choose to. The mother can also claim maternity benefits from UIF for the full four months. Leave - Family Responsibility Family responsibility provision for domestic workers: Domestic workers who have been employed for longer than 4 months and for at least 4 days a week are entitled to take 3 days paid family responsibility leave during each leave cycle in the following circumstances: when the employee’s child is born when the employee’s child is sick if one of the following people dies: the employee’s husband / wife / life partner / parent /adoptive parent / grandparent/ child/adopted child/ grandchild/ brother or sister More than 3 days of family responsibility leave is unpaid and may be deducted of the employees wages. Unemployment Fund There seems to be confusion on the registration and payment of UIF for domestic workers, yet if any worker works for you for more than 26 hours per month, then you are under a legal obligation to register that employee for UIF, and to make the contributions towards UIF The employer must register as a contributor to UIF and must register her domestic worker as a beneficiary. The UIF will send the employer a contributor number when she registers and she has to use that number when making payments. The total amount for UIF is 2% of the worker’s salary each month: 1% is paid by the employer and the other 1% can be deducted from the worker’s wages to be paid over to UIF. It is the responsibility of the employer to pay the UIF contribution for her domestic worker. If she doesn’t pay it, she/he can be held personally liable for payment of the amount owing to the UIF. Non-payment of UIF is an offence and the UIF will levy a 10% penalty on all the unpaid back contributions, and the finance committee at UIF will also calculate interest owing. A worker who works more than 24 hours a month can claim UIF benefits when she becomes unemployed if she was dismissed or retrenched or the employer dies. She cannot claim UIF if she resigns. If she agrees to the termination of her work – that is, if she was not dismissed or retrenched, she also doesn’t qualify. In order to register your employee for UIF you will be required to have the following information and documentation: Personal details of your employee that will include the Name, ID Number and Salary information Your details which will include you Name, ID Number, Physical Address, Postal Address, E-Mail and Mobile Number Forms UI-19 and UI-8D completed, and for which you will also require a utility bill that is not older than 3 months (You can download these forms at the end of this article under Downloads Section) There are a number of channels you could use for this process, these are: Department of Labour Centre Near You Department of Labour Online System Email UI-8D and UI-19 forms to domestic@uif.gov.za Post to UIF, Pretoria 0052 The Go-To Guy strongly recommends taking the online registration route :) The U-Filing Process Basic Steps You will go to the website address https://ufiling.labour.gov.za/uif/ click on "Register" You will then be presented with terms and conditions to accept, click on Continue You will then have to complete a number of fields, note: the first field is a username that you have to create, remember this as you will require it later when you want to access the system again You will then receive an activation mail with a temporary password, and a link that you need to click in the mail, clicking on this link will take you to a login screen, where you will be prompted for a new password From here you will go through a vetting process where you have to answer some questions, this will include your physical address, postal address, email address, mobile number, employers, exactly what you entered when you registered. Once you completed the above questions you will be directed where you can confirm/update your personal details before proceeding to the Ufiling website You will then on the left column see a dropdown menu, look and click on "Registrations" A page will open with three tabs at the top, click on "Domestic Employer" You will then go through a process where you will be verified, capture your details, capture employee details. A important part here will be the date of employment that you will be requested to put in of your worker and you are bound by law to register within 7 days from employee having started working for you. You will then enter all the details of the employee on the next screen, this will include name, ID number and date of birth. You will then have a screen capturing a range of details on the employment details, this includes start date, hours worked monthly, gross salary, UIF deductible salary, UIF contributions, Occupation, qualifications, physical and postal address. Once finished you will then receive a mail with your UIF number as an employer, this will now allways be your UIF number and every-time an employee leaves or starts you will update only the employee details on your profile. From here on forward you would have to ensure that by 7th of each month you pay the UIF that was due for the previous month, else penalties and interest will be charged to your account. UIF payments can be made by EFT and by Debit Order Notes: If you did not pay UIF for previous periods then UIF will be calculated for previous periods at 2% UIF owed per month for the period owing, a 10% penalty fee would be charged on the UIF amount and then an interest charge will be added (fluctuates and UIF finance department will advise this rate), you cannot deduct any arrears from the employee, only going forward after you have registered as an employer can you deduct 1% monthly, UIF for domestic workers started in April 2003 Can a domestic worker claim UIF and SASSA Pension Yes, a domestic worker could certainly claim UIF (only IF she is entitled to claim) and apply for a SASSA pension at the same time, BUT as the old-age pension is a means-tested grant, the UIF money would be taken into account as income, thus decreasing the amount of pension money to be received. For this reason, it is generally better to claim any UIF benefits due before applying for the SASSA grant. COIDA Domestic workers who suffer injury or contract an illness while on duty at the private home of their employer may apply for compensation from the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COIDA) Fund. Dependants of domestic workers will also be able to claim from the Compensation Fund. Employers will need to register with the Compensation Fund and pay annual assessment fees based on their domestic worker’s earnings. Employers are NOT allowed to deduct money from wages as contributions to the Fund. Employers who fail to register or default on payment of assessment fees will be liable for fines or prosecution in the event of a workplace incident (refer to the landmark ruling by the Constitutional Court on 19 November 2020, Sylvia Mahlangu v Minister of Labour). All employers of domestic works (including gardeners) – whether part-time, casual, temporary or full-time – must register themselves and their employees with the Compensation Commissioner, this effective from 10th of March 2021, and we attached that notice published on 10th March 2021 in the Government Gazette Any person who employs a domestic worker is therefore deemed to be an employer and is obliged to register their domestic workers with the Compensation Fund by paying an annual fee on their behalf. Employers who fail to do so are guilty of an offence and liable to a fine, and should a domestic worker who is not registered with the Compensation Fund be injured on duty, such domestic worker can also institute civil proceedings against their employer. It is essential for employers to register their domestic workers with the Compensation Fund, to indemnify themselves from civil litigation. The failure to register with the Compensation Fund may open an employer up to costly and time-consuming litigation. The annual fee payable by an employer is calculated as follows: The domestic worker’s annual salary ÷ 100 × 1.04. if we take the current minimum wage as an example then the annual salary would be R44,520 annually must therefore pay an annual fee of R460 to the Compensation Fund. What sort of protection does this cover offer your employee? In the event that they fall ill or suffer an injury as a direct result of their employment, they will be able to claim compensation for temporary or permanent disability, assistance with medical bills, orthotic or assistive devices and rehabilitation services. In the event of their death, their dependants can claim compensation from the fund for funeral expenses and ongoing support in the form of a widow/widower’s pension or lump sum, a child pension or additional dependency award to cover parents, siblings and other family members who may have been dependent on the employee. It doesn’t matter how many hours a week the employee works for you, how you pay them, or what kind of contract you have – you need to register them. This applies even to employees who work for multiple employers – each of those employers will need to register them How to Register your employee You are going to need the following documents and information: Your own personal details, name, ID, Mobile Number, E-Mail Address, Residential Address, Banking details, and then strangely you will also require the details of your Spouse/Partner A completed CF-1E Form, which is the application for the registration of the domestic worker employer, we attached this form in the downloads section. A copy of the ID/Passport/Work Permit, your own as well as your employee Proof of your address Copy of your employment contract Your UIF Number you received when you registered your employee with UIF This application needs to be sent by mail to mail address: registrationcf@labour.gov.za or you can register online at this link: Department of Labour Online User Registration Once registered you will be expected to submit a Return of Earnings (ROE) on an annual basis as soon as the ROE system opens between 1st April and 30th of May each year, and you can do this online by registering at this link: Department of Labour Online User Registration Employment Contracts Every domestic worker that works for you more that 26 hours per month must have a contract with you as an employer, and it is important that you cover all the relevant points in that agreement, besides the basic requirements we also suggest that you apply your mind to other points of importance and add that in the agreement, some of these are: The ability to use polygraphs and consent from employee in this regard If you will be having monitoring and nanny cams, specify this in your agreement and ensure that employee is aware and accepts this monitoring as part of the employment agreement. The process and tests that may be done if you suspect intoxication of any kind, this should include the consent to breathalyser tests as well as blood tests if required, specifically you should place in agreement that you have a zero tolerance policy, therefore any trace of any intoxicating substance is considered a breaking of this policy, further state that if employee arrives intoxicated that she/he will be sent home and marked as absent, with absenteeism charge then becoming applicable. How disciplinary matters would be addressed, referring to the guidelines from department of labour. Any probation periods, specifically its important to monitor and record performance during probation period, see FAQ on probation period later in this article Here is a checklist that you can use as a tick list to ensure you have all the relevant clauses in you agreement: The full name and address of the employer The full name and occupation of the employee, and a description of the work they will be doing, include all the duties on the list, including details on watching children and caring requirements The place of work The start date of employment The domestic worker’s agreed working hours and days of work. It is important to note that agreed working hours may not exceed 45 hours a week, including a daily one-hour lunch break that must be taken after five hours of work. The domestic worker’s wage or rate and method and frequency of payment The rate of pay for overtime work Any other cash payments the employee is entitled to Any deductions taken from wages The leave they are entitled to The notice period required to terminate employment, or the date of termination if the employment is for a specific period only. The different consents as per section above The benefits that they will receive over and above their basic salary, such as transport, meals, accommodation - note uniforms is not a benefit Policies such as zero tolerance policy for intoxication. If they will be monitored using video footage or nanny cams This list is not exhaustive and you need to apply your mind in ensuring that you have all the relevant points as it pertains to your household covered, also you need to ensure that your employee understands all the requirements. Payments of Wages and Other Fees Payment of salary: The employer must pay the domestic worker in cash, by cheque or directly into their bank account. Payments must be done during working hours. Any payments made and received should have a verifiable record, so if you pay by cash then let employee sign for funds received. The employer may not deduct from the domestic income for the following reasons: Breakage (crockery, electrical appliances, Damages (ironing) Meals provided during working hours, Clothing, Work equipment. Downloads UIF Form UI-8D UIF Form UI-19 Notice Government Gazette COIDA COIDA CF-1E Form FAQ Note: We are not legal and labour experts, and we suggest on any specific points that you discuss with your legal/labour consultants we placed the information here for convenience and as a starting point for you to build on.

When you finish painting or varnishing a project, it is often that left with some paint. To not waste it and store it for future use, we put together a few quick tips on how to store your paint. Heat or cold can quickly ruin paint making it hard and impossible to work with. It is important that you try and place the paint in the smallest container that you can find that wont allow too much air space in the container, as the more air you have in your container the greater the chances are that you will end with hardened pain, this as result of air reacting with the paint and hardening the paint. Mark this container clearly with the colour and type of pain that you have in the container, include the date so that you have an idea of how old the paint is. You can then take glad wrap and wrap this around the tin, this adds another layer of air sealing and also prevents any leaking should the container not be sealed properly. A good tip is to allways clean the lid grooves after you have used the paint, as these grooves tend to collect paint in these grooves, which hardens and then prevents the lid from sealing properly, or even worse is that it hardens so much that you cannot open the lid and then risk injury trying to. When you reseal the lid do not hammer it into place with a metal small headed hammer, this damages the lid and also once bent or damaged, rather take a larger head tool such asa mallet or a piece of wooden plank placed over the lid to spread the force evenly and then hammering on this to seal the lid. Finally after having done all this is to on a regular basis as you do s0me cleaning to turn the tin around so that the paint does not form a hard sludge on one side of the tin