DOMESTIC workers and gardeners play a central role in the daily functioning and well-being of countless households.
They cook, clean, care for children and the elderly, and maintain outdoor spaces, often forming the invisible backbone of many families’ routines. Yet, despite their vital contributions, these workers have historically been excluded from the formal financial system.
For decades, limited access to bank accounts, credit, and other basic financial services has left them vulnerable to exploitation, financial insecurity, and economic stagnation. This systemic exclusion has perpetuated cycles of poverty and inequality, making it difficult for them to build wealth, plan for the future, or access economic opportunities.
According to Atlas Finance regional manager, Katleho Komane, when financial services are designed with excluded communities in mind, the impact goes far beyond money.
“It’s about dignity, stability, and finally being seen. Domestic workers, including housekeepers and gardeners, continue to face significant barriers to formal financial services. With limited access to traditional credit, often due to informal employment, lack of payslips, or credit history, they’ve been easy prey for mashonisas (unregulated lenders) most of whom charge exorbitant interest rates and operate without accountability.”
Komano has seen the impact of the loan offering first-hand.
“You can see the difference in people’s faces when they realise someone is willing to help them, legally, fairly, and with respect.
Many of the applicants use the funds for school uniforms, groceries, or urgent medical expenses often left unmet when formal support is out of reach,” she says, adding these are not reckless borrowers but responsible individuals who needed access to sound financial advice rather than relying on backstreet lenders whose predatory practices create a deeper cycle of debt for consumers who can least afford it.”
For many thousands of domestic workers, wages are paid in cash or into a bank account, but are very seldom accompanied by a formal payslip, often a prerequisite for lenders, consequently perpetuating the cycle of debt.
Atlas Finance’s loan for domestic workers and gardeners who receive their salaries into a bank account, even in the absence of formal documentation like a payslip, has seen a 49,2% year-on-year growth, revealing not only a clear gap in the market but a deeper need for more inclusive financial solutions.
This simple but crucial shift in criteria has enabled thousands to access credit legally and safely, often for the first time.
“When financial products are designed with empathy and deep community insight, the impact is immediate and far-reaching.
As South Africa grapples with unemployment, financial exclusion, and debt stress, inclusive access to loans offer a glimpse into a more equitable financial future,” concludes Komano.
