Domestic worker con warning

Durban - Two Phoenix residents claimed to have been conned and swindled out of valuables, worth thousands or rands by domestic workers they hired off the street.

Mrs Reddy, 51, who declined to reveal her first name, said that after she suffered a slipped disc injury in May, she needed domestic help.

“My neighbour knew this and said she could find someone for me. So I met the lady, who introduced herself as ‘Gugu’. She said she was 43 and could work every Saturday because she went to church on Sundays,” said Reddy.

On “Gugu’s” first day of work, she cleaned the lounge first as Reddy was expecting visitors, then made her way into the bedroom.

“She took a bit longer there, so my instincts told me to check. I asked my husband to go into the bedroom and when he walked in, she was on her knees pretending to mop the floor,” said Reddy.

After she finished cleaning, “Gugu” left Reddy to entertain her guests, and promised to return the following weekend.

When the woman did not arrive for work or answer calls made to her phone, Reddy became suspicious.

Fearing the worst, she searched for her jewellery bag which contained items valued at about R100 000.

“She left the bag, but took my bangles, pendants, my husband’s chain and so forth. There was a ring that my mother gave to me when I got married; it held a lot of sentimental value. I have been married for 29 years, so many of the pieces were given to me by husband as gifts over the years,” Reddy said.

After her injury had healed, Reddy said she reported the theft to the police because she wanted to protect other homeowners from being duped.

“I decided to take action because other people need to be aware, but it is quite difficult because I didn’t have her ID or address. She hung up the phone when my son tried to call her and, as it turned out, she had been walking in the road looking for work when my neighbour called her,” she said.

“I am quite upset because she could be going everywhere and the police say she could have sold the jewellery,” Reddy said.

Mark, another Phoenix resident who asked that his surname be withheld, said he also fell victim to a woman looking for domestic work in December 2011.

“Our regular helper had gone home to Matatiele. I needed someone to help with the ironing, so a guy suggested her – I assumed she was his relative,’’ said Mark. “She was an elderly lady who referred to herself as ‘Gogo’. She was a good worker who ironed my shirts to a T,” he said.

That Christmas morning, Mark said his wife found their valuables were missing.

“It’s hard to estimate how much everything cost because my mother-in-law had bought a lot of things for the kids. But my wife’s wedding ring alone cost R30 000. She (Gogo) left her bag behind and when I tried tracing her, I found out she had been walking in the road looking for work,” Mark said.

Although he reported the alleged theft to the police, Mark said she was never found.

Police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane confirmed the Phoenix police station had opened a case of theft concerning the Reddy matter, but no arrests had been made.

Daily News