REMOVING LAUNDRY BLUES TO MAKE TIME FOR THE IMPORTANT THINGS
An iziwasha story

Wilhemina Khoza is a 38-year-old mother and wife from Moloto, Mpumalanga, who lives with her husband, her sons, aged eight and three, and a daughter who is 15. Wilhemina says she first came across Iziwasha, a handheld clothes washing device, during a demonstration happening at a nearby street. After the first wash, she became a fan.

Wilhemina says the biggest impact has been on her hands. “With a normal handwash, my hands got very irritated, itchy and raw from rubbing out stains and the contact with harsh detergent,” she says. She praises the stain-busting powers of the Iziwasha and says even tough items like jeans or her children and husband’s socks are no match for the device.

“Now I finish my laundry early and I can help my children with homework when they come from school,” she explains.

Another avid user of Iziwasha is Lorraine Sithole, who is 35 years old and also lives in Moloto with her 10-year-old daughter and her older brother. Lorraine works full time as a teacher and says all the domestic duties in the household fall on her. “So I look for tools which are actually effective and save me time,” she says.

She says it’s great for quickly washing a few items, and now she only uses the washing machine for larger loads, which has reduced what she spends on electricity.

Lorraine says she hopes Iziwasha could find its way into the hands of older people. “Many of our gogos live alone and they have no one to help them with chores like laundry,” she points out. “Many of them suffer from arthritis in their fingers and from stiff backs, so handwashing is very taxing for them. I think every elderly person in my community should have an Iziwasha in their home.”

She adds that the area has a lot of migrant workers who are working in the mines and in other businesses in the area. “These are people who work long shifts and only have the weekends or after hours free for domestic work. Iziwasha would also help them a lot too,” she says.