The global and South African domestic work sector has long grappled with informality, precarity, and exploitation, despite regulatory strides that have extended labour and social protections to certain domestic workers. Furthermore, the demand for domestic work has given rise to on-demand platforms, aiming to generate economic opportunities amidst pervasive underemployment. While these platforms offer some improvements over traditional working arrangements, the 2020 Anti-trafficking Review highlights that they perpetuate patterns of abuse observed in the broader domestic work sector. This is because their business models revolve around navigating regulatory landscapes to offer clients readily available and flexible labour without a long-term commitment, thereby evading obligations to provide labour rights and protections. In this conversation, we aim to delve into South Africa's dependence on domestic work and unravel the factors contributing to an environment where the work is essential yet consistently undervalued. PhD Candidate in Sociology at the University of the Free State Busisiwe Ntsele together with Development Economist and OXFAM South Africa Board Chair Phelisa Nkomo join Lerato Mbele for the conversation.