Companionship, which is having the support of a companion during labour and birth, is an important part of the management of women in labour. A quantitative, exploratory and descriptive design was used to explore the opinions of women on having support during labour. A semi-structured interview guide was used to gather data from a convenience sample of 62 women. Data were analysed using Epi Info software. Twenty-seven women in the study knew of companionship and its benefits before their birth but only 15 had companions during labour and some misinterpreted companionship to apply to lawful partners only. The women who had companions attributed the following to companionship, namely, comfort and support, reduced pain and shortened labour. Of the 47 women who had no companions, 35 had no knowledge of companionship. These women viewed labour differently, as some attributed the following to absence of companionship, namely, long and painful labour, loneliness, panic and feeling as though they were dying. These women felt that labour could have been better with the support of a companion and even recommended that companionship was a necessity during labour. It is recommended that the psychosocial benefits of companionship should be emphasised during antenatal care as a means to a less stressful labour process for both the women and the midwives.