Amendments To The National Minimum Wage

The Minister of Employment and Labour has announced amendments to

the national minimum wage which will take effect on 1 March 2025.

The national minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay that employers are

legally required to pay their workers. It is set by government to ensure

that employees receive fair compensation for their work.

The new minimum wage sets a new base line across all sectors with a

few exceptions.

From 1 March 2025, the national minimum wage will increase from

R27.58 to R28.79 per hour.

The new minimum rate for farm workers and domestic workers remains

on a par with the national minimum wage of R28.79 per hour.

The exceptions are as follows:

workers employed on Expanded Public Works: new rate: R15.83 per hour;

workers who have concluded leadership agreements contemplated in Section 17 of the Skills Development Act, 1998: entitled to the allowances contained in schedule 2;

Minimum hours for contract cleaning employees:

Metropolitan councils: City of Cape Town, Greater East Rand Metro, City of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela: rate R31.69 per hour

Local council: Emfuleni, Merafong, Mogale City, Metsimaholo, Randfontein, Stellenbosch, Westonaria: rate R31.69 per hour;

KZN – rates must comply with the Bargaining Council for the Contract Cleaning Service Industry collective agreement; and

All other areas: rate R28.89 per hour.

Employers must ensure compliance with the national minimum wage to avoid the risk of any enforcement action being taken against them.