The minimum wage in South Africa is R27
The estimated minimum liveable wage is R15,000; something doesn't add up...
The minimum wage for South Africans was made effective in March 2024, which is R27.58 an hour. An average of eight hours of work leaves a worker with a salary of R4,633.44, with a maximum of R5,074.72 per month.
This isn't a total that could leave a family of four with much, taking food, electricity, transport, and education into account.
Professor Ines Meyer from the University of Cape Town shared that a quality of life survey conducted by the Living Wage South Africa Network (LWSAN) estimated that the minimum liveable monthly income in South Africa for 2024 would be R15,000.
This is for the lower-income earners in South Africa, but that doesn't seem quite fitting.
Meyer is also the chairperson of the LWSAN and "explained that the Living Wage of R15,000 is remuneration that is seen as sufficient for the country’s lowest-earning workers to provide for their families, with enough left over for savings to cover unforeseen emergencies." (Business Tech)
The Living Wage, South Africa Network, shared a paper that stated, "A living wage is a remuneration required for an individual and their family to attain a frugal but dignified standard of living. Minimum wage earners are typically unable to cover regular monthly needs and costs associated with unforeseen events like funerals or illness. The stress related to insufficient money prevents individuals from working to their full potential and increases absenteeism and turnover. The reduced business performance that results indirectly hinders economic growth further."
Domestic workers have the lowest median salary, R2,350 a month. "This is less than half the national median of R5,417 a month and below the national minimum wage of approximately R4,600." (Business Tech)
Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group (PMBEJD) called the minimum wage in South Africa "poverty wage", as it hurts workers.
The quality of life that South Africans have to bear, even with a minimum wage, is intolerable. The burning question from Meyer and others, including us, is if those earning the minimum liveable wage cannot make ends meet, then how are those earning the 'poverty wage' expected to live?
It’s not hard to see what a tremendous difference R15,000 could make to their existence and their dignity as humans – unfortunately, [many] employers continue to measure a worker’s worth by the value their labour offers the company based on job gradings and benchmarks, not their inherent value as living beings.
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