Domestic workers to get an almost R2 increase. Here’s the new wage for 2026

Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth has announced a R1.44 increase to the national minimum wage. Meth on Tuesday said the increase will benefit all workers, including vulnerable farm workers and domestic workers. However, workers employed on the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) will be excluded from the increase.

The national minimum wage is South Africa’s labour market statutory requirement. The National Minimum Wage Act came into effect in 2019. In terms of the legislation, employers are obligated to pay workers a minimum amount per hour.

The national minimum wage is subject to an annual review. Meth said the increase is set to come into effect from 1 March 2026. After the R1.44 increase has been implemented, workers will receive R30.23 per hour.

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This is an increase from R28.79. She added that EPWP workers are not included in the national minimum wage because they are employed under a special dispensation. “Their (EPWP workers) adjustment will rise from R15.16 per hour to a minimum wage of R16.62 per hour and workers who have concluded learnership agreements contemplated in section 17 of the Skills Development Act 1998 are entitled to the allowances contained in Schedule 2,” said Meth.

“The rates on learnerships will be published on the departmental website.” She added that any violations of the Act are subject to fines enforced by the inspectorate. “The national minimum wage is enforced by the department and Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA),” added Meth. “The national minimum wage is the floor which an employer is legally obligated to remunerate employees for work done.

No employee shall be paid below the minimum wage. “It cannot be varied by contract, collective agreement or law, and it is also an unfair labour practice for an employer to unilaterally alter hours of work or other conditions of employment in implementing the minimum wage.” Meth added that the minimum wage applies to all workers and their employers except members of the South African National Defence Force, the National Intelligence Agency and the South African Secret Service.

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