A large part of South Africa's workforce has seen the effect
of the recently updated national minimum wage. The update came as
per the national legislation requiring the Minister of Labour to
review the national minimum wage within 2 (two) years of its
enactment. As such, the recent update raised interest in whether
employers can in any way be exempted from paying this minimum
wage.
The Wage Rate
The National Minimum Wage Act 9 of 2018 (hereinafter referred to
as 'the Act') was needed to address the vast disparities in
income within the country. As a result, a national minimum wage was
enforceable from the time it was assented to. Accordingly, Schedule
1 of the Act as read with Section 6(6) of the Act stipulated the
following minimum pay per hour for workers:
