As stated by the Department of Employment and Labour in Government Gazette No 54075, dated 3 February 2026, the National Minimum Wage will be increased from 1 March 2026 by 5%.
The new minimum wage will be R30.23 per hour (up from R28.79). Neither the National Minimum Wage Act No. 9 of 2018 nor the relevant Proclamations provide for a minimum weekly or monthly wage, just a minimum hourly rate for each ordinary hour of work. They also do not determine a minimum number of hours to be worked monthly.
The National Minimum Wage applies to all workers: farm workers, domestic workers, permanent, fixed-term, casual or temporary workers.
Workers employed under learnership agreements (as per section 17 of the Skills Development Act 1998 (Act No 97 of 1998) and the Contract Cleaning and Wholesale and Retail Sectors have different schedules for the minimum wage. These can be found in the full gazette notice.
Employers of farm workers who provide accommodation and food to their employees are entitled to deduct 10% each for accommodation and food, as long as the accommodation meets the required criteria, and the total value of the food is not less than the deduction amount.
Employers who cannot afford the minimum wage can apply for an exemption. This application can be made online at https://nmw.labour.gov.za.
Read the full gazette notice here.
If you have any questions about other Labour or Land issues, please get in touch with McCarthy Attorneys Inc. at (033) 266 6170 or via email.
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