South Africa’s National Minimum Wage (NMW) Act, implemented in 2019, undergoes annual reviews and increases every March.

For 2025, workers under the Expanded Public Works Programme will see their minimum wage rise from R15.16 to R15.83 per hour.

Department of Employment and Labour spokesperson Thobeka Magcai emphasized that the NMW protects workers from exploitation, including vulnerable sectors like farm and domestic workers, who were aligned with NMW rates in 2022.

“No employee should be paid below the NMW,” Magcai stated, adding that the 4.2% increase applies universally. She also warned that altering working hours or conditions to offset the increase is considered unfair labour practice.