Economic Digest 30: Living on a minimum wage by Kenny Pasensie

More than a century ago, Pope Leo XIII spoke about the need for a living wage. In his 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, he said that a living wage should be enough to provide for a family’s basic living expenses so as to keep them out of poverty. South Africa first implemented a minimum wage in 2019, set at R21.69 per hour. However, the minimum wage for some sectors, like domestic workers and farmworkers, was set far lower. Since its introduction, the minimum wage has been steadily increased, though not always keeping pace with the cost of living increases faced by lower-paid workers. See the articles below regarding the new minimum wage, which came into effect in 1st March.Ecomnomic digest Living on a mimimum wage by Kenny Pasensie