“Leave Him Alone”: SA Defends Small Business Owner After He Was Confronted Over Employees’ Salaries
- A business owner was confronted by a group from a community-based movement, who requested to know how much he was paying his workers
- The small retail store owner explained that they earned a weekly salary and R30 for lunch, but the group was unhappy with the basic salary
- Social media users flooded the comments section defending the man, and noting that the retail industry wasn’t making much profit currently
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Source: TikTok
Members of the Johannesburg-based movement Labour and Civic Organization (LACO) visited a foreign national business owner to enforce compliance with minimum wage regulations.
The clip went viral after it was shared on TikTok by @newsnexussa on 27 March 2026, garnering many comments from viewers who had no issue with the salary.
The shop owner detailed that he pays his employees who work from Monday to Saturday R530 and also gives them R30 for lunch every day. This did not sit well with the group, who told him that they had visited him to ensure that he complied with the minimum salary regulations. In the video shared on TikTok by @newsnexussa, the group explained that they were not there to fight with the shop owner, but wanted to ensure that he complied with the law.
New minimum pay rates for South African workers
From 1 March 2026, the national minimum wage in South Africa has increased to R30.23 per hour for most employees, including domestic and farm workers. According to Labour Guide South Africa, employees on the Expanded Public Works Programme will now earn R16.62 per hour. Specific sectors like cleaning and retail have also had their pay rates updated. These changes were officially gazetted by the Department of Employment and Labour to ensure workers receive a fair wage.
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Watch the TikTok video below:
SA defends the shop owner
The clip went viral, gaining massive views and nearly 2K comments from social media users who shared their opinion on the salary. Many viewers defended the shop owner, noting that the salary he was paying his employees was better than receiving R350, considering the high unemployment rate. Some confessed to earning less than the R530 weekly amount and praised the entrepreneur for also providing lunch. Others noted that some of these small shops barely make enough money, and also pointed out that the shop looked small. One viewer asked if others were aware that the contract workers employed by the government as cooks at local schools earned R1900.
Source: Getty Images
User @Damion🏳️🌈🇿🇦🏳️🌈 said:
"Leave him alone. If the employees are not happy, let them leave. I know a lot of people who will be willing to work for R500 per week than for R370 a month."
User @Mcebo shared:
"He is trying honestly."
User @carloskabeya625 commented:
"He is paying his staff according to what he is making; business is based on profit. He can't give more than what he is making."
User @Fezile Ngubane asked:
"Are you aware that people working in government schools, cooking for kids (not permanent), earn R1900 a month💔?"
User @Jack4523 said:
"The day you become an owner of a business, you will understand that some of these shops don’t even make enough money."
User @user7205431129232 shared:
"We can all do our calculations, but the bottom line is that in the retail business, there is no money. Let's also check the rental for that business."
3 Briefly News salary-related articles
- A 33-year-old father of three had social media users abuzz after flexing his R100K total income, joining a viral TikTok salary trend, where locals flex their earnings.
- A 28-year-old mother of one joined a viral online challenge, revealing she was single and earning R4800, and Mzansi advised her to remain single and focus on getting a better-paying job.
- A Forever Living business owner bragged about her R500K monthly salary, leaving many social media users envious.
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Source: Briefly News
