“I Can’t Afford Her”: SA Unhappy With 5% Minimum Wage Increase for Domestic Workers in 2026

• The Department of Employment and Labour published the latest National Minimum Wage adjustments
• The new minimum is based on a typical 160-hour work month, moving up from R4,606 in 2025
• South Africans reacted to the news with many saying they've let their domestic workers go because they can't afford to pay even the minimum wage
• Briefly News spoke to domestic worker Ntha Sawa on whether living in with an employer should affect how much a domestic worker earns

The Department of Employment and Labour has announced the latest adjustments to the National Minimum Wage, affecting what South African households must pay their domestic workers in 2026. BusinessTech shared the update on 3 February 2026, explaining the changes that employers need to know about.

According to BusinessTech, the National Minimum Wage has been increased by 5% following recommendations from the National Minimum Wage Council at the end of 2025. This means the hourly rate has gone up from R28.79 to R30.23 for each ordinary hour worked. The wage applies to all workers, including farm workers and domestic workers, although workers employed on expanded public works programmes are entitled to a minimum wage of R16.62 per hour.

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For most workers, the hourly rate goes up to a weekly rate of R1,264.85 based on a 45-hour working week. South African households that employ domestic workers will need to factor in higher costs as the new minimum wage comes into effect. The law states that employers must pay for at least four hours of work per day, even if fewer hours are worked, pushing the effective daily minimum to about R121, up from R115 in 2025.

Briefly News writer Nerissa Naidoo spoke to domestic worker Ntha Sawa about live-in work arrangements and how much they should get paid. She said:

“It is not easy to decide because not everyone is the same. Some employers can afford to pay more, and some cannot, and it also depends on how much work you do and the value you bring to them. Even if a domestic worker lives in, employers should still follow the minimum wage law. Many domestic workers are not single and have families to support back home, so employers need to think about that too and make sure the pay is fair.”

View the Facebook post below:

Mzansi unhappy with wage increase

Social media users shared their thoughts on the minimum wage increase on the Facebook page @BusinessTechSA's post:

@haroonrashid said:

"I do my work myself."

@kwaneleradebe agreed:

"That's what most people are doing."

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@markhall wrote:

"I wish I could get somebody to do, even the most menial work, this cheaply without feeling bad or suspecting that they aren't very happy with me. At minimum wage, if I got somebody to work in my garden for 8 hours, inclusive of paid lunch hour, I'd only have to pay him R242 for the day."

@kwaneleradebe explained:

"This is why I let my worker go... I can't afford her, even with the minimum wage."

@granthale complained:

"You can make it R1mil a month, no one is paying, as we allow foreigners into the country, and don't fine people for hiring them..."

@jozijozi suggested:

"Do away with domestic workers, it's modern day slavery and a security risk to allow a stranger into your house."

More on domestic workers in South Africa

• Briefly News recently reported on Johannesburg content creator Laiza the Mop Driver questioning a low-pay domestic worker request.
• A Sandton father shared how their housemaid taught him and his two daughters how to laugh again after losing their wife and mother.
• A domestic worker posted a TikTok video showing a typical day in her profession, with the hard work she puts in.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News