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The GOOD Party welcomes the 4.4% increase in minimum wage as a necessary step toward ensuring dignity, fairness, and economic justice for workers. This adjustment acknowledges the rising cost of living and the urgent need to protect the livelihoods of the most vulnerable in our society. 

The Department of Employment and Labour this week gazetted an increase to the national minimum wage which will become effective 1 March 2025. The current minimum wage of R27.58 per hour, will increase to R28.79 per hour.

This increase is particularly important for farm workers and domestic workers, who have long been subjected to precarious working conditions and historically lower wages. These workers play an essential role in our economy and daily lives, yet they remain among the most underpaid and unprotected. Ensuring they receive fair wages is a crucial step toward recognizing their contributions and addressing the deep inequalities that persist in these sectors.

Although this increase will ease the financial burden for many, GOOD will continue to call for the implementation of a living wage, a minimum income required to cover  basic needs. Workers are the backbone of our economy, and ensuring they earn a living wage is fundamental to building a more just and equitable society.

GOOD will continue advocating for policies that address systemic inequalities, improve working conditions, and provide meaningful pathways out of poverty. Economic justice requires ongoing commitment, and GOOD stands in solidarity with workers in the pursuit of fair wages and dignified livelihoods.

Let this be a step toward a future where every worker earns not just a minimum wage, but a living wage.

Issued by Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary General