Minimum wage earners struggle to keep up with rising cost of living

Karen Singh

THE cost of living crisis is hitting hard, leaving workers who earn the national minimum wage (NMW) of R25.42 an hour unable to afford the three core household expenses of transport, electricity and food. This is according to the Household Affordability Index for September, which was released by the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity group (PMBEJD). The index looks at data from Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Springbok and Pietermaritzburg. The index revealed that the average worker receiving the minimum wage of R25.42 an hour in a 40-hour week, with a monthly wage of R4 067.20 is left with a shortfall of R1 837 13 after paying for transport and electricity. It said that for this worker, a return trip to work using taxis cost on average R1 440, and…

You're reading a preview of

Cape Times (Digital) - 1 Issue, 2023-10-10

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.