The department of labour announced that all labourers that fall under the definition of “domestic worker” which includes housekeepers, gardeners, nannies, domestic drivers among others are to be paid the following rates as a minimum as of the 1st of December 2016.
Note: Area A refers to large metropolitan municipalities and built up areas and suburbs. Area B refers to all other municipalities
Labourers who work 27 ordinary hours a week or more
| Minimum | Area A | Area B |
| Hourly Rate | R12.42 | R11.31 |
| Weekly Rate | R559.09 | R508.93 |
| Monthly Rate | R2 422.54 | R2 205.17 |
Labourers who work less than 27 ordinary hours a week
| Minimum | Area A | Area B |
| Hourly rate | R14.54 | R13.53 |
| Weekly Rate | R392.58 | R360.54 |
| Monthly Rate | R1 701.06 | R1 562.21 |
However, a new minimum wage has been passed meaning that all labourers, including domestic workers and gardeners should be earning no less than R20 per hour (R3500 per month).
In anticipation for this, the ClockWork app ensures that no worker will be paid less than R20 per hour.
Our Recommendation
A good barometer of what to pay a labourer, domestic worker or similar is to ask yourself. “What would I demand for completing this task?” Trust your own judgement, your intuition is right more often than not. Another option is to reach out to friends or acquaintances who have had similar jobs done and see what the going rate is.
Our favourite way to estimate the correct wage to pay workers is through Living Wage. Their interactive tool uses 9 assumptions to calculate what it costs a domestic worker in South Africa to live. You can then see if you are paying a fair wage. Check it out: http://living-wage.co.za/
At the end of the day you are getting someone to do something you cannot do or do not want to do and they should be rewarded accordingly.
