Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the proposed R3,500 minimum wage, saying it will improve the living conditions of many locals.
The figure was presented to the National Economic Development and Labour Council partners in November.
During his final question and answer session for the year in Parliament on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said the proposed minimum wage would also apply to foreign workers.
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa asked Ramaphosa what the government was doing to prevent the exploitation of foreign nationals. Concerns have been raised that some employers exploit foreign nationals.
"[The set] wage will cover all employees in our country regardless of their nationality… Our labour laws cover all employees regardless of their nationality," Ramaphosa said.
Employers who did not comply with the agreed minimum wage would be penalised. About 47% of working people in SA earned less than R3,500 a month and 51% lived on less than R1,036 a month, he said.
In November, Cosatu said that although it felt R3,500 was not enough and "unacceptable", it was satisfied a minimum wage was becoming a reality. Cosatu had proposed a minimum wage of R4,500.
The Food and Allied Workers Union also said in November that it was happy a minimum wage was being discussed, but the union had demanded it be set at R5,700. "The proposed figure of R3,500 seems to be ignorant of, or indifferent to, this country as the widest unequal society on earth," the union said.
On Wednesday, the National Union of Metalworkers (Numsa), a former affiliate of Cosatu, said it rejected the proposed minimum wage and it did not support the endorsement of Ramaphosa as the next ANC president.
"Numsa can never support a capitalist exploiter who is seeking to protect his own huge investments and the interests of white monopoly capital," general secretary Irvin Jim said.
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