Payment in South Africa

The stipulated national minimum wage rate in South Africa is currently ZAR28.79 per hour. Paying below the National Minimum Wage constitutes an offence, which an employee can dispute. If the employee is successful, they could be awarded the difference between their current earnings and the National Minimum Wage, retrospectively as well as prospectively.

Employers must remunerate employees at agreed-upon intervals, which can be daily, weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. The usual interval for salaried employees is monthly.

There is no statutory requirement specifying a particular date for wages/salaries to be paid within a month. Employers have the flexibility to set a payday, and it is common for payments to be made on the 24th of the month or the last working day of the month.