With a youth unemployment rate reaching more than 45% in the first quarter of 2024, South Africa faces a significant challenge: young people are disproportionately affected compared to the national average of 30-35%. Despite the Department of Employment and Labour’s recent establishment of a National Minimum Wage of R27.58 per hour effective from March 2024, many workers remain in precarious jobs, often without social security or stable working conditions.

In this episode, we explore the complex landscape of workers' rights in South Africa with Dr. Mosa Phadi, an expert on state formation, Blackness, and class dynamics. Dr. Phadi, a researcher at the Public Affairs Research Institute and accomplished author of numerous articles and book chapters, shares her insights into the lived experiences of South African workers, unpacking the intersection of labor rights, socioeconomic instability, and the fight for fair treatment in the workplace.

Related statistics and sources (last accessed November 2024)

Unemployment rates
https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=17266

Minimum wage
https://www.ccma.org.za/labourlaws/new-minimum-wage-and-maximum-threshold/#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Employment%20and,with%20effect%201%20March%202024.

History of migrant labor in South Africa
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-migrant-labour-south-africa

Timeline of the Marikana Massacre
https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/timeline-marikana-massacre-2012-2013

Labor relations and trade unions in South Africa
https://www.gov.za/links/labour-relations-0

Precious working conditions in South Africa
https://marxistsociology.org/2022/09/reorganizing-the-core-precarity-organizing-and-the-labour-process-in-south-african-manufacturing/