Johannesburg reaches 1.2bn to 5bn rand wage agreement
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
The City of Johannesburg has reached a wage agreement covering around 35,000 employees, with payments of between 1.2 billion and 5 billion rands envisaged. Announced on the eve of municipal elections, the agreement could increase the city’s costs, according to civic organisation JoburgCAN, cited by Daily Maverick.
The City of Johannesburg and the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) signed an addendum to their wage agreement on Tuesday, providing for payments of between 1.2 billion and 5 billion rands for around 35,000 employees. The announcement was made at 5pm, on the eve of South Africa’s municipal elections, according to Daily Maverick.
The agreement supplements the wage parity settlement reached in November 2025, whose total value has reached around 10.3 billion rands, with payments scheduled until July 2027. Thobani Nkosi, Samwu’s regional secretary, said that 1.2 billion rands had been paid by the end of October, while a 5.2 billion-rand instalment had fallen due in July.
Julia Fish, chief executive of civic organisation JoburgCAN, said workers deserved the increases, but urged that they not be used as political pawns. She believes the agreement should form part of a consultative budget process, while the municipality is facing financial difficulties. The city did not state the payment date, the amount still owed or the source of the funding.
Johannesburg’s executive deputy mayor and finance head, Loyiso Masuku, urged workers to vote on Wednesday. Julia Fish also warned that delays in payments to contractors and small businesses could slow infrastructure projects and affect low-income households. The announcement follows the prospect of an agreement in Johannesburg after the services strike, published on 1 November.
