S. African president defends controversial national minimum wage

CAPE TOWN, April 27 (Xinhua) --South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday refuted criticism against the national minimum wage (NMW), saying the NMW "is a firm and unassailable foundation" from which to advance the struggle for a living wage.

"We must remember that the introduction of the national minimum wage will increase the income of over 6 million working South Africans," Ramaphosa said at an event in Bloemfontein, Free State Province to mark the Freedom Day which falls on April 27.

The president was speaking two days after massive protests against the NMW took place across the country.

The government is pushing the NMW, which is 3,500 rand (about 292 U.S. dollars) per month or 20 rand (about 1.7 dollars) per hour.

But opponents say the NMW is a slavery wage that cannot make both ends meet for the working class.

Ramaphosa said he has no objection to the view that the NMW is not a living wage and therefore will not end income inequality.

But he noted that the NMW is agreed to by all social partners.

"A wage increase of that size and that extent is unprecedented in our history, and we must celebrate it," Ramaphosa said.

The NMW "is like a great hill that we have climbed, but we dare not linger, because there are still many more hills to climb," he said.

Parliament is currently finalizing legislation so that the NMW can be implemented for the first time in the country's history, fulfilling a demand made at the Congress of the People in 1955, Ramaphosa said.

"This is a great victory for the workers of this country and is a tribute to the social partners who worked so hard to make it a reality," he added. Enditem