When Laina Kangayi (23) got a job in 2024, she thought she would be able to support herself and afford life’s basic necessities.
Instead, she is still struggling to make ends meet, despite having a job.
Kangayi is a cashier at a shop in Windhoek where she earns between N$1 900 and N$2 500 a month, depending on the shop’s income.
She spends about N$700 on food, N$500 on rent, N$500 on transport, N$250 on her son’s school expenses and N$300 on toiletries.
She also spends N$15 a day on bread for her son to take to school.
“It’s not enough, because I cannot even send my mother anything. I’m not happy,” she says.
Kangayi is calling on the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations to review the national minimum wage, saying the country’s low-income workers are struggling to meet their basic needs.
INFLATION, PETROL, POWER HIKES
Namibia’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.4% in June, up from 3.7% a year earlier, with transport among the main drivers of rising prices, adding to pressure on household budgets.
With the unemployment rate at 36.9% and economic growth slowing to 1.7% in 2025, the struggle to survive on low wages raises questions about whether having a job is enough to escape poverty.
Meanwhile, petrol prices for October increased by N$1.50 for October, with current prices at Walvis Bay standing at N$26.58 per litre. Petrol prices for the rest of the country were adjusted accordingly.
Additionally, the Electricity Control Board approved a national bulk electricity tariff increase of 3.7% for the 2026/27 financial year. For Windhoek alone, a 3.6% increase was approved in September.
Kandjeke Bonifatius (26), a Windhoek employee, says his salary sometimes lasts only two days after payday, leaving him struggling to make ends meet until the end of the month.
“Sometimes we are forced to borrow money or go without extra cash. I have expenses that do not fit in that range,” he says.
Bonifatius could not disclose his exact salary, but says he earns between N$1 000 and N$4 000 per month.
He says the rising cost of food, rent and electricity makes it even harder for low-paid workers to keep up with their financial obligations.
Rebecca Mulyata earns N$1 500 a month working at a shop on a full-time basis.
Her expenses are rent, food and transport.
Mulyata says she spends N$600 on food per month, N$200 on toiletries, and sends her younger siblings between N$150 and N$200, depending on how much of her salary she has left.
“I had to get a cheap rental place. I spend N$250 on rent,” she says.
More than half of Namibia’s employed population earn N$5 000 or less a month, according to the Namibia Statistics Agency’s 2023 Population and Housing Census Labour Force Report.
The report records 302 210 people in this income bracket, including 97 785 who earn N$1 000 or less and 88 348 who earn between N$1 001 and N$2 000.
Only 2.6% of respondents reported earning more than N$40 000 a month.
Workers at Wernhil Mall also say the rising cost of rent, electricity, food and education continues to put them under financial pressure.
Gloria Shikeva (29), who works at a tailoring company, says her salary is not enough to cover her rent or to buy groceries.
She says she had to cut some expenses, because she could no longer afford them.
“I find myself using more than what I get. If I pay my expenses, I will not have pocket money. It’s really tough for me,” she says, adding that she sometimes borrows money.
MINIMUM WAGE
Labour ministry spokesperson Maria Hedimbi yesterday acknowledged that the majority of workers in Namibia do not earn salaries or wages on par with the cost of living.
She said the national minimum wage had been introduced to protect workers, particularly those earning extremely low wages.
“The minimum wage is a starting point towards the attainment of a decent living wage. It is an important intervention in establishing a statutory wage floor below which workers should not ordinarily be paid,” Hedimbi said.
However, she said the minimum wage should not necessarily be viewed as an amount that guarantees a comfortable or adequate income.
“Rather, it establishes a minimum standard of remuneration and provides a foundation upon which broader efforts to improve workers’ earnings and living standards can be built,” she said.
Hedimbi said employers have a legal obligation to comply with the minimum wage and that non-compliance is identified through workplace inspections and investigations into complaints.
Where an employer is found to be non-compliant, she said, the law provides mechanisms to require corrective action.
“Where an employer is found to be paying below the prescribed minimum wage, the ministry may issue a compliance order requiring the employer to pay workers any outstanding wage shortfalls,” she said.
She said disputes that cannot be resolved may be referred to the Office of the Labour Commissioner, where an arbitrator can issue a binding award that may order payment of money or other remedial action.
The ministry said workers employed in Namibia should be paid N$18 per hour and anyone earning below that is being paid “unfairly”.
People like Sam Mujeka (44) had to leave their jobs to start their own businesses because salaries could not meet their monthly spending.
He left his job five years ago to start his own bed-making company.
“My company earns me three times the salary I used to get,” he said yesterday.
THOSE WHO MANAGE
However, not all low-income workers describe their financial situation as unmanageable.
Employee Ligola David (24) says earning a salary, although relatively low, has provided some relief in meeting her responsibilities.
David earns between N$2 500 and N$4 000 per month and uses her income to pay for her studies, food, cosmetics and her sister’s school fees.
“As a student, the money I get helps me pay for my food and cosmetics myself rather than relying on my parents,” she says.
David says despite her relatively low income, she does not consider her financial situation a major problem.
Labour expert Herbert Jauch says low wages in Namibia have historical roots and remain low even when businesses make high profits.
“Wages remain suppressed and below a decent wage level, and workers remain exposed to poverty,” he says.
Jauch says Namibia needs to define a living wage that allows workers to meet their basic needs and support their families.
The Namibian Employers’ Federation could not comment by the time of going to print yesterday.
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